How does net metering work with RPU?

RPU's Solar Energy Program lets a grid-tied solar system offset up to 150% of your historical 12-month energy use, and you receive a bill credit for excess energy sent back to the grid. We size and interconnect to RPU's rules, not SCE's.

Is there a federal solar tax credit for Riverside homeowners in 2026?

No. The federal residential clean energy credit under Section 25D expired on December 31, 2025, after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act repealed it. We do not promise homeowners a federal tax credit — your savings come from offsetting your RPU bill and, where it fits, battery storage.

Does Riverside qualify for DAC-SASH or SGIP?

DAC-SASH and SGIP are state programs administered through the investor-owned utilities (SCE, PG&E, SDG&E, SoCalGas). Because most of Riverside is served by the municipal utility RPU, those IOU programs generally do not apply to RPU customers. We check your specific address and territory before counting on any incentive.

Do I need a battery with solar in Riverside?

Under RPU's net metering a battery is not required, but Riverside's triple-digit summer heat and outage risk make backup power a smart pairing for many homes. We model the economics both ways so you see the tradeoff before deciding.

Service area · Riverside, California

Solar Panel Installation in Riverside, CA

SolarCCS designs, permits, and installs solar and battery systems across Riverside with our own in-house crew. Get a quote for a complimentary assessment — licensed general contractor, family-owned, and headquartered right here in the Inland Empire.

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Licensed CSLB #983330 · 30+ years in the Inland Empire

Riverside is served by Riverside Public Utilities (RPU), a city-owned municipal utility that is not bound by the CPUC NEM 3.0 tariff applying to Southern California Edison. RPU runs its own solar program — a grid-tied system can offset up to 150% of your historical 12-month energy use and earns a bill credit for excess exports — and the federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) ended December 31, 2025, so savings come from your RPU bill offset, not a federal credit.

CSLB #983330

Family-owned

Riverside-based

Solar + General Contractor

About this service area

Solar in Riverside, specifically

SolarCCS is headquartered in Riverside, and Riverside homes are the ones our crews know best. As a local solar panel installer, we design rooftop solar and battery storage systems for Riverside Public Utilities customers — a city-owned municipal utility, not Southern California Edison — so the net metering rules, rate schedules, and interconnection paperwork here work differently than they do in the rest of the Inland Empire.

Completed SolarCCS rooftop solar array on a home near Riverside, CA

Electric utility: Riverside Public Utilities (RPU)
Population: ~335,000
Equity incentives: Some addresses may qualify for DAC-SASH or SGIP equity rebates. Eligibility is census-tract specific and confirmed per address.
Zip codes served: 92501 · 92503 · 92504 · 92505 · 92506 · 92507 · 92508 · 92509

How solar works here

Riverside runs on RPU under NEM 3.0

RPU is a city-owned municipal utility that sets its own net metering rules — it is not bound by the CPUC NEM 3.0 tariff that applies to Southern California Edison in neighboring cities.

Solar program

RPU Solar Energy Program (Self-Generation)

System size cap

Up to 150% of your historical 12-month energy use

Excess energy

A bill credit for excess energy sent back to the grid

Permission to operate

City of Riverside permit approval + an RPU-installed net meter = Permission to Operate

Solar permitting in City of Riverside

SolarAPP+. The City of Riverside uses the SolarAPP+ online portal to automate plan review and issue permits for code-compliant residential PV systems. We handle the submittal, the inspection scheduling, and the RPU interconnection application as part of the job.

What matters here

What Riverside homeowners should know

SolarCCS crew setting panels at golden hour on a Riverside rooftop — A SolarCCS crew setting panels on a Riverside-area roof — our own installers, not subcontractors.

Served by RPU, not SCE

Riverside Public Utilities is a municipal utility with its own net metering program and rate schedules. We size and interconnect Riverside solar panel systems to RPU rules rather than the SCE tariffs that apply a few miles away.

City of Riverside solar permitting

We pull solar permits through the City of Riverside every week and handle plan check, inspection scheduling, and the utility interconnection application as part of the job.

DAC-SASH may apply

Parts of Riverside fall inside disadvantaged-community census tracts, so some homes may qualify for California equity solar programs such as DAC-SASH. We check your specific address before anything is promised.

Our home base — local solar installer

Riverside is where SolarCCS is based. Site visits, service calls, and warranty work are handled by the same in-house solar installation crew — no subcontracted install team driving in from out of the region.

