Solar Panel Installation in Burbank, CA
Burbank changed its solar rules on January 1, 2026. Most solar pages about this
city are now out of date. Here is what actually applies to you.
LA Solar Group has installed solar across Los Angeles County since 2010, from our yard at
8484 San Fernando Road in Sun Valley — about fifteen minutes from Burbank. Burbank Water and Power
is a municipal utility, so the CPUC’s NEM 3.0 never applied here. But BWP moved to its own Solar
Net Billing programme on its own schedule, and whether you fall under the old rules or the new
ones depends on one date: when your permit application went in.
- System sized against BWP’s Solar Net Billing rules, not a stale net metering model
- Battery storage sized to capture the export-versus-use spread
- Existing solar? We can add storage without ending your grandfathering
- Level 2 EV chargers and main-panel load calculations done once
- Design, City of Burbank permitting and BWP interconnection handled end to end
Get a Burbank solar quote
A real designer reviews your roof and your BWP bill — not an instant guess.
What happened on January 1, 2026
One date decides which rules apply to you
The Burbank City Council approved the Solar Net Billing programme on January 14,
2025. The programme began on January 1, 2026.
If your permit application went in before January 1, 2026,
you are grandfathered into BWP’s existing Net Energy Metering programme.
If it went in on or after that date, you are on Solar Net Billing.
| Grandfathered (NEM 1.0) | Solar Net Billing | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Permit applied for before Jan 1, 2026 | Permit applied for on or after Jan 1, 2026 |
| Export credit | Existing NEM rate structure | BWP’s Avoided Cost of Energy at the time of export |
| Credit handling | Credits roll over annually, or elect an annual check | Savings applied directly to your next bill; excess dollars by check annually on request |
| Ends | January 1, 2046 for all systems | — |
Grandfathering protects your rate structure. It does not exempt you from general
rate increases.
Source: BWP — Solar Net Billing ·
BWP — Solar FAQ
What Solar Net Billing pays for exported energy
When your system generates more than your home uses, BWP compensates you at its
Avoided Cost of Energy (ACOE) — the value BWP places on that energy at the moment
it reaches the grid. BWP has calculated ACOE as worth between 6.66¢ and 11.56¢ per
kilowatt-hour, depending on the time of day the energy is delivered.
The credit is time-sensitive
In BWP’s words, the credit “is given a different value per kilowatt-hour, depending on the
time of day and season it is sent to the grid. It is worth more during peak hours during the
summer, and less during off-peak hours.” A savings model built on a single blended export
number is not modelling your system.
Credits carry forward
The credit is applied to your monthly bill and can be carried over to offset future bills if
there is extra. Once you have netted out a bill, additional dollars go toward the next one, and
excess dollars can be sent by cheque annually on request.
BWP publishes the 6.66¢–11.56¢ range but does not publish the hour-by-hour band table the way
Anaheim does. Request the current ACOE schedule from BWP and add the table here — it is the single
most useful number for system sizing and battery dispatch in this city.
You will still get a bill. BWP is explicit about this: even if your system covers
all of your consumption, fixed charges remain to pay for poles, conductors and administration for as
long as you are connected to the grid. Any quote that promises a zero-dollar bill in Burbank is
wrong.
The sizing cap moved to 150% — and small systems skip the review entirely
Under the old rules, system size was measured against your historical usage. Under Solar Net
Billing the ceiling moved up, which matters if you are planning to add an electric car, a heat pump
or an induction range.
| Your situation | The rule |
|---|---|
| Existing home, system over 10 kW CEC-AC | Annual energy output cannot exceed 150% of your previous 12-month energy usage |
| Existing home, system 10 kW CEC-AC and under | Exempt from sizing review |
| New construction | BWP staff may provide an annual energy use estimate. Otherwise maximum size is calculated at 4 Watts DC per square foot of conditioned floor area |
| Systems over 5,000 kW CEC-AC | Require special terms for interconnection |
Why 150% rather than 100% matters. BWP’s own explanation is that customers
should be able to generate enough to cover their energy needs and more, “which could include
future electric upgrades.” If you are buying an EV next year, that headroom is the difference
between sizing for the house you have and the house you are about to have. Tell us what you are
planning before we design, not after.
One honest caveat: roof space is often the real constraint before the rule is. BWP
notes that in some cases customer roof space limits the ability to install a system large enough to
cover annual use.
The neighbouring-city contrast
Glendale Water and Power, ten minutes away, applies 110% of a customer’s past
12-month usage for systems over 10 kW. Burbank allows 150%. Two municipal utilities,
two different ceilings. A contractor who works both cities on one template will get one of them
wrong.
