Solar Incentives in Orange County (2021)

Orange County is the California that everyone dreams of: beautiful beaches, world-class surfing, and endless sunshine that together form the perfect trifecta of California cool.  It’s the place of dreams - but there are certain realities that Orange County residents are facing these days with Southern California Edison (SCE) raising rates 14.4% in 2021. On top of this, experts are telling the California Public Utility Commission to prepare themselves for electricity rates that are projected to outpace inflation over the next 10 years.  That’s why we recommend to go solar - and soon. Why? There are specific solar incentives that Orange County residents should utilize. And these incentives aren’t just for solar! In fact, there is a new trifecta of California cool: and that involves your energy independence.  There are solar incentives, home battery incentives, and even electric vehicle (EV) incentives that are there for the taking. Together they complement each other to help Orange County homeowners reach “Zero Net Energy”, a term that means you don’t consume any electricity for your home and vehicle beyond the energy you produce with your home solar system. It’s quite amazing - we have many customers who have achieved this and have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars due to their lack of energy and gasoline bills. Let’s; check out the incentives and see how they complement each other.  Residential Solar Incentives for Homeowners in Orange County  Net Metering for Solar Systems: Southern California Edison has a net metering program for homeowners with solar. Basically: you get credit for generating excess solar energy. You get to use these credits for when your solar installation isn’t generating enough power so that everything evens out and in theory you shouldn’t ever have to have SCE an electric bill again.  Keep in mind that for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) your system puts into the grid, you get a credit on your bill for the full retail rate of that kWh. Keep in mind that you will also use the time-of-use (variable based on time of day and season) rate. Federal Solar Tax Credit: The Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) you can receive a 26% tax credit based on the value of the system that you purchased. This means if you were to purchase a $22,000 solar system, you would be awarded a $5,720 tax credit that you can use for this tax year or roll it over to next year if necessary.  This is only for people who purchase their system with cash or via a loan. People who lease a solar system wouldn’t be eligible. Keep in mind that the 26% ITC has only been extended through 2022. It’s time to go solar now instead of later.  Home Battery Incentives: SCE has a host of incentives and rebates for virtually every type of Orange County homeowner. If you want to install a home battery system in Orange County: our team at Stellar Solar is here to help. We are located in Oceanside (half an hour south of San Clemente) and have installed solar and home battery systems in Orange County for decades. Don’t forget: just like a solar system, adding a battery can add serious home value: making your home attractive to potential buyers. For good reason, solar batteries have become very popular. Due to the desire for offsetting ‘Time-Of-Use’ charges and safeguarding your home from power outages, solar batteries are hugely desirable. We are one of the first certified Tesla Powerwall installers in southern California and if you wish to install a solar battery backup in Orange County - we can help. The Self-Generation Incentive Program is fantastic for covering a large percentage of costs for installing self-generating energy storage systems. This program is made for high-fire risk areas or other qualifying communities in Orange County.  Backup batteries are designed to provide power for your home when an outage occurs. They can also help you lessen your electricity usage to save money on bills. Feel free to check out the SCE website for full details. Stellar Solar installs a range of solar batteries for residential properties across southern California. Check out our solar battery backup page for further details.  There are more incentives that SCE offers such as electric portable power stations, portable power generators, and smart thermostats. You can receive rebates from $75 up to $500 for these products. Check out the SCE Marketplace website for further details.  Electric Vehicle Incentives Think of this as a bonus section: if you’ve purchased a solar or home battery system - why not use them to power your electric vehicle and run your entire life with sun power? Remember - over time you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in gas and electric bills. Imagine the satisfaction knowing you don’t need to worry about rising gasoline and electricity prices! Electric vehicles are in vogue in Orange County and in the world at large. Charging your car with a home battery to avoid escalating gas prices is an environmental and a fiscal decision. Who needs gas when you can power your car with the California sun.  For starters, the California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP): this provides clean vehicle rebates up to $4,500 for Orange County residents. CVRP rebates vary based on the type of vehicle that you purchase. Incentives depend on the vehicle type.  At the highest range: fuel-cell vehicles can receive a $4,500 rebate whereas battery electric vehicles are eligible for a $2,000 rebate. Additionally, hybrid vehicles can receive $1,000, and zero-emission motorcycles are eligible for $750. Check out the CVRP website for full details and information on additional incentives for financially qualifying individuals.  There is also the California Clean Fuel Reward: a rebate for Orange County residents who purchase (or even lease!) new Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) or Battery Electric (BEV) vehicles. Qualifying individuals can receive a rebate up to $1,500. You simply need to identify an eligible vehicle and a participating auto retailer.  