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“With 2 and our current weather in the 100 degrees, I run out of battery by midnight powering only my house and AC.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A California homeowner trying to make sense of a massive electric bill sparked a revealing debate over what solar savings can actually look like under Los Angeles Department of Water and Power rules.
In a Reddit post, the San Fernando Valley resident estimated their home uses about 36,000 kilowatt-hours each year. They said roughly 16,000 kWh of that comes from charging two EVs and that their annual electric costs total around $12,400.
They wrote, “Modeled switching to TOU (R-1B) instead of staying tiered — even in a pessimistic ‘lots of afternoon AC usage’ scenario, TOU comes out several thousand dollars a year cheaper than tiered, given how much Tier 3 usage I’m carrying.”
Using Tesla‘s online configurator, the homeowner was quoted $83,499 cash for a 100% offset system made up of 57 panels, 23.94 kilowatts of solar, and two Powerwall 3 batteries.
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To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
People in the comments generally thought the proposed solar size was reasonable for that level of usage, but many were skeptical that two batteries would be enough.
Part of that discussion centered on LADWP’s rate design. Commenters noted that the utility still uses full retail-rate net metering, so exported solar can provide more favorable bill credits than under NEM 3.0-style policies used by some other California utilities.
That matters most for homes with very high usage in expensive upper tiers, since solar can then offset some of the costliest electricity on the bill and potentially speed up payback.
Services such as EnergySage let you get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes before committing.
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Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers that can help you save as much as $10k on installation.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
In some cases, simply switching rate plans can cut costs before panels are even installed.
Commenters also emphasized that adding solar does not automatically place LADWP customers on time-of-use billing. Homeowners who want TOU must request the change themselves.
Examples from other LADWP customers varied. One Redditor with a smaller system said they were on pace for about a five-year payback with the federal tax credit, while another said their return-on-investment estimate improved from 11.5 years to 7.6 years as rate hikes and EV charging pushed more of their consumption into expensive tiers that solar could offset.
Battery sizing also came up.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
One commenter with two Powerwall 3 units said, “With 2 and our current weather in the 100 degrees, I run out of battery by midnight powering only my house and AC.”
Several commenters said whole-home backup for a large house with pool equipment, heavy air conditioning use, and EV charging would likely mean needing three or four batteries rather than two. They also pointed to possible permitting and fire-spacing complications for systems above 10 kilowatts.
For households with unusually high electricity use, the first step is to break down where that power is going and how the utility bills it.
In this situation, commenters mostly favored keeping EV charging on the main meter instead of shifting it to LADWP’s separate discounted EV meter, because rooftop solar can then offset those kilowatt-hours.
With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. You can also use EnergySage’s solar map, which shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, these resources can help readers get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. It can also help households keep critical appliances and cooling running when the grid goes down. Homeowners can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
As one commenter put it, “You absolutely need more than 2 pw3s.”
Another commenter said, “TOU switching is not much of a hassle; you simply request it, and they will come do it. Solar/NEM will not switch you to TOU on its own; you specifically have to request TOU at LADWP.”
Whether two Powerwalls can handle a high-usage Los Angeles home raises bigger questions: battery capacity, peak-rate timing, and the real cost of adding more equipment. The articles below dig into Tesla‘s growing storage footprint, the California cooling demand that can send bills soaring, and the incentives that may help trim upfront costs.
• Tesla has already surpassed half a million installations worldwide, underscoring how mainstream home batteries have become.
• In Los Angeles, the home of the future pairs efficient design with lower household energy demand.
• Across California, surging energy bills can add hundreds when afternoon air-conditioning demand spikes.
• In Queensland, homeowners can shave thousands off a Tesla Powerwall purchase through a government rebate.
• Federal policy could deliver $14,000 in home upgrades for households cutting energy use.
If you’re comparing solar panels, TOU rates, and backup batteries, these stories give a more grounded sense of both the possible savings and the upfront bill.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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