Solar Rebates Are Still Available in Los Angeles County

Start with one bill, not a sales pitch

A solar proposal can feel out of reach when the first number you see is a monthly payment or a five-figure project cost. Before deciding that solar is impossible, take out your electric bill. The provider’s name is the first clue to the assistance worth researching.

Los Angeles County includes different electric service territories. Two families living nearby may need completely different programs. The useful question is: which program serves my account, and what would it actually cover?

If you have SCE: check the no-cost solar pathway

DAC-SASH can provide no-cost rooftop solar for qualifying income-qualified homeowners in designated disadvantaged communities. The CPUC currently lists it as accepting applications.

GRID Alternatives lists ownership and occupancy of a single-family primary residence, a qualifying address, CARE or FERA income limits, and service from PG&E, SCE or SDG&E. For local SCE households, it is a concrete place to start an eligibility inquiry. LADWP and Burbank electricity accounts do not meet that listed utility requirement.

If you have LADWP: understand the waitlist

LADWP’s SGIP pathway offers income-qualified solar and battery assistance. Its current page warns that the waitlist is long, funds are limited and an incentive is not guaranteed.

Researching the program can still be useful. Just keep an application or lottery notice separate from an actual funding award. Ask what you would owe if the assistance does not arrive before making a financial commitment.

If you have Burbank Water and Power: look at battery help

BWP lists a rebate for eligible permanent batteries paired with solar, including a $530-per-kWh rate for customers ineligible for the federal tax incentive. Confirm the applicable rate, equipment, costs and funding with BWP.

The program includes daily peak-period discharge and a ten-year service commitment. Read our Burbank guide before deciding that the advertised rebate fits your backup-power goals.

SCE solar-and-storage help has a separate funding status

DAC-SASH and SCE’s SGIP Residential Solar and Storage Equity budget are different programs. SCE currently says that RSSE budget is exhausted and applications are waitlisted. An open application pathway for one program does not establish funding for another.

A neighbor’s example: same goal, different next steps

Picture two fictional households hoping to lower their electricity costs. One owns an SCE-served home and begins GRID’s eligibility screening. The other has LADWP and reviews its income-qualified assistance pathway. Their next step is to find out what applies to their own property—not to copy the neighbor’s advertised benefit.

Neither household should subtract an unapproved incentive from a loan budget. Request a proposal showing the full price and a separate line for any assistance the administrator has actually confirmed.

Give yourself a useful first step today

Write down your electric utility, whether you own and occupy the property, and what you hope solar or storage would accomplish. Then open the matching program guide below. It includes current status, questions to ask and official sources.

For DAC-SASH, use GRID’s official eligibility form or call 866-921-4696. For the utility programs, start with the utility’s own program page. Submit household documents through the administrator’s official application channel.

You do not need to decide on a loan to begin researching eligibility. A clear answer about your program options can make the next conversation with an installer much more useful.

Share a starting point, not a promise

Know a homeowner who has stopped looking because solar seems too expensive? Share this guide and encourage them to check the name on their bill. It may point them toward a relevant application, or help them recognize that a program does not fit.

Home Solar Simplified provides education; the program administrator determines eligibility and funding. Program information was checked on the date shown above and should be confirmed again before applying or signing.

Questions worth asking

• Which utility is on my electric bill?
• Does my exact address and household meet the program rules?
• Is the program accepting applications, waitlisting or awarding funding?
• What costs would remain if assistance is unavailable?