California solar leads
California led every state with 21,077.0 MW of small-scale solar in July 2026 in the EIA’s estimates, and new customers of its large utilities have joined the net billing tariff since April 2023. Summit Leads supplies solar leads in California by real-time ping/post, with filters and routing agreed during onboarding.
Summit Leads sells solar leads by real-time ping/post. Filters and routing are agreed during onboarding.
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California facts for solar lead buyers
| Fact | Value Source |
|---|---|
| Small-scale solar PV capacity, July 2026 | 21,077.0 MW (EIA estimate, July 2026), the highest of the 49 states with an EIA estimateElectric Power Monthly, Table 6.2.B: Net Summer Capacity Using Primarily Renewable Energy Sources and by State U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| Small-scale solar PV capacity, July 2025 | 19,255.3 MW (EIA estimate, July 2025), with 1,821.7 MW, or 9.5%, added by July 2026Electric Power Monthly, Table 6.2.B: Net Summer Capacity Using Primarily Renewable Energy Sources and by State U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| Solar resource in Los Angeles, the largest city | 6.06 kWh per square meter per day on a fixed south-facing array tilted 20 degrees (PVWatts version 8, typical-year weather, checked October 9, 2026)PVWatts Calculator (version 8): Los Angeles, California National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL) |
| Average residential electricity price, 2024 | 31.97 cents per kWh (2023: 29.51 cents; EIA Form EIA-861 data, 2024), the second highest of the 50 statesElectric Power Annual, Table 2.10: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| Detached single-family share of all housing units | 57.0% (8,354,468 of 14,644,735 units; ACS 5-year 2020-2024, table B25024), the tenth lowest of the 50 statesTable B25024, Units in Structure: California (ACS 5-Year 2020-2024) U.S. Census Bureau |
| Owner-occupied single-family detached homes | 6,201,719, or 82.0% of 7,567,568 owner-occupied homes (ACS 5-year 2020-2024, table B25032)Table B25032, Tenure by Units in Structure: California (ACS 5-Year 2020-2024) U.S. Census Bureau |
| Renter-occupied detached houses | 1,619,653, or 27.1% of 5,980,523 renter-occupied homes (ACS 5-year 2020-2024, table B25032)Table B25032, Tenure by Units in Structure: California (ACS 5-Year 2020-2024) U.S. Census Bureau |
| Tariff for new solar customers of the large investor-owned utilities | Net billing tariff for customers applying for interconnection since April 15, 2023 (CPUC, checked October 9, 2026)Net Energy Metering and Net Billing California Public Utilities Commission |
| Net energy metering tariffs | Closed to new enrollments; more than 90% of customer-sited solar MW in the three large utility territories is on them (CPUC, checked October 9, 2026)Net Energy Metering and Net Billing California Public Utilities Commission |
| Solar contractor license classification | C-46 Solar Contractor: installs, modifies, maintains and repairs thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems (CSLB, Title 16 regulations, checked October 9, 2026)C-46, Solar Contractor (Licensing Classifications) Contractors State License Board |
| Solar Energy System Disclosure Document | Required in boldface 16-point type on the front or cover page of every residential solar contract since January 1, 2019 (CSLB, AB 1070 of 2017)Solar Energy System Disclosure requirements for contractors Contractors State License Board |
| Residential Solar and Storage Equity budget (SGIP) | A CPUC budget for paired solar and storage at low-income homes; reservations open since June 2, 2025 (CPUC, checked October 9, 2026)Self-Generation Incentive Program California Public Utilities Commission |
Last reviewed: October 9, 2026. A summary for education, not legal advice.
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California’s small-scale solar, the largest in the country
California’s customer-sited solar dwarfs every other state’s. The EIA’s Electric Power Monthly, Table 6.2.B, which estimates systems under 1 MW on the customer side of the meter, shows 21,077.0 MW in July 2026, up from 19,255.3 MW in July 2025. The 1,821.7 MW added in twelve months, a 9.5% rise, is on its own larger than the entire small-scale total of most states.
| Month | Capacity (MW) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | 19,255.3 | EIA EPM Table 6.2.B, July 2025 |
| July 2026 | 21,077.0 | EIA EPM Table 6.2.B, July 2026 |
With a base this large, a good part of the California solar market is about homes that already have panels: battery additions, system expansions, repairs and replacements. The EIA estimate counts installed capacity and says nothing about how many homeowners are shopping today.