Find out which Burbank rules apply to you
What you can change without losing your grandfathered rate
This is the question we get most from Burbank homeowners who installed before 2026, and the
answer is better than most people assume. BWP publishes it plainly.
| Action | Grandfathering |
|---|---|
| Adding a battery storage system to an existing solar system | Does NOT end it |
| Replacing an existing panel with a panel of the same wattage | Does NOT end it |
| Replacing broken parts, such as an inverter | Does NOT end it |
| Routine maintenance | Does NOT end it |
| Adding solar panels that increase the system size | ENDS it |
| Property ownership change to someone outside the immediate family | ENDS it |
| Reaching January 1, 2046 | ENDS it — all systems |
The practical takeaway
If you have grandfathered solar in Burbank, you can add battery
storage without losing your rate structure. You cannot add more panels without losing it.
That single distinction should shape what you do next — and it is the reason a storage retrofit
often makes more sense here than an array expansion.
If you are selling the house, note that a transfer outside the immediate family ends
the grandfathering for the new owner. Worth knowing on both sides of a sale.
In Burbank, the battery argument is about money as well as outages
On LADWP, a few miles south, exported solar is credited close to retail — so we tell Los Angeles
customers that the honest case for a battery is outage backup, not arbitrage. Burbank is
different now. Under Solar Net Billing, exported energy earns BWP’s avoided cost, which is
lower than what you pay to buy power back. That gap is what storage captures.
BWP wants you to have one
BWP states that while solar adoption has increased, battery storage has not kept pace, and
that it wants to encourage storage because it lets customers use solar energy during peak periods
when the sun is setting and electricity is most expensive for BWP to purchase. That is the
utility describing your own best strategy.
The BWP battery rebate is substantial
$275 per kWh of installed capacity, up to 100 kWh — a $27,500 maximum — and
not to exceed the total installed cost. Customers not eligible for the federal tax
incentive may receive $530 per kWh up to the same limit. Full conditions
below.
Grandfathered systems can add storage
As above — adding a battery to an existing solar system does not end grandfathering. If you
have pre-2026 solar in Burbank, this is the upgrade that does not cost you your rate.
Outage backup still applies
A grid-tied array without storage disconnects during a power outage by design, for the safety
of line crews. The Verdugo foothills see wind events and fire activity; solar alone produces
nothing while the power is out.
The BWP Battery Storage Program, in detail
| Term | What BWP says |
|---|---|
| Rebate | $275 per kWh of installed battery capacity, up to 100 kWh ($27,500 maximum), not to exceed the total installed cost of the battery system |
| If you cannot use the federal tax credit | $530 per kWh, up to the same 100 kWh limit |
| Minimum size | 5 kWh |
| Must be paired with solar | New or existing solar. Portable battery systems are not eligible. |
| Who qualifies | Residential and non-residential customers installing qualifying systems after programme launch |
| Capacity cap | No limit on total battery capacity per site, but rebates are limited to the first 100 kWh per site |
| Operating condition | Batteries must be programmed to discharge at least 80% of capacity daily during BWP’s peak period, 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Customers must verify programming to BWP on request. |
| Ten-year commitment | An early termination fee applies if a functioning battery is removed before the end of year ten, prorated on the rebate received and years in service. Exceptions may be granted for battery malfunction. |
Two things in that table deserve a second read
It works on existing solar. Combined with the grandfathering rule above — where
adding a battery does not end your grandfathered rate — a pre-2026 Burbank solar home can add
storage, keep its original rate structure, and claim this rebate. That is an unusually good
position to be in.
The 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. discharge requirement is a real
obligation, not fine print. Your battery has to be programmed to push at least 80% of its
capacity into that window every day, and BWP can ask you to prove it. That shapes how the system is
configured and how much of it is genuinely available as outage reserve. We set this up correctly at
commissioning rather than leaving you to discover it later.
We install Tesla Powerwall and other battery platforms. The right one depends on
your backup load, your panel and your available wall or garage space. Rebate funding is limited and
amounts can change — we confirm the current programme terms before anything appears in your proposal.
Source: BWP — Battery Storage Program
EV charging in Burbank: the 150% headroom exists for exactly this
An electric car is the biggest single load most households ever add. In Burbank, the sizing rules
now explicitly accommodate it — but only if the array is designed with the car in mind.
Size for the car before you buy the car
The 150% ceiling is measured against your previous 12-month usage. If you install
solar this year and buy an EV next year, the headroom you needed had to be built in now.