Want more information? View EV rebates and incentives on the Clean Fuel Reward website.  Massive Sunshine Savings in Orange County There are a lot of incentives available for people who want to ‘go green’. Who wouldn’t want to rid themselves of high gasoline prices and no longer depend on California utilities who will inevitably raise your electric bill? If you purchase a solar system in Orange County you’re eligible for a host of local and Federal incentives. If you get a home battery and electric vehicle, then the combined incentives can be jaw-dropping if you are a homeowner in Southern California Edison territory.  Below is an example of the potential savings for a homeowner who goes all out on the solar trifecta: The Orange County homeowner purchases a solar system and takes advantage of the 26% Federal Tax Credit: their system costs $30,000 and thus, they are awarded a credit for $8,000 in taxes. They purchase a portable power generator as a backup for potential outages, and through the Self-Generation Incentive Program they save $500 on the price tag. They decide to purchase an electric vehicle that is eligible for the California Clean Vehicle Project and save $2,000. While researching incentives, they realize that their vehicle is eligible for the California Clean Fuel Reward - bingo - that’s another $1,500 saved. Finally, they utilize the Clean Vehicle Assistance Program and save an entire $5,000 to top everything off. At this point, they can’t believe how many incentives are available and the dollar figures that they saved.  In this example, the homeowner saves a grand total of $17,000.  And that’s just the beginning: you are looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings over the lifetime of your solar system and electric vehicle.  With SCE rates rising 7% in 2020 and 14% in 2021 - many Orange County homeowners are doubtful about their capability to pay electricity bills moving forward into the future.  SCE has stated that rate increases are due to anticipated costs from 2021-2024 to decrease wildfire risk and improve safety. It doesn’t help that electricity costs are rising due to increased heat on top of this.   Want to go solar in Orange County? Our team of experienced solar energy professionals take an educational, no-pressure approach. Our team currently follows current distancing and masking guidelines throughout the installation process.  Contact us to schedule a fast, zero-pressure virtual solar consultation. We offer a plethora of solar panel, inverter and battery storage solutions for every type of home and budget.

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Home Battery Incentives in SDG&E: 2021

Have you noticed that your SDG&E has been rising? Most people have taken note of rising energy prices because they’re an indisputable factor that San Diego homeowners need to deal with. San Diego County is one of the most expensive counties in the United States when it comes to electricity prices.  In fact, SDG&E is increasing electricity rates in 2021 due to a hot 2020. On top of this southern California is facing record heat in the latter half of 2021. The average SDG&E residential rate has increased from 27 cents per kilowatt hour to 31 cents per kWh.  Even if you reduce your home energy use, it’s now a fact of life that SDG&E will considerably increase rates each year. This is why every San Diego homeowner should consider installing a solar system and home battery. This can (potentially) eliminate your monthly SDG&E energy bills while admittedly lowering your carbon footprint.  Purchasing solar panels and a home battery system can save thousands of dollars in the short-term and long-term.  There is an option to go solar for any homeowner: you can purchase with a loan or via cash upfront. Both options give you access to the 26% Federal Solar Tax Credit and the Self-Generation Incentive Program or (SGIP). What are these? The 26% Federal Solar Tax Credit means that you get a federal tax credit up to 26% of the value of your solar installation. This means if you purchase (for example) a $20,000 solar system you can get a tax credit of $5,200 (which is 26% of $20,000). Not a bad amount of money. Additionally, the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) provides financial incentives to homeowners for the installation of approved technologies such as renewable energy generation and storage systems. It was initially started in 2001 as a response to the energy crisis to reduce peak-load. It has evolved to focus on energy storage projects such as home battery systems.  SGIP is available for both large storage commercial projects and small residential storage projects. Incentives for SGIP eligible systems are calculated as the potential capacity of the installed system with (kW) for generation projects, and (kWh) for battery or energy storage projects.  To calculate your potential incentive amount, multiply the capacity of the potential system by the incentive rate for the category that system is under. Check out the SGIP website for the full list of incentives per watt-hour (wh). Most San Diego County homeowners who apply for SGIP incentives apply through their installer. Installers such as Stellar Solar will have a process in place to streamline your solar and home battery system installation. We take care of the paperwork and liaise with the SGIP and SDG&E to get the maximum incentive possible.  Our process for applying for SGIP incentives is straightforward: we apply for permits, coordinate your documentation, submit documents with a 3rd-party processor, create a contract, and other factors. We deal with regulations and the paperwork so our customers don’t need to deal with factors such as the CISR form, electrical load documentation, and the energy audit.  