Blog
Guides for protecting and powering a California home.
What the hazard maps mean, what the rules require, how the tariffs and incentives have changed, and what you actually get when you buy. No sales pitch, and no numbers we cannot back up.
- Wildfire defense · 3 min read
Defensible space in California: Zones 0, 1 and 2 explained
The 0 to 5, 5 to 30 and 30 to 100 foot zones around a home, what each one requires, and how to do the work in the right order.
Read the guide - Wildfire defense · 2 min read
How to check your CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone
What the Moderate, High and Very High zones mean, how to look up your address, and what changes for your home once it is in a mapped zone.
Read the guide - Residential solar · 2 min read
NEM 3.0 explained: why California solar now comes with a battery
How the Net Billing Tariff changed the value of exported solar, and why storing midday power for the evening is now part of almost every design.
Read the guide - Residential solar · 2 min read
The federal residential solar credit ended after 2025. What that means for a system today
Section 25D no longer applies to home solar and batteries placed in service after 2025, and California's SGIP budgets are largely spent. How to read an estimate now.
Read the guide - Home battery · 3 min read
What happens during a PSPS shutoff, and how a home battery gets you through it
Why California utilities cut power on windy days, how long shutoffs last, and how a Powerwall 3 is sized to keep the right circuits running.
Read the guide