California Homeowners · PG&E · SCE · SMUD · Pioneer

Free Solar &
Battery Estimate —
Real Numbers.
No Pressure.

We compare every option side by side — $0-down PPA, prepaid lease, and purchase — sized to your actual utility bill, roof, and territory. No credit pull to get started.

  • Exact savings estimate based on your PG&E, SCE, or SMUD rate plan
  • $0-down PPA vs. prepaid lease vs. purchase — all three compared
  • Battery backup options priced into your estimate
  • SMUD rebate check for Sacramento area homeowners
  • Upload your bill for a precise, personalized proposal
  • Local follow-up within 1 hour — no call center, no scripts
🔒No credit pull
⚡60 seconds
📞1-hour local follow-up
📜CSLB #1065773
$0
Down on $0-down PPA options
30%
Off via prepaid lease — no tax credit needed
8–9
Year payback — solar + battery typical
400+
California home energy deals closed

Territories We Serve

PG&E SCE SMUD Pioneer SDG&E
Start My Free Estimate →

No spam · No credit pull · Free · Response within 1 hour

Two workers installing solar panels on a residential home's roof under a partly cloudy sky.

★★★★★ Trusted by 500+ California homeowners

Why Solar With Watts

Not a Quote. A Real Comparison.

Most solar companies show you one option and call it a proposal. We show you every path — priced against your actual bill, your utility, and your home — so you can decide with real information.

📋

Sized to Your Actual Bill

We price your estimate against your real PG&E, SCE, or SMUD rate plan — not a generic average. Upload your bill and we'll model exact savings based on your actual usage and time-of-use schedule.

⚖️

Every Option Side by Side

$0-down PPA, prepaid lease, and financed purchase — all three compared in your proposal. No pressure toward any one option. We show you the numbers and you choose what fits your goals.

🔋

Battery Built Into the Estimate

Every estimate includes a battery backup option priced in — Tesla Powerwall, SolarEdge, or Enphase. Under NEM 3.0, battery storage is often the difference between a good solar deal and a great one.

📍

Territory-Specific Incentives

SMUD rebates, Pioneer GridGen options, PG&E NEM 3.0 optimization — your estimate reflects what's actually available in your territory, not a generic California overview.

🤝

Local Follow-Up Within 1 Hour

You're not going into a call center queue. Ed follows up directly — 10 years of California solar experience, real answers to your questions, no scripts, no pressure to decide on the spot.

🔒

No Credit Pull to Get Started

Your estimate requires zero credit check. If you decide to move forward with financing or a PPA, lenders run a check at that stage — not before you've seen your numbers and made a decision.

What Your Estimate Will Compare

Most Popular · No Tax Credit Needed

Prepaid Lease

30% off at signing — own after 5 years

30% off

Built-in discount · no tax filing

$0 Upfront · All Territories

$0-Down PPA

LightReach, GoodLeap, EnFin

$0

Upfront · rate locked below utility

Best Long-Term ROI

Purchase — Financed

Own from day one · GoodLeap or EnFin

650+

Credit score · 5.99% APR at 720+

Ready to see real numbers for your home?

Get My Free Estimate →

Free · No Credit Pull · 60 Seconds

Start Your Free Estimate

Answer a few quick questions — we'll follow up with a personalized proposal within 1 hour.

Tell Us About Your Home

No obligation. No credit pull. Response within 1 hour.

Your Energy Details
What Are You Interested In?
Please fill in all required fields before submitting.
🔒 No spam No credit pull Free 1-hour local follow-up
✅

Estimate Request Received!

We'll follow up within 1 hour with your personalized proposal. In the meantime, upload your utility bill below for a more precise estimate — or call us directly at (209) 216-8180.

Upload Your Utility Bill

Get a more accurate estimate — we'll size your system to your actual rate plan and usage, not a generic average.

  • Priced against your real PG&E or SCE rate plan
  • Sized to your actual kWh usage
  • Ownership vs $0-down PPA compared side by side
  • Battery option included in your proposal
📱 Text Us Your Bill 📞 Call (209) 216-8180

Quick PPA Savings Calculator

Rough estimate only — upload your bill for exact numbers.

Est. Monthly Savings

$—

25-Year Savings

$—

Estimate based on $0.45/kWh avg PG&E/SCE rate, 6%/yr utility escalator, 1.9%/yr PPA escalator. Actual results vary. Upload your bill for exact numbers.

Trusted Across California

Real Homeowners. Real Numbers. Real Results.

400+
California home energy deals closed
10yr
Solar sales experience across all CA utilities
5+
Utility territories served — PG&E, SCE, SMUD, Pioneer, SDG&E
1hr
Average follow-up time after estimate request
★★★★★

"They read our bill and showed exactly how our PG&E charges would change month by month. No guessing, no generic quotes — actual numbers based on our usage. Super clear process start to finish."

JM

Jennifer M.

Fairfield, CA · PG&E Territory

★★★★★

"Ed compared the PPA and the prepaid lease side by side and walked me through exactly what each would cost over 10 years. I'd talked to three other companies and nobody else did that. Made the decision easy."

RT

Robert T.

Elk Grove, CA · SMUD Territory

★★★★★

"I was skeptical about solar after hearing a lot of bad stories. Ed was the first person who actually explained the NEM 3.0 changes honestly and showed me why battery storage matters now. No pressure at all."

MS

Maria S.

Fresno, CA · SCE Territory

★★★★★

"We'd been on PG&E for 30 years and our bill had doubled in 5 years. Solar With Watts helped us lock in a PPA rate that's about half what we were paying. Install was clean, crew was professional."