Retrofitting more panels later also ends grandfathering if you are on the old programme.
Charge on your own production
Exported energy earns BWP’s avoided cost. The same kilowatt-hour put into your car is worth
what you would otherwise pay to buy it. Daytime charging — remote work, a second vehicle — is
where the numbers work hardest.
One panel upgrade, not three
Solar, a battery and a Level 2 charger all land on the same main service panel. Older Burbank
homes frequently need it upgraded. Sizing it once for everything you plan to add costs far less
than doing it twice.
The BWP EV charger rebate — a smart charger is worth $300 more
| Charger type | Charger rebate | Panel upgrade rebate |
|---|---|---|
| Standard charger — residential | $200 | Additional $750 |
| Smart charger — residential | $500 | Additional $750 |
| Standard charger — Disadvantaged Community (DAC) | $300 | Additional $900 |
| Smart charger — Disadvantaged Community (DAC) | $600 | Additional $900 |
So a residential smart charger with a panel upgrade reaches $1,250, and in a
designated disadvantaged community $1,500. You cannot claim the panel
upgrade rebate without also receiving a rebate for an EV charging station — so if the panel
needs work anyway, doing it alongside the charger is worth $750 to $900.
BWP’s own steps
- Hire a licensed electrician, who inspects your existing panel and circuits
- If a new panel is needed, contact BWP Service Planning on (818) 238-3647 as
early as possible — BWP inspects the electric infrastructure serving your home to see whether it
also needs upgrading - Buy a charging station that meets the programme’s technical requirements
- Install the charger and any panel or circuit upgrades, with all required permits, passing
inspection from Burbank’s Building & Safety Division — the permits form part of your rebate
application - Submit the application with all required documents
Living in a multi-family building? You may need to work with building management,
the owner or the HOA. BWP offers commercial rebates for multi-family properties to help install
charging stations.
Source: BWP — Residential EV Charging Stations Rebate.
Amounts and rules change; confirm current terms with BWP.
Burbank flats and Burbank hillside are two different jobs
The flats
Level lots, older single-storey housing stock, simple roof planes and generous solar access.
Roof age is usually the deciding factor rather than roof area — if the composition shingle has
under ten years left, replacing it before the array goes on costs far less than removing and
reinstalling panels later.
The Verdugo foothills
Slope, terrain shading and genuine wind exposure. CAL FIRE’s recommended maps released on
March 24, 2025 kept the foothills above Glendale and neighbouring communities inside a Very High
Fire Hazard Severity Zone. If your parcel is in that zone, Chapter 7A materials and fire-department
roof access pathways apply, and the battery case gets stronger.
Studio-adjacent and older neighbourhoods
Mature tree canopy in parts of the city makes the shade study the binding constraint. Terrain
shading and tree shading are modelled differently; getting that wrong is the most common cause of
a system underproducing its estimate.
HOAs
The California Solar Rights Act (Civil Code 714), enacted in 1978, bars homeowners
associations from restricting solar installations and limits the votes an association can take
against them. BWP explains this on its own solar pages. Documentation still has to be filed
properly.
Fire zone source: Los Angeles GeoHub — Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
We check your specific parcel against the current map before designing.
What these jobs actually cost
Everyone else says “free estimates.” We publish real systems with real numbers.
Neighborhood · roof type · system size (kW) · panel count and wattage · battery model and count ·
net price the customer paid · days on roof · contract-to-PTO days · before and
after photos. Same format as the Beverly Hills page.
Same fields. This is the single most persuasive job type for this page, because it proves the
“adding a battery does not end grandfathering” claim in practice.
Same fields. Demonstrates the 150% sizing headroom being used for its intended purpose.
★★★★★
What Burbank homeowners say
Paste 3 real Google reviews here — reviewer name, star rating, and the quote as written.
Do not add
AggregateRating or Review schema until these are real reviews.
Three questions to ask any Burbank solar bidder
“Which programme did you quote — NEM or Solar Net Billing?”
If they cannot answer, or if they describe net metering for a new 2026 installation, they are
working from material written before the change.
“What sizing rule did you apply?”
The answer should be 150% of previous 12-month usage, or an exemption because the system is
10 kW CEC-AC or under. If they say there is no size limit, that is wrong.
“Will this end my grandfathering?”
Only relevant if you already have solar — and the answer depends entirely on whether the work
increases system size. Adding storage does not. Adding panels does.
Request a Burbank solar quote
Burbank solar questions
Did Burbank change its solar rules?
