Residential Battery Storage Built for
NEM 3.0, PSPS, and Real Bay Area Rates.

No — provided your solar system isn't substantially modified at the same time. Per PG&E's NEM 2.0 Sunset FAQ, adding a battery to an existing NEM 2.0 solar interconnection does not trigger the Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0), as long as the solar array isn't expanded beyond a 10% or 1 kW increase. The battery is interconnected as a separate paired-storage application post-PTO. For homeowners with grandfathered NEM 2.0 export rates, adding storage is the single strongest way to capture more value from existing solar without losing that grandfathering. Cali Rollin Electric files the PG&E SNEM-PS interconnection paperwork as part of the install.

It depends on what you already have and what you're solving for. Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh, 11.5 kW continuous, integrated DC-coupled solar inverter) is the strongest choice for new solar-plus-storage installs because it consolidates inverter and battery in one unit. Enphase IQ Battery 10C (10.08 kWh, 7.08 kW continuous, AC-coupled with grid-forming microinverters) is the best fit for retrofits onto existing Enphase microinverter solar systems and is the most modular option for scaling up in 10 kWh increments. FranklinWH aPower 2 (15 kWh per unit, 10 kW continuous, 15-year / 60 MWh throughput warranty) is brand-agnostic — compatible with any PV inverter — and carries the longest warranty in the mainstream residential market. All three use LFP chemistry, are IP67 outdoor-rated, and qualify for the SJCE EcoHome rebate. Cali Rollin Electric is a Tesla Certified Installer and a SPAN Certified Installer, and installs all three brands directly under our C-10 license.

San Jose customers in SJCE territory have several pathways. The headline is the SJCE EcoHome Battery Storage Rebate: $125/kWh standard ($3,250 max at 26 kWh) or $400/kWh for Environmental Justice Community qualified households ($10,400 max). It requires solar pairing, SGIP Verified Equipment List eligibility, and Peak Rewards enrollment for three years. The Tesla 'Next Million Powerwall' rebate ($500 per Powerwall 3, up to $1,000 per household) applies through June 30, 2026 for orders placed through a Tesla Certified Installer — Cali Rollin Electric qualifies. PG&E's Residential Storage Initiative (RSI) provides a free battery for customers with 5+ EPSS outages since January 2024 who are enrolled in CARE / FERA / Medical Baseline. Federal 25D is expired — it ended December 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and systems completed after that date do not qualify. SGIP General Market is closed per CPUC Decision 25-12-003; SGIP RSSE is waitlisted. We verify current eligibility at the estimate.

No — and we recommend strongly against quoting Powerwall 2 for any new install. Powerwall 2 was discontinued and recalled in November 2025. The CPSC-registered recall (approximately 10,500 US units sold November 2020 through December 2022) cites lithium-ion battery cells that can overheat and cause fire or burn injury. Tesla is remotely discharging affected units and replacing them at no cost. If you have an existing Powerwall 2 and were planning to add another, the right path is replacement, not expansion. The recall does not affect Powerwall 3, which uses different cells and is the current US residential offering.

Installed pricing varies by brand, capacity, and electrical complexity. A single Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh) typically runs $14,000–$20,000 installed before rebates. A single FranklinWH aPower 2 (15 kWh) runs $15,000–$22,000 installed. Enphase IQ Battery 10C (10 kWh) installations run $10,000–$14,000 installed. A multi-battery stack scales roughly linearly. San Jose residential ESS permits run $350–$500. Costs change with conduit runs, panel capacity, gateway hardware, and whether a SPAN smart panel is added for whole-home backup management. Written quote provided after a free on-site assessment.

All three brands we install (Powerwall 3, Enphase IQ Battery 10C, FranklinWH aPower 2) are IP67 outdoor-rated and use LFP chemistry, which is well-suited to Bay Area climate. Garage walls, exterior side walls, and outdoor pads are all viable. California Fire Code §1207 and NFPA 855 require a minimum 3-foot separation from doors, operable windows, HVAC inlets, and other openings into habitable space, plus 10 feet from vegetation. We confirm setbacks against San Jose Fire Department requirements at the site assessment and route every install around them.

Effective March 1, 2026, PG&E added a fixed monthly Base Services Charge (~$24/month for most residential customers, ~$6/month for CARE, ~$12/month for FERA and Affordable Housing) paired with a per-kWh reduction of roughly $0.05–$0.07/kWh. Directionally, this compresses the value of TOU arbitrage slightly because export and avoided-import rates both fall under the new structure. It does not fundamentally change the case for battery storage, which is still driven by PSPS resilience, NEM 3.0 self-consumption economics, and grandfathered NEM 2.0 preservation for existing solar owners. We size systems against your actual usage and rate plan, not against generic payback claims.

Not for every install — but it solves a specific problem well. A battery only backs up the circuits wired into the backup load center. For partial-home backup (fridge, lights, internet, one HVAC zone), a standard load center works. For whole-home backup where the battery dynamically prioritizes loads when grid power is out, a smart panel like SPAN replaces your main panel and lets you control which circuits run, and in what order, when running on stored energy. Cali Rollin Electric is a SPAN Certified Installer and can pair SPAN with Powerwall 3, IQ Battery, or aPower 2. We assess whether SPAN is worth the cost at the estimate based on your actual backup priorities.

Yes — always. Every residential energy storage system in San Jose requires an electrical permit, plan check, and final inspection. The 2025 California Energy Code (Title 24 Part 6 §150.0(s)) makes new single-family homes with electric service >125A BESS-ready by default. NEC Article 706 governs the installation — readily-accessible disconnect within sight, externally-accessible emergency shutdown, DC overcurrent protection, 30"×36" working clearance, and eight nameplate data points. Cali Rollin Electric pulls the permit, files the PG&E SNEM-PS paired-storage interconnection, and coordinates the city inspection. You don't navigate any of that.