Los Angeles Department of Water & Power · Municipal net metering
LADWP net metering, explained for homeowners.
Net metering under the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power works on a fundamentally different basis than most of Southern California — and that difference is good news for LA homeowners. LADWP is a municipal utility, not a CPUC-regulated one, which means it never adopted NEM 3.0 and runs its own net metering program instead. Export credits here remain relatively favorable compared with SCE's slashed rates, so a well-designed solar-only system can still pencil out in Los Angeles. The trade-offs are practical: LADWP's interconnection process is famously slower, and timelines vary by council district. Helios models your exact LADWP rate, handles the DWP paperwork end to end, and the owner signs off on every design.
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
How net metering works on LADWP.
Because LADWP is a publicly owned municipal utility, it sits outside CPUC jurisdiction and was never bound by the NEM 3.0 Net Billing Tariff that reshaped SCE, PG&E, and SDG&E. LADWP administers its own net energy metering program with its own rules and credit values.
In practice, that means exported solar on LADWP is credited on terms that are generally more favorable than NEM 3.0's hourly avoided-cost rates — closer to the older full-retail-style treatment many homeowners remember. The exact credit depends on your LADWP rate schedule, so it still pays to model your specific tariff rather than assume. The upshot is that solar-only systems, which struggle to pencil out on the NEM 3.0 utilities, can still deliver solid returns in LADWP territory.
The catch is process, not economics. LADWP's permission-to-operate and interconnection timelines are slower than SCE's, and permitting varies across LA's council districts. That's the main reason an LADWP install can stretch past the typical 6-10 week window. We handle the entire DWP interconnection filing and give you a realistic, district-specific timeline up front.
Storage on LADWP
Should you add a battery?
On LADWP, a battery is genuinely optional rather than near-mandatory. Because LADWP's net metering keeps export credits relatively favorable, a solar-only system can pay off here in a way it usually can't on SCE or PG&E. That said, a battery still adds value: it provides backup during outages and lets you hedge against LADWP's ongoing rate increases by relying more on your own stored production. The decision in LA is a real choice rather than a foregone conclusion — so we model both solar-only and solar+battery and let the numbers, and your appetite for backup, guide it.
LADWP cities we serve.
Helios designs and installs solar across 2 LADWP communities in Southern California. Pick your city for local sun hours, fire-zone notes, and a market-specific quote.
LADWP net metering questions, answered.
- Is LADWP subject to NEM 3.0?
- No. LADWP is a municipal utility, not a CPUC-regulated investor-owned one, so it never adopted NEM 3.0. It runs its own net metering program with its own rules, and export credits remain relatively favorable compared with SCE, PG&E, and SDG&E.
- Can a solar-only system still pay off on LADWP?
- Yes — and LA is one of the better SoCal markets for it. Because LADWP isn't subject to NEM 3.0's export cuts, solar-only systems can still pencil out. We model both solar-only and solar+battery so you can see which makes more sense for your home and LADWP rate.
- Why does an LADWP solar install take longer?
- LADWP's permission-to-operate and interconnection process is slower than SCE territory, and permitting varies by council district — that's the main reason an LA install can run past the typical 6-10 weeks. We handle the entire DWP filing and give you a realistic, district-specific timeline up front instead of a best-case guess.
- Do I need a battery with LADWP net metering?
- Not necessarily. Because LADWP's export credits stay relatively favorable, solar-only can work here. A battery still adds outage backup and hedges against LADWP rate increases, so it's a real choice rather than a requirement. We model both so you decide.
Get a transparent LADWP quote.
Free home assessment, no pressure. We model net metering on your exact LADWP rate — solar-only and solar+battery — with payback period and every line-item cost.