Proposed Changes to Rooftop Solar Would Hurt Renters, Farms, and Schools

Proposed changes to how California utilities compensate rooftop solar would hit renters, schools, and farms hardest, since they have the least room to absorb a longer payback timeline. Renters do not own their roofs, schools run on fixed budgets, and farms depend on solar to offset irrigation costs.

The groups hit hardest by these changes are often the ones least equipped to adapt — renters who don't own their roofs, schools and public buildings operating on fixed budgets, and farms that rely on solar to offset the high energy costs of irrigation and equipment. When compensation for solar energy drops, the payback timeline stretches out, and projects that once made clear financial sense start to look a lot riskier.

• Renters: Do not own their roofs, so they cannot make the call to install solar and absorb a longer payback timeline themselves.
• Schools and public buildings: Operate on fixed budgets with little room to absorb a slower return on a solar investment.
• Farms: Rely on solar to offset the high energy costs of irrigation and equipment, making payback timing especially important.

At Prime Home Solutions, we stay on top of these policy shifts so our customers don't have to guess. When you work with us, we walk you through exactly how current rules affect your specific situation — your usage patterns, your roof, your budget — rather than relying on outdated assumptions about what solar "used to" pay back.

If you're a homeowner in Roseville, Placer County, or El Dorado County wondering whether solar still makes sense under today's rules, that's exactly the conversation we're built to have. Reach out for a free, no-pressure quote, and we'll give you real numbers based on where policy actually stands right now — not where it stood two years ago.