How many kWh per month is normal for a house in 2026?

Most Southern California homes land somewhere between 500 and 1,200 kWh per month, with smaller condos and apartments at the low end and larger homes with pools or EV chargers pushing past 1,500 kWh. The national average per EIA data is around 900 kWh/month, but SoCal homes typically run below that because mild winters eliminate electric heating loads.

Last verified: July 2026 by Helios Energy Global.

Understanding your monthly kWh is the single most important input for sizing a solar system. Get this number wrong and you'll either over-build (paying for panels you don't need) or under-build (still running a meaningful utility bill after installation). Your actual number lives on page 1 or 2 of your SCE or LADWP bill—look for "Total kWh Used" for the billing period.

---

What drives your monthly kWh number

Home size is the starting point

Square footage sets your baseline, but it's not the whole story. A 2,000 sq ft home in the San Fernando Valley with a pool, EV, and old HVAC will easily double the usage of a 2,000 sq ft home in Santa Monica with gas appliances and no car charger.

Rough size benchmarks for Southern California:

Home Size	Typical Monthly kWh	Notes
Condo / apartment (under 1,000 sq ft)	300–500 kWh	Often no central AC, shared walls reduce load
Small house (1,000–1,500 sq ft)	450–650 kWh	1–2 mini-splits or small central AC
Medium house (1,500–2,500 sq ft)	600–900 kWh	Central AC, gas or electric water heater
Large house (2,500–3,500 sq ft)	850–1,200 kWh	Central AC, possible pool pump
Large house + pool + EV (3,500+ sq ft)	1,200–2,000+ kWh	EV adds ~300–400 kWh/month at avg. driving
All-electric home (any size, no gas)	Add 200–500 kWh	Heat pump HVAC, induction range, heat pump water heater

All figures are estimates based on EIA residential data and California Energy Commission appliance saturation studies. Your actual usage will vary.

SCE vs. LADWP: why utility territory matters

Your utility affects both your bill and how solar performs financially—not just the rate per kWh.

SCE customers (most of Orange County, the Inland Empire, and parts of LA County) pay roughly 34–35¢/kWh on average in 2026 under time-of-use pricing, with a 4–9 PM peak period where rates climb higher. Under NEM 3.0 (the CPUC Net Billing Tariff), solar export credits are significantly lower than retail rates—which is exactly why pairing solar with a battery is so valuable for SCE customers. Every kWh you self-consume is worth the full 34–35¢ you avoid paying.

LADWP customers (City of Los Angeles) pay roughly 22¢/kWh on average. LADWP is a municipal utility and is not on NEM 3.0—it still offers retail-rate net metering, meaning your exported solar is credited at close to what you pay. That's a meaningfully better deal for solar-only systems compared to SCE territory right now.

Other municipal utilities in SoCal—Pasadena Water and Power, Burbank Water and Power, Glendale Water & Power, Anaheim Public Utilities, and Riverside Public Utilities—also run their own net metering programs independent of the CPUC's NEM 3.0 rules. Rates and credit structures vary; check your specific utility's tariff before sizing a system.

---

The big kWh drivers in a SoCal home

Central air conditioning is almost always the largest variable. A 3-ton system running 8 hours a day in a July heat wave can consume 300–500 kWh in a single month. Coastal homes (Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Long Beach) may barely run AC; Inland Empire and San Fernando Valley homes may run it 5–6 months a year.

Electric vehicle charging is increasingly significant. An average EV driver covering 1,000–1,200 miles a month will add roughly 300–400 kWh to the household total. If you're charging two EVs, that's a material portion of your bill—and a strong reason to size solar generously.

Pool and spa equipment adds 150–400 kWh/month depending on pump size, run time, and whether you have a heater. Variable-speed pumps reduce this significantly.

Water heating matters if you've switched to a heat pump water heater (efficient, but still electric) or if you have an older electric resistance tank. Gas water heaters obviously don't appear on your electric bill at all.

All-electric homes (no gas) are increasingly common with new construction and retrofits. If you've replaced your gas furnace, water heater, and range with electric equivalents, add 200–500 kWh/month to a baseline that might otherwise look modest.

---

How to find your actual 12-month average

Don't guess. Here's the fastest way:

• SCE: Log into sce.com, go to "My Account" → "Energy Use Details." You'll see a 12-month bar chart. Add up all 12 months and divide by 12 for your true average.
• LADWP: Log into ladwp.com, navigate to "My Usage." Same approach—12-month sum divided by 12.
• Paper bills: Look for "kWh Used This Period" on each bill. Twelve months of data is far more useful than one month because seasonal swings are large.

Your annual total is what matters most for solar sizing, not any single month. A home that uses 400 kWh in February and 1,100 kWh in August has an annual total of around 8,400 kWh—and that's the number your solar designer should be working from.