What shapes the design

Rooftops and climate in Riverside

Historic neighborhoods, tract homes, and hillside lots

Riverside's housing stock spans turn-of-the-century homes in the Wood Streets and historic districts, mid-century tract developments, and newer hillside construction — so roof age, pitch, and shading vary block by block. Every system design starts with a site walk, not a satellite guess.

Triple-digit summers make backup power worth it

Riverside routinely sees August highs in the upper 90s to above 100°F, and air conditioning drives most of a household summer load. A battery does not just store solar — it keeps essentials on through outages and heat-driven demand spikes that strain the grid.

On the ground in Riverside

Riverside is growing — here’s where

Recent development shaping Riverside — and where new rooftops and commercial growth are creating solar and storage opportunities.

2025-08-19

Riverside Sports Complex & Entertainment District

The City Council voted unanimously to negotiate with GCS Development to turn 56 acres of city-owned land in the Northside neighborhood into a multi-use stadium, six soccer fields, an indoor sports complex, plus future-phase housing, retail, and a central park.

“This project provides recreational opportunities that Riverside and our greater region have never had.”
— City of Riverside, riversideca.gov

Why it matters: A 56-acre entertainment, housing, and retail district is a major growth corridor with new rooftops and commercial buildings that will need power — a natural fit for future solar and battery storage.

2025-02-26

Riverside Adventure Center & Northside Town Center

The Council voted 7-0 to negotiate exclusively with Adrenaline Sports Resorts on a 126-acre mixed-use redevelopment north of Highway 60, combining a recreational adventure park, hotel/conference center, new housing, a grocery store, and restaurants.

“Adrenaline Sports Resorts (ASR) Collaborative has at least six months to work with the City to acquire 126 acres of City property north of Highway 60.”
— City of Riverside, riversideca.gov

Why it matters: New housing, a hotel/conference center, and retail on 126 acres means fresh commercial and residential construction — buildings that are ideal candidates for solar from day one.

2025-05-14

Named to the 2025 LEED for Cities Cohort

Riverside was selected as one of just 16 U.S. cities for the U.S. Green Building Council's 2025 LEED for Cities Cohort, a program that helps local governments set and track sustainability and green-building goals citywide.

“Riverside's focus on sustainability and quality of life is now being recognized on the national stage.”
— City of Riverside, riversideca.gov

Why it matters: A formal city-level sustainability and green-building commitment reinforces that Riverside homeowners and businesses have local government backing for clean-energy upgrades like solar and battery storage.

How it goes

Four steps from first call to power on

01
Complimentary Assessment
We review your roof, your last twelve months of bills, and your electrical panel, then give you real numbers for your Riverside address. No cost, no obligation.
02
Design & Permit
We engineer the system, submit plans to the city, and file the RPU interconnection application. The paperwork is handled end to end.
03
Install
Our own in-house crew does the work — no rotating subcontractors. Most residential systems go up in one to three days.
04
PTO & Activation
Final inspection, permission to operate from RPU, then we switch the system on and walk you through monitoring.

Installed here

A real Riverside solar install

18 kW

grid-tied rooftop solar

Gary Gumbleton

An 18 kW grid-tied rooftop solar installation in Riverside — sized to Gary's actual usage and interconnected to RPU. The full project walkthrough is featured on our residential page.

See the full project

Why us

Why SolarCCS in Riverside

Two SolarCCS installers on a job site serving Riverside, CA

Licensed general contractor

SolarCCS is the solar division of a licensed general contractor, CSLB #983330. Roofing, electrical, and structural work stay under one license instead of being handed off.

Our own crew

The people who design your system are the people who install it and the people who come back for service. Nothing is farmed out.

Local to Riverside

We are family-owned and based in Riverside. We know the inspectors, the utility processes, and the roofs in this part of the Inland Empire.

For businesses

Commercial solar in Riverside

Commercial solar across Riverside's industrial corridors

From downtown mixed-use to the industrial and logistics corridors along the 91 and 215, Riverside has a deep commercial base. SolarCCS designs rooftop, ground-mount, and carport commercial solar and battery systems sized to demand charges and usage profiles — commercial projects are quoted on their own incentive eligibility, which we verify for your property.

Riverside solar FAQ

This is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional.

Other cities we serve

Same crew, same license, same complimentary assessment.

Ready to see the numbers for your Riverside home?

Answer a few quick questions to get a complimentary assessment — real numbers for your roof, your utility bill, and your available incentives. Takes about 60 seconds, no obligation.

951-706-5990 Get a Quote

No obligation. No pressure. We answer our own phone.