San Diego, California
Home Battery Backup in San Diego
SDG&E's on-peak window runs 4–9 p.m. every day, and wildfire-season shutoffs still cut power east of the coast. A battery can shift the peak and carry circuits through a shutoff.
TOU-DR1 summer on-peak 69.1¢ vs super off-peak 37.4¢ · peak 4–9 p.m. every day · Jan 20–24, 2025 PSPS: 27,015 customers de-energized.
The short answer
San Diego is served by SDG&E. On the TOU-DR1 plan (total rates effective August 1, 2026), summer on-peak energy is 69.135¢ per kWh against 37.433¢ super off-peak, and the on-peak window is 4–9 p.m. every day, weekends included.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs are the outage risk: SDG&E's January 20–24, 2025 event de-energized 27,015 unique customers, mostly in the eastern part of its territory. A battery can shift load out of the peak and carry chosen circuits through a shutoff.
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Tell us your San Diego address, whether you have solar and what must stay on in an outage. We confirm coverage before anyone sizes a battery.
SDG&E rates and shutoffs in San Diego
From SDG&E's TOU-DR1 rate table, its pricing-plan page and its PSPS post-event report.
4–9 p.m. peak, every day
On SDG&E's time-of-use plans the on-peak window is 4 to 9 p.m. every day. Weekday super off-peak runs midnight to 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; on weekends and holidays it runs midnight to 2 p.m.
TOU-DR1: 69¢ on-peak in summer
TOU-DR1 total rates effective August 1, 2026: summer on-peak 69.135¢, off-peak 46.421¢, super off-peak 37.433¢ per kWh. Winter: 61.471¢, 53.060¢ and 43.719¢. Usage up to 130% of baseline gets a 10.702¢ credit, and a Base Services Charge of $0.79343 a day applies.
January 2025 shutoffs
SDG&E's January 20–24, 2025 Public Safety Power Shutoff de-energized 29,980 total customers (27,015 unique), mainly in eastern San Diego County, during the strongest wind event of the season, with gusts locally as high as 102 mph.
Where a battery fits in San Diego
Peak shifting, shutoff backup and how CCA billing works.
Shift the 4–9 p.m. peak
Because the peak window runs every day, a battery charged in super off-peak or midday solar hours can cover evening use 365 days a year, not just on weekdays.
Shutoff backup for the backcountry
PSPS events de-energize lines in high-fire-risk areas, mostly east of the coast. A battery with a critical load panel keeps refrigeration, internet, well pumps and medical devices on while the line is down.
Community choice customers
If you buy generation from a community choice aggregator, SDG&E still bills delivery and the CCA bills generation, so the time-of-use spread you shift with a battery comes from both parts.
Pick circuits, not the whole house
Air conditioning, pool pumps and electric ranges drain a battery fast. Sizing starts from the circuits you need on during a shutoff or the evening peak.
San Diego next to Sacramento and Phoenix
Sacramento is served by the public utility SMUD, whose Time-of-Day peak is three hours (5–8 p.m.) on weekdays only and priced far below SDG&E's.
In Phoenix the battery question is summer heat and evening peaks on APS and SRP, rather than wildfire shutoffs.
Where these figures come from
Rates trace to SDG&E's published rate table and pricing-plan page; shutoff counts to SDG&E's PSPS post-event report to the CPUC.
- SDG&E — Schedule TOU-DR1 total rates table (effective 8/1/2026) — on-peak, off-peak and super off-peak rates, baseline credit and Base Services Charge.
- SDG&E — residential pricing plans — time-of-use periods and CCA billing.
- SDG&E — PSPS post-event report, January 20–24, 2025 — customers de-energized and wind conditions.
What a home battery job with us covers
Installation of storage and the backup circuits behind it, with the siting and utility paperwork handled.
Battery installation
Wall or floor-mounted storage installed to the listing and to the residential code sections that govern where it may go.
Backup and critical load panel
Deciding and wiring which circuits stay live, and which must never be on backup — the choice that defines what an outage feels like.
Integration with existing PV solar
Connecting storage to an array that is already on the roof, including whether the existing inverter supports it.
Transfer switch and disconnection
The equipment that separates the house from the grid during an outage, which is what makes backup legal as well as possible.
Siting to code
Location, clearances, separation and impact protection assessed against the adopted code before anything is mounted.
Permit, inspection and utility approval
The electrical permit, the inspection, and the utility's own approval step where storage touches the service.
This is installation work. No runtime, capacity or incentive figure is quoted before your loads and your utility are confirmed. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What the work actually looks like
A battery job is an electrical job. The panel, the circuits and the disconnection are most of it.
Battery backup in San Diego, answered plainly
Who is the electric utility in San Diego?+
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Customers who buy generation from a community choice aggregator still get delivery service from SDG&E.
When is SDG&E's on-peak period?+
4 to 9 p.m. every day on SDG&E's time-of-use plans. Super off-peak is midnight to 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, and midnight to 2 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
What does TOU-DR1 cost per kWh?+
Total rates effective August 1, 2026: summer on-peak 69.135¢, off-peak 46.421¢ and super off-peak 37.433¢; winter on-peak 61.471¢, off-peak 53.060¢ and super off-peak 43.719¢. Usage up to 130% of baseline is credited 10.702¢ per kWh, and a Base Services Charge of $0.79343 per day applies.
How many customers did SDG&E shut off in January 2025?+
SDG&E's post-event report for January 20–24, 2025 lists 29,980 total customers de-energized, or 27,015 unique customers, across eastern San Diego and Orange counties and small parts of Riverside and Imperial counties.
Do solar panels keep my power on in a shutoff?+
Not on their own. Grid-tied inverters shut down when the grid is down. A battery and an isolating transfer device are what let solar keep chosen circuits running.
How long will a battery run my house?+
It depends on capacity and which circuits you put on it, so we don't quote a runtime before seeing the panel.
Who installs it, and who is responsible afterwards?+
Seamless Home is the licensed contractor of record on the work it runs. Installation is performed by vetted installing partners engaged as our subcontractors, so the permit, the inspection and any correction notice carry one name. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
Related resources
Home battery backup
The national service page behind this one.
Learn more →Home battery backup in Sacramento, CA
SMUD's 5–8 p.m. weekday peak and the 2023 storm outages.
Learn more →Home battery backup in Phoenix, AZ
Summer heat, APS and SRP evening peaks.
Learn more →San Diego water quality
Imported Colorado River and State Water Project water, about 14 grains hard.
Learn more →Critical load panel planner
Pick the circuits a battery should carry.
Learn more →All home services
Water, battery, HVAC and solar under one licensed contractor of record.
Learn more →Get a free estimate for San Diego
Tell us your address, whether you have solar and which circuits must stay on in a shutoff or the evening peak. We confirm SDG&E coverage first — no charge to talk, no obligation.
Get a Free Estimate