Once everything is complete on the processor’s end, they send us an application that all parties sign. Once the application is signed, we return it with an audit report. The application is then submitted and the homeowner is put on a waitlist until SGIP funds become available.  We’re here to help with the application process - it can be overwhelming for many homeowners and our system is streamlined to make it as painless as possible. Solar System + Home Battery + Electric Vehicle = Trinity of Energy Savings Imagine eliminating your electric bills and never paying for gasoline again. It’s almost too good to be possible, right? Especially in a region with high gas & electricity costs.  It’s entirely possible and now is the perfect time to achieve the dream. With the 26% Federal Solar Tax Credit and SGIP incentives - going green is a fantastic financial decision. Did we mention that California has superb electric vehicle incentives and rebates? Folks who purchase electric vehicles (EVs) can take advantage of the California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) which promotes clean vehicle adoption with rebates for California residents. Rebates vary: fuel-cell vehicles can receive a $4,500 rebate, battery electric vehicles can receive a $2,000 rebate, hybrid vehicles can receive $1,000, and zero-emission motorcycles can receive $750.  You can also take advantage of the California Clean Fuel Reward. This is a rebate for California residents who purchase or lease eligible new Battery Electric (BEV) or Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles at participating automotive retailers. You can receive up to $1,500. Solar System and Home Battery: In Action Check out this example of how a solar installation and battery storage can complement each other to eliminate high SDG&E rates - check out this graph from September 2020. It’s the monitoring system for the home solar system of Michael Powers, co-founder of Stellar Solar:

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Southern California Edison (SCE) Electric Vehicle Incentives and Rebates in 2021

Have you heard that the electric vehicle (EV) revolution is coming? Consumers now view electric cars such as Tesla as the new status symbol. The Biden administration is planning to replace the entire US government fleet of cars with electric vehicles. In California, Governor Newsom is planning to ban sales of gasoline vehicles by 2035.  As a result, there are fantastic incentives for Southern California Edison customers who want to purchase an electric vehicle or go solar. Let’s check out each of the incentives in SCE territory and in the state as a whole. When you combine both local and state incentives - you’ll start to realize how much of a financial no-brainer purchasing an electric vehicle can be.  There are a total of five incentives that you can utilize if you purchase an electric vehicle, a solar system, or both.  Let’s check them out: 1. California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) What is the CVRP? In a nutshell, the California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project offers rebates to California residents who purchase electric vehicles. It’s impressive: California residents can get up to $7,000 for purchasing or leasing a new, eligible zero-emission or plug-in hybrid light-duty vehicle. The California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project is administered by the Centers for Sustainable Energy for the California Air Resources Board, which is part of the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). CalEPA is similar to the federal EPA, and it exists to protect the environment by reducing air pollution while also considering the economy. Who is eligible for the CVRP? The eligibility requirements for CVRP are: Be a California resident or California business Meet income eligibility requirements Submit an application before available rebate funds are depleted, and within 3 months of purchasing or leasing the vehicle. CVRP Eligible Vehicles You can check out the CVRP website for a full list of eligible vehicles. There are many different types of clean vehicles that are eligible, including hydrogen fuel-cell, battery electric, plug-in hybrid EV's, and zero-emission motorcycles.  That’s right - there are a multitude of electric motorcycles on the list - it’s impressive that they offer incentives for every type of driver. CVRP funds aren’t going to be around forever, and there is already a high demand. It’s a good idea to apply sooner than later. CVRP Rebate Amounts CVRP rebates vary based on the type of vehicle you purchase. Fuel-cell vehicles can currently receive a $4,500 rebate whereas battery electric vehicles are eligible for a $2,000 rebate. Hybrid vehicles can receive $1,000, and zero-emission motorcycles can also receive $750.  There are also increased rebates for applicants that are financially eligible. Based on your situation, it’s worth looking into on the CVRP website. 2. California Clean Fuel Reward in SCE Territory What is the California Clean Fuel Reward? The California Clean Fuel Reward is available to SCE customers. It is a rebate made available to California residents who purchase or lease eligible new Battery Electric (BEV) or Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles at participating automotive retailers.  There are two SCE rebates available: Pre-Owned EV Rebate: This is a $1,000 rebate for California residents who have recently purchased or leased a pre-owned electric vehicle. New EV Instant Rebate: This is the California Clean Fuel Reward, a point-of-sale incentive worth up to $1,500 on new EV purchases.  