Simi Valley Solar Homeowners Shocked: Edison Slaps $24 Fee on ‘Free Power’ Homes

Simi Valley Solar Owners Hit With New $24 Monthly Grid Fee

(CLAIR | Simi VAlley, CA) — For years, many Simi Valley families who spent thousands on rooftop solar panels celebrated tiny—or even negative—electric bills. Now those same homeowners are being told they’ll have to pay $24 every month, no matter how little power they use.

The new charge, called the Base Services Charge, was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in 2024 and takes effect for Southern California Edison (SCE) customers in November 2025. Edison says the fee covers the cost of keeping homes connected to the grid—things like power lines, transformers, and meters—even when households generate their own electricity.

Why the Change Is Happening
This change comes from Assembly Bill 205, a law passed in Sacramento that reshaped utility billing. The law requires companies like Edison to pull fixed infrastructure costs out of electricity rates and list them as a flat monthly fee.

Edison explains on its own customer website that most households will now pay about $24.15 per month, while those in income-based programs such as CARE or FERA will pay less—$6 or $12. The company stresses that this isn’t an extra profit line but a reallocation of costs it says were always there.

State regulators also point to one upside: electricity rates per kilowatt-hour are expected to drop by about 5 to 7 cents once the new structure begins. That figure, first reported by the Associated Press, is meant to reassure families with heavy usage, like those charging electric vehicles, that the shift could save them money. For solar households who already keep usage low, though, that reassurance rings hollow.

On neighborhood forums across Simi Valley, the frustration is clear:

“We bought our panels outright and have batteries. In past years we had negative balances. Now they’re charging $24 just to be on the grid.” — shared by one homeowner in a thread that quickly filled with angry comments.

“You have to pay it every month—regardless of usage.” — a blunt reminder that drew nods from neighbors posting their own bills.

“I’ve had solar for 20 years. I was energy positive. Edison kept adjusting billing so I always end up owing. The only solution is to go off-grid.” — written by a longtime resident looking back on how rates have shifted over decades.

Not everyone opposed the change. Some posters defended it as inevitable. “Nobody rides for free,” one person wrote, sparking a heated debate late into the night. Others weren’t convinced. “I spent $35,000 on solar. That’s not a free ride,” one resident shot back, a line that many others repeated.

A Bigger Debate
The CPUC insists this is about fairness, making sure everyone pays something for grid maintenance—even those who rarely tap it. But critics see a different story.

The San Francisco Chronicle recently noted that utilities have pointed the finger at rooftop solar for pushing costs onto non-solar households, while consumer advocates argue the real problem lies with utility profits and management. Solar groups such as the Solar Rights Alliance say the new charge, combined with earlier rollbacks of rooftop incentives under “NEM 3.0,” could slow solar adoption across the state just as installations have been climbing in Ventura County.

What It Means for Simi Valley
For most local households, the bottom line is simple: a guaranteed $288 per year bill just for staying tied to the grid, even if solar panels and batteries meet daily needs.

Lower-income families will see smaller fees, but middle-income solar owners will pay the full charge. Some are already talking about cutting the cord entirely.

In a city like Simi Valley—where rooftop solar has become a common investment—the new charge is more than a billing change. It’s become a flashpoint in a larger debate over California’s energy future, one that pits state regulators and utilities against residents who thought going solar would free them from exactly this kind of fee.