---

Converting your monthly kWh to a solar system size

Once you know your annual kWh, converting to a rough system size is straightforward in Southern California. SoCal's sun exposure (roughly 5.5–6 peak sun hours per day in most of the region) means a 1 kW system produces approximately 130–160 kWh per month in real-world conditions after accounting for inverter losses, temperature, and panel orientation.

Quick sizing math:

• 600 kWh/month average → roughly 4–5 kW of solar
• 800 kWh/month average → roughly 5.5–7 kW of solar
• 1,100 kWh/month average → roughly 7.5–9.5 kW of solar
• 1,500 kWh/month average (EV + pool household) → roughly 10–13 kW of solar

These are rough estimates. A proper design from our team uses your actual 12-month usage, your roof's azimuth and tilt, shading analysis, and your utility's specific rate structure to land on the right system size. Oversizing by 10–15% is often sensible under NEM 3.0 if you're adding an EV or planning to electrify appliances—but that math needs to be done carefully for SCE customers given lower export credits.

For more on how NEM 3.0 changes the sizing calculus for SCE customers, see our NEM 3.0 explainer and the solar vs. battery under NEM 3.0 guide.

---

What this means for your solar bill savings

At SCE's ~34–35¢/kWh average rate, every 100 kWh you offset with solar saves you roughly $34–$35/month. A system that offsets 700 kWh/month saves approximately $238–$245/month, or roughly $2,850–$2,940/year.

At LADWP's ~22¢/kWh rate, the same 700 kWh offset saves roughly $154/month or about $1,848/year—meaningful, but a longer payback period than SCE territory. LADWP's retail-rate net metering partially compensates by making exported energy more valuable.

Important 2026 note: The 30% federal residential solar tax credit expired December 31, 2025. There is no federal income tax credit for a residential solar system installed in 2026. California's SGIP battery incentive program has residential waitlists in 2026—it is not currently accepting new residential applications with funded allocations. Factor these realities into your payback calculations. See our solar panel cost page for current installed cost ranges.

---

Frequently asked questions about monthly home kWh usage

What is the average monthly kWh usage for a house in California?

California homes average lower than the national figure of ~900 kWh/month because mild winters eliminate most heating load. A reasonable California average is 550–750 kWh/month, with Southern California coastal homes often below 600 kWh and Inland Empire homes with heavy AC use closer to 800–1,000 kWh in summer months.

Is 1,000 kWh a month a lot for a house?

For Southern California, 1,000 kWh/month is on the higher end of normal—typical for a 2,500–3,500 sq ft home with central AC, or a smaller home with an EV or pool. It's not unusual, but it does put you in a tier where solar has strong financial justification, especially on SCE where 1,000 kWh/month at ~34¢/kWh means a bill of roughly $340 before fixed charges.

How do I find out how many kWh my house uses per month?

Log into your SCE or LADWP online account and pull 12 months of usage history. Add up the 12 monthly totals and divide by 12 for your average. This 12-month average is the number to share with a solar designer—it accounts for seasonal swings far better than a single bill.

How much solar do I need for 800 kWh per month?

At Southern California's solar production rates, you'd generally need a 5.5–7 kW system to offset 800 kWh/month. The exact size depends on your roof's orientation and shading, your utility (SCE vs. LADWP vs. a muni), and whether you're pairing with a battery. Use our design and savings tool or book a consultation for a precise number.

Does an EV really add that much to my monthly kWh?

Yes—meaningfully. The average EV driver in California covers roughly 1,000–1,200 miles per month. At 3–4 miles per kWh (typical for most EVs), that's 250–400 kWh/month of additional home charging load. If you're sizing solar and you own or plan to own an EV, account for it upfront rather than adding panels later.

Why is my summer bill so much higher in kWh?

Air conditioning. A central AC system running hard during a heat wave can consume 30–50 kWh per day. A 30-day stretch of heavy AC use adds 900–1,500 kWh to what might otherwise be a 400 kWh baseline month. This seasonal swing is why we always size solar on your 12-month annual total, not your worst summer month.

Does LADWP or SCE territory use more kWh on average?

SCE territory (Inland Empire, San Fernando Valley, parts of LA County) tends to run higher average kWh because of hotter summers and more AC runtime. LADWP's service area includes a lot of coastal and urban LA where temperatures are moderated. That said, LADWP territory also includes the hot San Fernando Valley, so it varies significantly by neighborhood. The bigger practical difference for solar owners is the rate structure and net metering rules—see our locations page for utility-specific guidance.

---

Next steps

• Book a free consultation and custom design — bring your 12-month kWh total and we'll size a system built around your actual usage.
• Explore solar panel costs for 2026 — current installed cost ranges with no federal tax credit.
• Learn how NEM 3.0 affects SCE customers — critical reading before sizing a solar-only system in SCE territory.
• Solar vs. battery under NEM 3.0 — why self-consumption math has changed for SCE and SDG&E customers.
• See our battery storage options — if your usage peaks in the 4–9 PM window, storage changes the economics significantly.
• Our solar overview — how panels, inverters, and monitoring work together for a SoCal home.