The solar resource in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, the largest California city in the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 estimates, serves as the sample location. The PVWatts tool, an NREL model now hosted by the National Laboratory of the Rockies, reports 6.06 kWh per square meter per day of solar radiation on its default array there (checked October 9, 2026).
Method: PVWatts version 8 with a fixed, open-rack array facing due south at a 20-degree tilt, at the Los Angeles Census gazetteer point, run on National Solar Radiation Database typical-year weather. The Central Valley, the desert and the foggy coast each produce different values; treat the number as a reference, not a forecast for one house.
California residential electricity price
Table 2.10 of the EIA’s Electric Power Annual lists the average residential price in every state. California’s two latest years are shown as data, with no inference drawn.
| Year | Cents per kWh | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 29.51 | EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 2.10 |
| 2024 | 31.97 | EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 2.10 |
Net metering and net billing in California
This section is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official sources as of October 9, 2026; check the current text of each rule before relying on it.
The California Public Utilities Commission’s net energy metering page (checked October 9, 2026) covers the territories of the state’s three large investor-owned electric utilities. Customers of other utilities are outside the scope of that page.
Under the older net energy metering (NEM) tariffs, exports earn bill credits at the retail rates the customer pays for consumption, including generation, distribution and transmission components. The CPUC says those tariffs are closed to new enrollments (checked October 9, 2026), yet more than 90% of customer-sited solar capacity in the three territories is still on them.
Customers applying for interconnection since April 15, 2023 take service on the net billing tariff. Onsite generation still serves onsite load first. The main difference, in the CPUC’s words, is that credit for power exported to the grid is applied at a rate reflecting the value of that generation to the grid, rather than at the retail rate. This page states no credit values. Virtual net billing and aggregation versions exist for multi-tenant and multi-meter properties.
For a buyer, the tariff a home is on matters: a homeowner with an existing NEM system who adds panels or a battery is in a different conversation from a first-time buyer on net billing.
California solar contractor licensing and disclosure
This section is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official sources as of October 9, 2026; check the current text of each rule before relying on it.
The Contractors State License Board has a dedicated class for solar. The C-46 Solar Contractor classification (Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, checked October 9, 2026) covers installing, modifying, maintaining and repairing thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems. A C-46 licensee may not take on other building trades except when a solar installation requires them.
Assembly Bill 1070 of 2017 added a sales requirement. The CSLB’s solar requirements page (checked October 9, 2026) says that since January 1, 2019, solar energy system companies must put the Solar Energy System Disclosure Document, in boldface 16-point type, on the front or cover page of every contract to sell, finance or lease a system for a residential building. The document and contract must be in the language mainly used in the sales presentation or marketing materials, with English and Spanish versions posted by the CSLB.
A buyer that passes California requests to installers can check two things on each partner: an active C-46 or other license covering the work, and use of the current disclosure document in its contracts.
California solar and storage incentive program
This section is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official sources as of October 9, 2026; check the current text of each rule before relying on it.
The CPUC’s Self-Generation Incentive Program page (checked October 9, 2026) describes a Residential Solar and Storage Equity budget for paired solar and storage at low-income residential properties. The page says the CPUC authorized a dedicated budget for it and that reservations opened June 2, 2025, for low-income residential electric or gas customers. Budget status changes, and the CPUC refers readers to the program administrators for whether a budget is open.
The program is limited to low-income households, so it applies to a narrow part of any California campaign. This page gives no per-household amount.
California detached homes and who lives in them
In the Census Bureau’s table B25024, 8,354,468 of California’s 14,644,735 housing units are detached single-family homes in the 2020-2024 ACS, 57.0%, the tenth lowest share of the 50 states. Among owners, table B25032 counts 6,201,719 detached homes, 82.0% of 7,567,568 owner-occupied homes, for 2020-2024.
Rented houses are a large group as well: 1,619,653 of 5,980,523 renter-occupied homes are detached, 27.1% in the same 2020-2024 table. A tenant in a rented house cannot usually commit the roof, so homeowner status carries weight in California filters.
For housing age and values see California window replacement leads; for heating and cooling see California HVAC leads.
