To choose a good solar installer in California, hire a contractor with an active CSLB C-46 Solar or C-10 Electrical license you can verify in about two minutes, confirm NABCEP certification and a written workmanship warranty, and be skeptical of any savings math built on old retail net metering rather than California’s NEM 3.0 net billing. California power averages about 35.25 cents per kWh (EIA, as of April 2026), so a wrong hire is expensive.
California has more solar homes than any other state, which means plenty of good installers and plenty of pressure to sign fast. This guide does not rank specific companies. It is a plain checklist for vetting any California solar company yourself, so the choice stays yours. For the statewide incentive and rate picture, start with our California solar guide.
According to MySolarFY’s review of California solar quotes (August 2026), we screen every company against 6 objective checks, and the error we flag most often is a savings estimate still built on the old retail net metering that California closed to new customers in 2023, a costly assumption in a market where power averages about 35.25 cents per kWh. The sections below walk through each check, the NEM 3.0 red flags that are specific to 2026, and the exact questions to ask before you sign.
Start here: the California license (CSLB C-46 or C-10)
In California, the person installing your solar must hold a state contractor license, and you can check it yourself in minutes. The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses solar work under two classifications that matter most for a home system: the C-46 Solar classification, whose holder “installs, modifies, maintains, and repairs thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems” (CSLB, C-46 Solar), and the C-10 Electrical classification, which covers installing electrical systems including “solar photovoltaic cells” (CSLB, C-10 Electrical). A general B (General Building) contractor can also perform the work in some cases, but for a straightforward rooftop system a C-46 or a C-10 is the license you want to see.
| CSLB classification | What it covers | Why it matters for your roof |
|---|---|---|
| C-46 Solar | Installs, modifies, maintains, and repairs thermal and photovoltaic solar systems (CSLB) | The dedicated solar classification; a C-46 must sub out certain non-solar electrical work |
| C-10 Electrical | Installs electrical systems, expressly including solar photovoltaic cells (CSLB) | A full electrical license; can handle panel-and-electrical work end to end |
| How to verify | Free “Check a License” lookup on the CSLB website (CSLB license check) | Confirm the number is active, the classification fits, and the bond and workers’ comp are current |
Run the license number the company gives you through the CSLB “Check a License” tool before anything else. It is free, it takes about two minutes, and it tells you whether the license is active, correctly classified for solar, and carrying the bond and workers’ compensation coverage the state requires.
The six checks: how to vet a California solar installer
Once the license clears, vet every company against the same six objective criteria: license, NABCEP certification, a written workmanship warranty, NEM 3.0 fluency, clear contract and financing terms, and a local track record. This is the MySolarFY checklist, in the order we apply it.
| Check | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| 1. Active CSLB license | A current C-46 or C-10 you verified yourself, with bond and workers’ comp in force |
| 2. NABCEP certification | At least one NABCEP-certified professional on staff, the industry standard for PV (NABCEP) |
| 3. Written workmanship warranty | A labor and roof-penetration warranty in writing, separate from the panel and inverter product warranties |
| 4. NEM 3.0 fluency | A quote that models California’s net billing correctly, not old 1-for-1 retail net metering |
| 5. Clear contract and financing | Cash, loan, lease, and PPA terms spelled out, including any escalator and the total paid over the term |
| 6. Local track record | Recent installs in your county, real references, and reviews you can check against the CSLB record |
NEM 3.0 net billing: the red flags to watch in 2026
California changed how exported solar is paid, and it is the single thing most old sales pitches get wrong. Since April 15, 2023, new residential solar customers of PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E are placed on the Net Billing Tariff, often called NEM 3.0, which credits the power you send to the grid at a value-to-the-grid rate that is well below the retail price, not the old 1-for-1 retail net metering (CPUC, Net Energy Metering and Net Billing, as of 2026). For a plain-English primer on how export credits work in general, see our guide to how net metering credits your solar exports.
