If you've been told you can "sell power back to the grid," that's still true in California. It's just worth far less than most people assume — and there isn't one number.

Here's what changed, and where the value actually sits now.

What NEM 3.0 Actually Changed

Since 15 April 2023, new solar interconnections in PG&E, SCE and SDG&E territory take service on the net billing tariff (NBT) — what everyone calls NEM 3.0 — under CPUC decision D.22‑12‑056.

Under the previous NEM 2.0 program, export credits were close to the retail rate. You sent power out at roughly what you'd pay to buy it back.

Under NBT, that link is broken. Export credits are based on avoided cost, set out in each utility's published rate schedule.

In simple terms:

Exporting is worth much less. Using your own power is worth much more.

Why There Isn't a Single Number

This is the part most articles get wrong. There is no flat "NEM 3.0 export rate."

The credit changes by hour and by month, and it differs between the three utilities. And the pattern matters more than the average:

1. Midday is when your panels produce the most — and when everyone else's do too. That's when exports are worth least.
2. Evening is when power is scarce and exports are worth more. It's also when your panels have stopped producing.

So a system optimised to export a lot of power is optimising the wrong thing.

The Number That Actually Matters

Not the export rate — your self‑consumption.

Every kilowatt‑hour you use on site avoids buying at your retail rate. Every kilowatt‑hour you export earns the much smaller export credit. That gap is the whole game.

This is why batteries went from "nice to have" to the centre of the system. A battery lets you keep midday generation on site and use it in the evening, instead of exporting it cheaply and buying power back at peak prices.

The Overlooked Extra: RECs

Here's something few homeowners are told. The CPUC notes that customer‑generators may be eligible for compensation for the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) associated with excess generation.

There's a condition: you have to register your generation facility with WREGIS. It isn't automatic, and it isn't something most installers raise. Worth asking about.

How to Find Your Own Number

Three steps, and none of them involve a blog post or a sales brochure:

1. Get the net billing tariff rate schedule published by your own utility.
2. Have your installer model your usage against it — not a generic profile.
3. Ask for export credit and self‑consumption value shown separately, rather than one blended "savings" figure.

That third one is the tell. If the numbers can't be separated, they weren't calculated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NEM 3.0 still in effect in 2026?

Yes. New interconnections have taken service on the net billing tariff since 15 April 2023.

Can I choose NEM 2.0 instead?

No. Which tariff applies depends on when your system applied to interconnect — it isn't a choice made at signing.

Does adding a battery change what I get paid for exports?

Not the export rate itself. It changes how much you export at all — which is where the money is.

Want Your Numbers, Not an Average?

We'll pull your utility's published rate schedule, run it against your actual usage, and show you the export credit and the self‑consumption value as separate lines — before you decide anything.

Safe Power installs solar, batteries, whole‑home backup and EV charging across California, and supplies equipment to installers and distributors. Request a home assessment (/contactForm/homeowner), or start with our home battery systems (/products/home‑ess).

Sources

1. CPUC — Net Energy Metering (https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries‑and‑topics/electrical‑energy/demand‑side‑management/net‑energy‑metering) — source for the net billing tariff effective 15 April 2023 (D.22‑12‑056), its application in PG&E / SCE / SDG&E territory, and REC compensation with WREGIS registration. The same CPUC section links to the California Solar Consumer Protection Guide.

Written by the Safe Power team in Azusa, California. Reviewed 29 September 2026. Export credit schedules vary by utility, hour and month, and change over time — confirm current rates with your utility before making a decision. This article is general information, not financial advice.