{"id":745,"date":"2026-06-18T20:32:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T20:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=745"},"modified":"2026-06-18T20:32:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T20:32:34","slug":"californians-could-buy-plug-in-solar-pay-less-for-pge-under-new-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=745","title":{"rendered":"Californians could buy plug-in solar, pay less for PG&E under new bill"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Renters may be able to significantly lower their monthly energy bills under a new piece of legislation that could let Californians power homes on their own with an abundant resource: solar.<\/p>

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Senate Bill 868, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener, would allow consumers to buy solar panels at no extra cost to their utility, and it would also allow large retailers or your local hardware store to sell plug-in solar panels to power your home on your own \u2014 and ideally reduce your monthly utility bills. The idea was inspired by a bill passed in Utah last year, and plug-in solar is also popularly used in Europe.<\/p><\/div>

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The bill passed a critical juncture last week in the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee with zero opposition. It is now headed to the Appropriations Committee in August, where the bill\u2019s fate will be decided before heading to a final vote and then to the governor\u2019s desk for signature.<\/p><\/div>

Right now, California homes are powered by three main providers: PG&E, which serves Central and Northern California; Southern California Edison, which powers parts of the Central Coast, Central California and Southern California; and San Diego Gas & Electric, which serves San Diego County and the surrounding area.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Utility prices remain a major grievance for homeworkers and renters. There has been discussion recently about breaking apart the utilities, specifically the PG&E monopoly, to allow other utility providers to come into the state. This was a major idea brought forward by Democrats, including gubernatorial candidate Tom\u00a0Steyer, but it is also something current Republican candidate Steve Hilton has promoted. U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna has also suggested the breakup, along with other lawmakers across the state. It\u2019s also been a fracture point with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who hasn\u2019t supported the idea.<\/p><\/div>

Bernadette Del Chiaro, the senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group, a consumer-oriented environmental group that focuses on green energy and is a main sponsor of the bill, said that it would put power, literally, in the consumers\u2019 hands.<\/p><\/div>

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\u201cThe whole idea of balcony solar is to walk into Cosco, IKEA, and you can buy this device in a cardboard box, stick it in a cart, bring it home, set it up, plug it in. That\u2019s the whole idea,\u201d she said in a phone interview with SFGATE. She added that \u201cconsumers are going to have more money in their pocket,\u201d which could add up to $20 of savings per month.<\/p><\/div>

Right now, the pricing on solar panels is high, Del Chiaro said. The smaller panels cost around $500 and are the size of a small coffee table. They\u2019d be able to produce enough energy to power your refrigerator, a little desktop computer and your modem and Wi-Fi box, she said. The larger panels, which are around the size of a desk, can cost up to $2,500 and can power more, including air conditioners.\u00a0<\/p>

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\u201cBut this is a beta market right now in the U.S.,\u201d she said, adding that once the bill passes, more panels will be made, and prices will decrease. \u201cWe know from our experience … that in a few short years, companies will get economies of scale.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

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