Yes. The Burbank City Council approved the Solar Net Billing programme on January 14, 2025, and
the programme began on January 1, 2026. All new solar installations permitted from that date are
billed under Solar Net Billing rather than the previous Net Energy Metering programme.
Am I grandfathered into Burbank’s old solar rate?
If you applied for your permit before January 1, 2026, yes — Burbank Water and Power grandfathers
existing solar customers into their existing NEM 1.0 rate structure. Grandfathering does not exempt
you from general rate increases, and all systems’ grandfathering ends on January 1, 2046.
Will adding a battery end my Burbank grandfathering?
No. Adding a battery storage system to an existing solar system does not end the grandfathering
period. What does end it is adding solar panels that increase the system size, or a change of
property ownership to someone outside the immediate family. Replacing a panel with one of the same
wattage, replacing broken parts such as an inverter, and routine maintenance do not end it.
What does Burbank pay for exported solar under Solar Net Billing?
Burbank Water and Power compensates at its Avoided Cost of Energy at the time the energy is
delivered to the grid. BWP has calculated the avoided cost of energy as worth between 6.66 cents
and 11.56 cents per kilowatt-hour depending on the time of day, worth more during summer peak hours
and less off-peak. Credits are applied to your next bill and can be carried forward; excess dollars
can be sent by cheque annually on request.
How large can my solar system be in Burbank?
For systems with permit applications after January 1, 2026, annual energy output cannot exceed
150% of your previous 12-month energy usage. Systems of 10 kW CEC-AC and under are exempt from
sizing review. For new construction, BWP staff may provide an annual energy use estimate; otherwise
maximum size is calculated at 4 Watts DC per square foot of conditioned floor area. Systems larger
than 5,000 kW CEC-AC require special interconnection terms.
Does NEM 3.0 apply in Burbank?
No. The net billing tariff commonly called NEM 3.0 came from a California Public Utilities
Commission decision governing investor-owned utilities: PG&E, Southern California Edison and
SDG&E. Burbank Water and Power is a municipal utility that the CPUC does not regulate. BWP
adopted its own Solar Net Billing programme separately, on its own timeline.
Will I still get an electric bill if I install solar?
Yes. BWP is explicit that even if your solar system produces enough energy to cover all of your
consumption, fixed charges remain on your bill to pay for utility costs such as poles, conductors
and administration. Those charges exist for as long as you are connected to BWP’s electric grid.
How much is the Burbank battery storage rebate?
Burbank Water and Power’s Battery Storage Program pays a one-time rebate of $275 per kWh of
installed battery capacity, up to 100 kWh — a maximum of $27,500 — and not exceeding the total
installed cost of the system. Customers not eligible for the federal tax incentive may receive $530
per kWh up to the same limit. Batteries must have a minimum capacity of 5 kWh and be permanently
installed and paired with new or existing solar; portable systems are not eligible.
Are there conditions attached to the Burbank battery rebate?
Yes, two that matter. Batteries must be programmed to discharge at least 80% of their capacity
daily during BWP’s peak period of 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and customers must verify that
programming to BWP on request. An early termination fee also applies if a functioning battery is
removed before the end of year ten, prorated on the rebate received and the number of years the
battery was in service, with exceptions possible for battery malfunction.
Can I get the Burbank battery rebate on an existing solar system?
Yes. BWP’s Battery Storage Program covers batteries paired with new or existing solar
systems. Combined with BWP’s grandfathering rules — under which adding a battery does not end
grandfathering — a Burbank home with pre-2026 solar can add storage, keep its existing rate
structure and apply for the rebate.
Does Burbank offer an EV charger rebate?
Yes. BWP’s residential rebates are $200 for a standard charger and $500 for a smart charger, with
an additional $750 toward a panel upgrade. In a designated Disadvantaged Community the amounts are
$300 for a standard charger, $600 for a smart charger and an additional $900 for a panel upgrade.
You cannot claim the panel upgrade rebate without also receiving a rebate for an EV charging
station. Installation must be by a licensed electrician with permits passing inspection from
Burbank’s Building & Safety Division.
Can my HOA stop me installing solar in Burbank?
The California Solar Rights Act, part of the California Civil Code at Civil Code 714 and
originally enacted in 1978, bars homeowners associations from restricting the installation of solar
systems and restricts votes an association can take against them. Documentation still has to be
filed correctly.
Related services and nearby areas
Swap placeholder URLs for real slugs before publishing.
Still have questions?
Talk to a designer who knows which Burbank programme applies to you.
