Low Income Solar in California

 California’s solar policy wants to provide access to solar energy for everyone, including people with lower incomes. The state wants to include all taxpayers. To achieve this, various programs are helping. In this article we would like to introduce some of them.

The Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) program from The California Solar Initiative (CSI) offers solar incentives for qualified affordable single-family homes.

The program was supposed to end in 2016. However, it was continued in 2017 and the funding extended until 2021 or until the subsidies are fully utilised. Low-income families are dependent on such support and incentives to switch to solar energy. The California legislature is thus taking a step in the right direction to switch to green energy, as it should be accessible to everyone.

• Reduce electricity consumption through the use of solar energy and thus reduce energy costs
• Incentives for participants with low income
• Reducing costs for solar system owners with higher incentives than the general CSI program
• New energy solutions that are ecologically and economically sustainable
• Qualified low-income homeowners have the opportunity to take advantage of capacity-based incentives in advance to deal with the upfront costs of a solar system
• The incentive level con SASH offers $3 per watt

• You must own and live in your own house
• The house must be classified as “affordable housing” according to California Public Utilities Code 2852
• The household income must be 80% or less than the area median income (AMI) in the respective area
• The electricity provider must be Pacific Gas & Electric (PG & E), Southern California Edison (SCE) or San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG & E)

The California Department of Community Services and Development has provided funds for low-income solar projects through the Low Income Weatherization Program (LIWP).

• It is targeting exclusively low-income household
• Low-income households should be equipped with solar PV or upgraded to be energy efficient at no cost
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
• Support for energy saving and the use of green renewable energy
• Improvement of the conditions of the properties
• Reduction of living expenses for residents

Contact us to find out if you are qualified for one of these programs. Our experts can answer your questions and will find a suitable financing option for you.