APS utility guide

Design solar around the APS bill—not a generic estimate.

For new rooftop-solar customers, APS uses the Resource Comparison Proxy Export Rate Rider (RCP) to credit electricity sent to the grid. That makes system size, daytime use, your retail rate plan, and battery timing central to the design.

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Export creditExcess generation receives a dollar credit under APS's current RCP structure.

10-year periodA new customer's initial RCP export rate generally applies for 10 years.

Timing mattersSelf-use, time-of-use periods, demand, and battery dispatch can change the result.

How APS solar billing works

Power used in the home offsets electricity that otherwise would have been purchased from APS.
Power exported to APS is measured instantaneously and credited at the applicable RCP export rate.
Unused bill credits carry forward monthly; APS has a separate annual settlement rule for remaining balances.
The home's selected APS service plan still determines how imported electricity is billed.

What Sonoma reviews

12 months of APS usage when available
Current rate plan and peak-hour consumption
Air conditioning, pool, EV, and future loads
Roof production, export assumptions, and backup priorities

Where a battery may fit

A battery can store midday production for later use, reduce reliance on higher-cost periods, and provide backup for selected loads or the home. Its value depends on the APS rate plan, household load shape, system controls, and the backup level requested; it is not an automatic savings guarantee.

Preliminary guidance: Final design, savings, interconnection, and equipment eligibility depend on the property, current APS tariffs, site conditions, and program approval.

Utility reference: APS Renewable Energy Riders