Here is the gap in plain numbers. Under net billing, the power you export is credited near its value to the grid from the CPUC’s Avoided Cost Calculator, which in most daytime hours runs in the low single digits per kWh rather than the retail rate you pay for the power you import (CPUC, Net Billing Tariff, as of 2026). As a representative anchor, a typical daytime NEM 3.0 export is credited around 6 cents per kWh, against the roughly 35 cents you pay to import that same power. The illustration below uses California’s average retail rate and a representative daytime export value to show why a quote that still assumes 1-for-1 retail credit overstates what your exports are worth. Actual export values vary by hour and season and can be higher in evening peak hours, so treat this as directional and confirm the current values with your utility.
| Illustration: what an exported kWh is worth | Value credited per kWh |
|---|---|
| Retail rate you pay to import power | About 35.25 cents (EIA, April 2026) |
| What an old-net-metering quote assumes your exports earn | About 35.25 cents (full 1-for-1 retail credit) |
| What NEM 3.0 net billing actually credits a daytime export (representative) | Roughly 5 to 8 cents (CPUC Avoided Cost Calculator; varies by hour and season) |
| The gap the old assumption hides, per exported kWh | About 27 to 30 cents less than a retail-credit quote implies |
That gap is why sizing and self-use matter more under NEM 3.0. When exports are worth a fraction of what you pay to import, the value shifts toward using your own solar in real time or storing it in a battery for the evening, and a quote built on retail export credit can overstate savings by a wide margin. As a rough illustration, a home that exports about 4,000 kWh a year would see that gap add up to roughly 1,080 to 1,200 dollars a year (4,000 kWh times the 27 to 30 cent gap) that a retail-credit quote could overstate, so ask any installer to base savings on net billing, not the old program. Here is what else should make you slow down:
- Savings math built on old net metering. If a quote assumes your exports earn the full retail rate, it is modeling a program California closed to new customers in 2023, and the promised savings will not show up on a net billing bill.
- The “free solar” promise: solar panels are not free, so treat any pitch that hides the price as a warning sign, because on a lease or PPA you pay nothing up front but still pay through the monthly agreement, and every number belongs in writing.
- Unrealistic savings or a “$0 bill” guarantee. Under net billing a fixed monthly service charge and the value gap on exports mean a solar bill is rarely zero. A good quote shows your expected bill after solar, not a promise it disappears.
- Battery oversell. A battery genuinely helps under NEM 3.0 by storing cheap daytime solar for expensive evening use, but be wary of a pitch that bolts on the biggest, most expensive battery without showing the payback math for your usage.
- High-pressure “today only” pricing. A real license, warranty, and net billing model do not expire at midnight. Any deal that does is a reason to walk.
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Questions to ask before you sign
Ask every installer the same six questions, covering license, certification, net billing assumptions, warranty, financing, and local references, so their answers are directly comparable. Bring the same questions to every company. Consistent questions make quotes comparable and make a weak installer easy to spot. This is the MySolarFY pre-signature list, and it pairs with our national checklist of the right questions to ask a solar installer.
- What is your CSLB license number and classification? Then verify it yourself on the CSLB site.
- Is your crew or subcontractor NABCEP certified, and who pulls the permit?
- Does your savings estimate use California net billing (NEM 3.0), and can you show the assumptions?
- What does the workmanship warranty cover, for how long, and what happens if you go out of business?
- Is this a cash purchase, a loan, a lease, or a PPA, and what is the total I will pay over the full term?
- Can you share recent local references and your production estimate in writing?
What changed federally in 2026
The federal homeowner credit is gone, so ignore any pitch that still promises it. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a California homeowner who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS, Residential Clean Energy Credit, as of 2026). For the full timeline, see our guide to what the end of the federal solar tax credit means in 2026. If an installer’s math still leans on that 30% credit for a 2026 cash or loan buyer, that is a reason to question the rest of the quote.
A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, can apply to leased and PPA systems, but the business that owns the panels claims it, not the homeowner. The 25D homeowner credit, by contrast, ended after December 31, 2025, so no 2026 cash or loan buyer can claim it, and on a lease or PPA you do not file for a federal credit yourself. Any promise that you personally pocket a federal tax credit in 2026 is wrong.
Frequently asked questions
By the SolarFY Editor. Facts were verified against the linked CSLB, NABCEP, CPUC, EIA, and IRS sources as of August 2026; license status, net billing terms, and electricity rates change over time, so confirm current details with the CSLB and your utility before you decide. MySolarFY is a matching service, not a licensed contractor, and does not provide tax or financial advice; consult a licensed professional about your own situation. Learn more about our editorial team and how we research and verify.
MySolarFY is a free service that matches homeowners with licensed solar installers. We are not an installer, financing company, or government program. “No up-front cost” refers to qualifying lease or PPA financing, where eligible homeowners may have no out-of-pocket cost at installation. Lease and PPA terms typically run 20 to 25 years, may include an annual price escalator, and total payments may exceed the cost of a cash purchase. Homeowners do not get the federal residential credit that ended after December 31, 2025. Solar panels are not free and monthly payments apply. Eligibility, savings, incentives, and rates vary and are not guaranteed. See our full disclaimer.
