California has passed a bill that tells state regulators to treat customer-owned batteries, electric vehicles, and smart thermostats as grid resources that can compete with peaker plants. The bill is SB 913, written by Senator Josh Becker. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of Becker’s energy bills that includes it on September 30, 2026, according to Canary Media.
- Price: No payment rate exists yet, and no figure has been published for what a homeowner would earn.
- Availability: Signed into law, but the CPUC still has to build the valuation method, enrollment rules, and payment structure.
- Works with: Customer-owned batteries, electric vehicles, and smart thermostats.
- Status: Law, not yet operating as a payment program.
What SB 913 does
Becker’s office says the bill would remove barriers to participation, simplify enrollment, let customers enroll multiple devices, measure performance at the device level, and allow payment for energy exported to the grid. Coverage of the bill from earlier this year says it works through the California Public Utilities Commission’s Resource Adequacy rules, which set how much dependable capacity utilities must line up. Canary Media describes the final law as directing the CPUC and the California Independent System Operator to better measure and reward the grid value of customer-owned devices, with the aim of reducing the cost of keeping aging gas peaker plants available.
The law doesn’t write a check to anyone yet. Until the CPUC finishes its work, there is no new payment rate that a homeowner can claim. The Climate Center and Environment California sponsored the bill, and Advanced Energy United, Deploy Action, and others backed it, according to Becker’s office.
What is new, and what already exists
California already pays some battery owners through the Demand Side Grid Support program, run by the California Energy Commission. Becker’s office says that program has unlocked more than 1,000 megawatts of customer-owned capacity. SB 913 differs because it aims at the CPUC’s long-term planning and capacity rules, not a single emergency program. That matters because capacity rules decide what utilities buy year after year.
Becker’s office also cites CPUC data that more than 8,000 customer batteries, totaling over 100 megawatts, are installed each month, which it says is enough to replace a peaker plant every month. That figure comes from the bill’s backers, and the underlying CPUC report wasn’t located. It is an advocacy comparison, and home batteries only help during the hours they are charged, enrolled, and called on.
How the bill got here
| Item | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| SB 913 introduced | March 24, 2026 | Sen. Becker’s office |
| Passed the Senate | Announced May 28, 2026 | Sen. Becker’s office |
| Assembly Appropriations | Advanced Aug 13, 2026 | Energy-Storage.News |
| Signed | Sept 30, 2026 (a photo caption in the same article gives Sept 29 for the signing event) | Canary Media |
| Battery capacity in California | 21,112 MW as of Aug 7, about 3,000 MW from over 300,000 smaller systems | Energy-Storage.News |
Why It Matters to You
If you own a home battery, an EV, or a smart thermostat in California, this law points toward getting paid for helping the grid at peak hours, and toward simpler enrollment for several devices at once. That is a direction, not a payment you can claim today. Existing programs such as Demand Side Grid Support may already pay battery owners who enroll through an aggregator. Everyone else could feel it indirectly if using customer devices at peak reduces spending on peaker plants, as the backers argue, though no figure puts a number on the effect for a household.
Open questions
- What will the CPUC pay, and when? No payment rate exists yet.
- How much will ratepayers save? The sources give no dollar figure.
- What does the final text say? Descriptions of SB 913 vary between spring coverage and the signing coverage, so check the final text on the legislature’s site before relying on details.
- Will it stick? Newsom vetoed three virtual power plant bills in 2025, according to Canary Media, so the signing is a change from last year.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get paid for my home battery now because of SB 913?
Not under SB 913 alone. The CPUC still has to set the rules and rates. Existing programs such as Demand Side Grid Support may already pay battery owners who enroll through an aggregator.
Will this lower my electric bill?
The backers argue that using customer batteries at peak could reduce spending on peaker plants. None of the sources opened puts a number on the effect for a household.
Does the law cover renters or people without batteries?
The coverage found doesn’t address renters. The devices named are batteries, EVs, and smart thermostats, so a customer needs one of them.
Sources
- Canary Media: Newsom says yes to virtual power plants (Oct 1, 2026)
- Sen. Josh Becker: Becker Introduces SB 913 to Make Better Use of Customer-Owned Clean Power to Lower Energy Costs (Mar 24, 2026)
- Sen. Josh Becker: Becker Bill to Lower Electricity Costs by Better Using Customer-Owned Clean Energy Passes Senate Floor (May 28, 2026)
- Energy-Storage.News: California advances two bills to expand virtual power plants, reduce energy rates (accessed Oct 13, 2026)
- pv magazine USA: California bill SB 913 on customer-owned resources (accessed Oct 13, 2026)
- Canary Media via Advanced Energy United: California quietly guts ambitious virtual power plant bill (Sep 5, 2025)