Check out the SCE website for details on both programs and to view participating manufacturers and dealerships. Is there a catch? Only a few details: battery capacity must be greater than 5kWh in order to qualify, and rewards are granted on a sliding scale with the largest batteries getting the $1,500 reward. Which Vehicles Qualify? In order to qualify for the incentive, you must purchase or lease an eligible vehicle from a participating dealer in a participating utility such as SCE. Do I Qualify in My County? SCE is a participating utility, and there are dozens of participating dealers across the various counties in the territory. We have seen participating dealers in: -Los Angeles County -Ventura County -Orange County -Kern County -Riverside County -San Bernardino County 3.Clean Vehicle Assistance Program The Clean Vehicle Assistance Program is a program paid for by California Climate Investments, a CA clean energy initiative that invests billions of dollars to reduce emissions. In short, the CVAP offers grants and affordable financing to assist qualified California residents to buy or lease used or new hybrid or electric vehicles. This program is about making electric vehicles more accessible to lower income Californians. Who Qualifies? Applicants cannot exceed maximum gross household annual incomes. Those limits are below:How Much Can I Receive? For installation of electric car chargers, There is even a $2,000 grant available for installing electric car chargers. If your household is in the specified income range, you should take advantage of the Clean Vehicle Assistance program. You’ll save serious money upfront and long-term on gasoline costs.4. EV Federal Tax Credit Now, we’ve already listed quite a few substantial EV incentives in California. But wait, there really is more: the Federal Tax Credit. The credit is currently $7,500 per vehicle, and that is reduced once as automakers sell more than 200,000 vehicles in the US. As a result, Tax Credits are available based on the popularity of the model and manufacturer. As you would expect, Tesla’s tax credits ran out in late 2019. Subsequently, GM’s EV tax credits also ran out in March 2020. But don’t let that dissuade you. There are a plethora of other manufacturers who still have the full $7,500 credit available. Many such as Audi, Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai, and Honda are producing state-of-the-art EVs. The full list of available credits can be found here. Congress is pushing green initiatives that would bring back Tax Credits for manufacturers whose credits have already been exhausted. The GREEN Act is being reintroduced and would replenish Tax Credits for those manufacturers whose credits have already been exhausted. If legislation proceeds, the maximum credit would be $7,000 instead of $7,500. Furthermore, the credit cap would be increased to 600,000 sold vehicles and plug-in hybrids would also qualify for credit under the Act. Regardless, there are a plethora of high-quality electric vehicles that still qualify under the scheme. 5. Clean Air Vehicle Decals This is a small but fun bonus incentive: if you drive an eligible clean air vehicle you might be able to get a DMV decal that gives you single-driver access to California state HOV lanes.  If you’ve ever been stuck in California traffic, this is a beautiful bonus to look forward to. It almost sounds like a cheat code or a California life hack. Visit the DMV website to learn more. Combine to Get Huge Savings As we can see, there are a surprising amount of incentives available. There is potential for a ton of savings when purchasing Electric Vehicles in SCE territory.  Let’s check out the maximum (potential) savings for an electric vehicle buyer: California Clean Vehicle Project - $2,000 California Clean Fuel Reward and Increased Rebate - $1,500 Clean Vehicle Assistance Program - $5,000 Federal Tax Credit - $7,500 That equals = $16,000 in total savings. That’s a shocking number! It’s $16,000 in potential rebates and incentives towards your EV purchase. Imagine how much money on fuel you could save on top of this.  It’s money on the table that is there to be taken. Whether you’re fiscally or environmentally minded, a deal is a deal.  Now, there’s one more piece of the puzzle that you should consider. If you choose to purchase a solar system in addition to your EV: there are separate incentives that you can take advantage of. Plus, you can charge your EV with your solar system and save even more money.   Let’s investigate.Purchasing Solar in SCE Territory Here is a solid financial tip for 2021: if you’re purchasing an electric vehicle: you should also invest in a solar system if you have the option. Purchasing an EV means serious potential incentives, rebates, and grants. If you add solar and pair it with your electric vehicle, you can run your entire life on sunshine. This is a long-term and short-term financial move. You’re saving on incentives in the short-term, and you’re virtually eliminating SCE electric rates that are consistently projected to rise in the future.  Oh, and what type of incentives are available for solar? To start with, the Federal Solar Tax Credit for solar installation. This is currently a 26% tax credit: a hefty amount of taxes that you can save if you install solar by the end of next year. Let’s calculate an example: You purchase a $20,000 solar installation and receive 26% credit, which equals $5,200 that you save on taxes for this year.  What’s great is that the Tax Credit is available to anyone who purchases a solar system via cash or a loan. You can also roll your tax credit over to next year if you owe less than the amount of your tax credit. All in all, if you live in Southern California Edison territory and are thinking about purchasing an Electric Vehicle or solar system - now is the time to do it. You’re looking at a vast plethora of incentives and rebates on a state and federal level that won’t last forever.  Remember, this is a short-term and long-term investment. Save now on the incentives and save long-term on your electricity and gasoline costs. If you’re considering an EV or solar system, remember that Stellar Solar installs both electric car chargers and solar panels. Contact us today to get a quote on electric car chargers, solar and even batteries. Now is the time to go green: and that’s a benefit for the environment and your wallet!

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