DK

David K.

Rocklin, CA · Pioneer Territory

★★★★★

"Got the SMUD rebate plus the VPP payments — Ed tracked the 90-day enrollment deadline for us and handled all the paperwork. We didn't have to think about it. Two Powerwalls, two checks from SMUD."

LW

Linda W.

Sacramento, CA · SMUD Territory

★★★★★

"Honest, knowledgeable, and zero pressure. I asked hard questions about what happens if I sell my house and he knew every answer. That level of expertise is rare in this industry."

AC

Anthony C.

Bakersfield, CA · PG&E Territory

🏗️
Solar Savings Direct
Install partner · CSLB #1065773
🔨
Sequoia Roofing
Roofing partner · CSLB #1064775
⚡
LightReach Authorized
Battery lease dealer
🔋
Tesla · SolarEdge · Enphase
Certified battery install
📍
Shingle Springs, CA
Local · not a call center

Common Questions

Everything You Need to Know Before You Start

Straight answers — no solar jargon, no sales spin. If your question isn't here, call or text us directly.

Get My Free Estimate →
Yes — completely free, no obligation, and no credit check to get started. We show you real numbers and you decide if you want to move forward. There's no pressure to decide on the spot and no follow-up that you don't want.
The form takes about 60 seconds. We follow up within 1 hour with your personalized proposal. If you upload your utility bill, we can refine the numbers further — upload takes 30 seconds and speeds up the turnaround. You'll have everything you need to make an informed decision within 24 hours of submitting.
$0-Down PPA — you pay nothing upfront. The solar company owns the system and you pay a per-kWh rate locked below your utility's current price. No ownership, no maintenance costs.

Prepaid Lease — you pay a reduced purchase price upfront (30% off via the commercial tax credit passthrough) and own the system after 5 years. Best long-term value for most California homeowners. No personal tax credit needed.

Financed Purchase — you own the system from day one and finance it through GoodLeap or EnFin. Requires 650+ credit score. Best 10-year ROI if you plan to stay in the home long-term.

We show all three in your proposal side by side so you can compare directly.
No credit check is required for the estimate. For the actual installation, it depends on the financing option you choose. PPAs and prepaid leases have lower credit thresholds than purchase financing. The GridGen program for Pioneer Community Energy customers requires no credit check at all. We'll match you to the right option based on your situation — not push you toward one that doesn't fit.
The residential 30% federal ITC expired for individual homeowners on December 31, 2025. However, the equivalent 30% savings is still available through the prepaid lease — a third-party company owns the system, claims the commercial ITC (still available through 2027), and passes the full 30% to you as a price reduction at signing. No personal tax liability required. This is the most important thing California homeowners need to understand about solar financing in 2026.
For most PG&E and SCE customers under NEM 3.0 — yes. Under NEM 3.0, you earn very little for solar energy exported to the grid during the day. A battery stores that excess and lets you use it during peak hours (4–9pm) when electricity costs the most. Without storage, NEM 3.0 solar leaves significant savings on the table. For SMUD customers, adding a battery also unlocks up to $5,400 per Powerwall in rebates plus $440/year in VPP payments. We include a battery option in every estimate so you can compare with and without.
It depends on the financing option. Owned systems (cash or financed) typically add value to the home and transfer with the sale. PPAs and leases can usually be transferred to the new buyer — most buyers accept them because they're already saving on electricity. The transfer process and any requirements are detailed in the agreement. We explain exactly how this works for each option in your proposal before you decide anything.
Typically 30–45 days from signed agreement to system activation. Most of that time is permit processing and utility interconnection approval — not the physical installation, which is usually completed in one day. Solar Savings Direct handles all permits, HOA coordination, and utility paperwork in-house. You'll receive updates at each milestone and won't need to chase anything down yourself.
We serve Northern and Central California across PG&E, SMUD, SCE, Pioneer Community Energy, and SDG&E territories — including Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom, Stockton, Fresno, Bakersfield, Visalia, Fairfield, Vacaville, El Dorado Hills, Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis, and surrounding areas. If you're unsure, submit your ZIP code in the estimate form and we'll confirm coverage immediately.

Free · No Credit Pull · 1-Hour Response

Stop Guessing.
See Your Numbers.

PG&E and SCE rates aren't going down. Every month you wait is another month at 40–50¢/kWh. Your estimate is free, takes 60 seconds, and comes with zero obligation — real numbers for your home, your utility, and your budget.

Get My Free Estimate → 📞 (209) 216-8180
🔒 No spam No credit pull Free estimate CSLB #1065773 Serving all of California

Tesla · SolarEdge · Enphase

Home Battery Backup Options

→

$0 Down · No SGIP Required

LightReach Battery Lease

→

Sacramento · SMUD Customers

Up to $5,400 Powerwall Rebate

→

$0 Down · All Territories

California Solar PPA Options

→

Pioneer Territory · No Credit Check

GridGen — Solar + Powerwall

→

Solar With Watts is a sales and design partner of Solar Savings Direct, Inc (EPC) — CSLB #1065773. Roofing by Sequoia Roofing & Construction — CSLB #1064775. Individual savings vary. System payback periods are estimates based on utility rates, system size, and usage. The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (ITC/25D) expired for individual homeowners December 31, 2025. The prepaid lease 30% discount is passed through from the commercial ITC, available through 2027 via the third-party system owner. SMUD rebate amounts subject to change — verify at smud.org before signing. GoodLeap/EnFin financing requires 650+ credit score; 5.99% APR available at 720+. PACE financing available — no credit score required. Estimates current as of March 2026.