The way it is supposed to work is that they do take your surplus energy in the daytime and reduce your bill accordingly. At the end of a year, they figure what you used against what you made. If you don't generate as much as you use, then you owe some money. If you generate more than you use, then they don't pay you for it. It's the same in California. If your system is large enough, then you're giving them free electricity. To complicate things in California, the rate that they pay for solar was recently cut to nearly nothing. (Existing systems are grandfathered in at the previous rate.) If you install solar now, then you'll never pay for it. To make matters worse, all new home construction in this state are required to have solar, which will add to the cost of homes. Solar companies are going out of business here.

My energy provider increased our rates as of Jan 1 by 18%, so got a quote for solar panels on my 1200 sq ft house. My HOA does allow this with some very reasonable aesthetic restrictions. (We have a great HOA!)

The presentation was very comprehensive and convincing. The cost came to a little over $11,000 AFTER state and federal incentives. I could pay cash or finance at 3.99% for 25 years for a monthly payment of $124.00.

The presentation factored in the months when I would not pay anything to my energy provider (7 months/year) and I would pay a small amount to the energy provider the other (colder or hotter) 5 months. This energy provider does not "buy back" if one uses less energy than generated by the panels.

The salesman was very professional and did not apply undue pressure. I said I would think it over and let him know the following Monday.

So I averaged my annual bills for 2023 and added 20% (including all the junk charges beyond cost of energy used), then added 20% to that for the next five years. After FIVE years of annual 20% increases (which is pretty extreme and unlikely to happen), my monthly electrical bill would still be less than $124/month (let's not forget there are months when I would be paying the utility provider over and above that $124 fixed payment).

So if you are thinking of looking into solar, do your due diligence first so you have a true comparison on hand before signing anything.

My energy provider increased our rates as of Jan 1 by 18%, so got a quote for solar panels on my 1200 sq ft house. My HOA does allow this with some very reasonable aesthetic restrictions. (We have a great HOA!)

The presentation was very comprehensive and convincing. The cost came to a little over $11,000 AFTER state and federal incentives. I could pay cash or finance at 3.99% for 25 years for a monthly payment of $124.00.

The presentation factored in the months when I would not pay anything to my energy provider (7 months/year) and I would pay a small amount to the energy provider the other (colder or hotter) 5 months. This energy provider does not "buy back" if one uses less energy than generated by the panels.

The salesman was very professional and did not apply undue pressure. I said I would think it over and let him know the following Monday.

So I averaged my annual bills for 2023 and added 20% (including all the junk charges beyond cost of energy used), then added 20% to that for the next five years. After FIVE years of annual 20% increases (which is pretty extreme and unlikely to happen), my monthly electrical bill would still be less than $124/month (let's not forget there are months when I would be paying the utility provider over and above that $124 fixed payment).

So if you are thinking of looking into solar, do your due diligence first so you have a true comparison on hand before signing anything.

Good deal, our problem was the way our two-story house is arranged and situated. Plus until last year the neighbor had two very tall trees that shaded our roof half the day. Most of the backyard is our swimming pool.
We just didn't have room for enough panels to power our whole house and produce a surplus like you are blessed with.

Being a reluctant friend of "Murphy" (of law fame) I figure that about a short time before I die I will see a news article on TV that some geek just invented a new type of solar panel that is near 100% efficient, costs $1 a square foot and a new kind of battery the size and cost of a car battery that will store enough electricity to power our block all day on a couple of hours of sunlight.
Then I will say "Now put in solar."