California counties by owner-occupied detached homes
The ten California counties with the most owner-occupied single-family detached homes are listed below from the 2020-2024 ACS county estimates (table B25032). The figures describe housing and do not indicate where leads come from.
| County | Owner-occupied detached homes | Owner-occupied homes | Detached share of owner homes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1,264,891 | 1,567,983 | 80.7% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| San Diego | 484,053 | 639,138 | 75.7% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Riverside | 452,496 | 535,986 | 84.4% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Orange | 449,507 | 610,659 | 73.6% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| San Bernardino | 368,127 | 418,836 | 87.9% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Sacramento | 302,313 | 337,066 | 89.7% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Santa Clara | 279,603 | 363,147 | 77.0% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Alameda | 258,274 | 325,509 | 79.3% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Contra Costa | 236,750 | 281,819 | 84.0% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Fresno | 165,776 | 180,371 | 91.9% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
Los Angeles County has more owner-occupied detached homes than San Diego and Riverside counties put together. Inland counties are the most detached, Fresno at 91.9% and Sacramento at 89.7%, while coastal Orange (73.6%) and San Diego (75.7%) have the lowest shares in the list, per the 2020-2024 county data.
Reading the California facts for solar coverage
Three practical points follow from the California facts for a buyer setting coverage:
- The existing base is enormous. At 21,077.0 MW in the EIA’s July 2026 estimate, many homes already have panels, so a buyer can decide whether it wants battery and expansion projects as well as first systems.
- Tariff status shapes the pitch. The CPUC (checked October 9, 2026) closed NEM to new enrollments, and new customers since April 15, 2023 are on net billing.
- Contracts carry a required form. The CSLB disclosure document, required since January 1, 2019, is part of every residential solar contract, so partner installers should already use it.
These points cover rules, housing and installed equipment. They do not estimate California solar lead numbers or sources.
What California solar buyers filter on
California solar campaigns are typically set with a few fields from each lead, tied here to the facts above:
- Homeowner status: owners commit the roof and sign the disclosure document; renters in detached houses are counted above.
- Project type: the type of solar project the homeowner described, in general terms; the final options are fixed with the solar form.
- Timeframe: whether the homeowner expects to decide soon or is early in research.
- ZIP code: the region a buyer’s licensed installers serve, using the county table as a guide to housing type.
The filters for California solar leads are agreed with each buyer during onboarding. Exclusive or shared routing for solar leads is agreed with each buyer during onboarding. The sample solar lead lists every field.
Where buyers filter in California
All six of California’s largest metro areas lie within the state, and the Los Angeles area alone passed 12.8 million people in the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 estimates. Solar installers in California usually work one region at a time, such as Southern California, the Bay Area or the Sacramento Valley. Each buyer’s coverage area is agreed during onboarding, inside these metro areas or outside them.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: 12,844,441 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario: 4,769,007 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: 4,630,041 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: 3,282,248 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom: 2,477,274 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: 1,984,473 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
Source: Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area population estimates, Vintage 2025 (cbsa-est2025-alldata), U.S. Census Bureau.
Consent records for California solar leads
Each California solar lead carries the TCPATCPAThe Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the federal law that governs telemarketing calls and texts, autodialers, prerecorded voice messages and the Do Not Call Registry. Glossary consent record captured on the form. For the California rules that sit on top of the TCPA, read the California line in the state telemarketing laws table; leads in California shows all of Summit’s verticals in the state together.
California solar lead questions
Which tariff do new California solar customers go on?
Customers of the three large investor-owned utilities who applied for interconnection on or after April 15, 2023 take service on the net billing tariff, according to the CPUC (checked October 9, 2026). The older NEM tariffs are closed to new enrollments. This is general information, not legal advice.
What license does a California solar installer hold?
The CSLB’s C-46 Solar Contractor class covers thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems. This is general information, not legal advice.
What must be on the front of a California residential solar contract?
The Solar Energy System Disclosure Document, in boldface 16-point type, on the front or cover page, required since January 1, 2019, according to the CSLB. This is general information, not legal advice.
Which California county has the most owner-occupied detached homes?
Los Angeles County, with 1,264,891 in the 2020-2024 ACS county estimates (table B25032), followed by San Diego (484,053) and Riverside (452,496).
Is ZIP-level targeting possible for California solar leads?
Coverage and filters are agreed with each buyer during onboarding; email us the ZIP codes you want covered.
Request California solar leads
Email us the California ZIP codes you cover, your daily volume or caps and how you take delivery. ReturnReturnA buyer's request for credit on a lead that fails agreed standards, such as a disconnected number, a duplicate or a lead outside the filters. Glossary terms are agreed on the onboarding call, before you go live.
Start small, with no long-term commitment
- No long-term contract. Pause or stop at any time.
- No setup fee and no monthly fee. You pay only for leads delivered that match your filters.
- Start with a small test volume and scale when the numbers work.
- MVA and home improvement leads are exclusive by default: each lead is sold to one buyer.
- Return terms are agreed on the onboarding call, before you go live.
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