Install a new solar and battery system or add battery storage to your existing solar system and maximize your investment.
Get an upfront rebate to help lower the initial cost of installing a new home solar and battery system or adding a battery to an existing solar setup.
Receive performance incentive payments when your battery supports the grid on weekdays between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., when electricity is in high demand and most expensive. Enrolled customers are required to discharge 50% of their battery during the weekday dispatch window to power their home and support the local grid. That means more savings for you and a stronger, cleaner grid for everyone.
Whether you are installing a new solar and battery system or adding storage to an existing solar setup, you will get:
Lower upfront costs:
Substantial installation rebates with enrollment
Ongoing savings:
Use stored solar energy during expensive evening hours
Energy resilience:
Use backup power during outages
Stronger local energy grid:
Reduce demand when energy is needed most
Clean energy future:
Decrease dependence on fossil fuels
Customer Type | New solar & battery | Existing solar & new battery |
|---|---|---|
Market rate | $350 per kWh | $250 per kWh |
Nonmarket Rate | $500 per kWh | $350 per kWh |
Upfront rebate amounts: The amount you receive depends on the size of your battery and system type; whether you’re installing a new system or adding a battery to an existing one. Rebate amounts also vary based on customer type; whether you are a market rate customer or if you are enrolled in CARE or FERA or live in a Community of Concern.
For payment methods, timelines and details, please review our program manual.
Performance incentives: All participants earn $0.10 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) when they discharge 50% of their battery during the required weekday dispatch window. This window varies but will always occur between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
To participate, you must:
* If you joined during the 2024 pilot, your program details and eligibility requirements may differ. View 2024 pilot resources.
Select from our list of local contractors to install your system.
Review your solar system and approved battery options with your contractor. View approved battery models.
Your contractor will submit your application to Community Power for approval before installation and reserve your rebate.
Once approved, your contractor will install your battery. After installation, your battery will be turned on by the manufacturer and begin sending performance data to Community Power.
Earn participation incentives when your battery discharges 50% of its stored energy during the required weekday dispatch window and provides power to your home during more expensive evening hours.
Please note that weather, battery age and technical issues can impact how much energy your battery discharges.
Use stored energy at home: Your battery will automatically dispatch at least 50% of its usable capacity to provide power to your home between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., helping you use less electricity from the grid when prices are highest. This is known as self-consumption and can help reduce your bill.
Bill savings with solar and storage systems may vary depending on your consumption habits, system size, battery capacity, location and more. For more information, please review our program manual.
Send energy to the grid: After your battery dispatches 50% during the required weekday dispatch window, you can also share extra stored energy from your battery with the grid and receive your standard Net Energy Metering (NEM) generation payments or Solar Billing Plan (SBP) export credits.
Get paid by participating in the weekday dispatch: You earn an extra $0.10 for every kWh discharged (separate from any NEM or SBP credits) when your battery automatically discharges 50% during the required weekday dispatch window. For more details on how performance incentive payments are calculated and processed, please review our program manual.
The information on this page reflects updates for the 2025 Solar Battery Savings program. If you joined during the 2024 pilot, your program details and eligibility requirements may differ. Please reference the resources below:
Solar Battery Savings is helping our customers access the benefits of battery storage, while supporting the energy grid and local contractors. See what the community has to say about this program.
“Programs like Solar Battery Savings create good-paying, local jobs that support working families while ensuring that customers benefit from safe, reliable installations. Having a skilled workforce is essential to building our clean energy future.”
“The local solar industry has faced a tough stretch in recent years with pressure coming from state and national policy shifts as well as changing global market conditions. Community Power’s Solar Battery Savings program was a bright spot last year for our industry and our communities. This isn’t just a program that benefits customers of Community Power, this is a program for San Diego solar and electrical contractors — a local program for local workers.”
“This program helps us build out our rooftop solar network and creates lower bills for families, cleaner air for our kids and good-paying jobs for local workers.”
Answers to some of our most frequently asked questions can be found below. View all questions.
Program enrollment opened on September 30, 2025. To get started, choose a San Diego Community Power approved contractor and review your solar system and approved battery options. Your contractor will guide you through the process and submit your application for you.
Your battery is required to dispatch 50% of its usable capacity between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays. The battery dispatches first to power your home and any remaining energy will automatically be exported to the grid. The performance incentive applies to all energy discharged during this window, whether it’s powering your home or exported to the grid.
Outside of the weekday dispatch window, your battery will operate based on the settings you and your contractor have selected. Please note that some battery manufacturers recommend maintaining a backup reserve (typically 0–20%), which may further limit the amount of battery capacity available to you for everyday use.
A solar and storage system may help you offset or lower the generation portion of your energy bill, but whether it does is dependent on several factors, including your consumption habits, system sizing, location and more.
Yes. 50% of your battery is reserved for the program, and the other half is yours to use as you choose. In the case of an outage, you can override the dispatch window so your battery powers your home when needed.
Yes. If you’re a Net Energy Metering (NEM) or Solar Billing Plan (SBP) customer, you can add a new battery and qualify for both the upfront rebate and performance incentives.
Not at this time. Currently, performance incentives are only available for new batteries. Continue to check the webpage as this may change in the future.
You must stay enrolled with San Diego Community Power for at least five years to keep your upfront rebate.
If you leave before five years, you will need to repay a prorated portion of your rebate and you will forfeit all future performance incentives.
If you leave after five years, you can keep the full rebate but will no longer receive performance incentives.
Claw-back schedule for upfront rebate:
Year of Unenrollment Rebate Repayment Required
Year 1 100%
Year 2 80%
Year 3 60%
Year 4 40%
Year 5 20%
Please reach out to your contractor or your battery manufacturer’s support team:
Tesla: vppsupport@tesla.com
Enphase: GridServicesSupport@EnphaseEnergy.com
FranklinWH: Service@FranklinWH.com
If you don’t hear back within two weeks, please contact Community Power at SolarBatterySavings@SDCommunityPower.org.
Want to learn more? For more information and terms, see the program manual.