Maricela Santacruz and her family never really considered investing in a rooftop solar system at their home in the southeastern San Diego neighborhood of Lomita, thinking it was too expensive — especially after their house sustained about $15,000 in damage from January 2024 floods that washed through many vulnerable communities in the county.
But Santacruz learned her family qualified for the San Diego Solar Equity Program and now 18 solar s, which were installed for free, sit atop her home.
“It gets really hot in East County in the summer and now we can turn on our AC and run things without worrying how much this is going to cost us, what the bill is going to look like, especially when we’re doing so many repairs” from the flood, said Santacruz.
She estimates the solar installation saves her family more than $200 a month on their electric bill. “It definitely helps,” Santacruz said.
Launched in September 2022, the solar equity program distributes $1 million per year to cover most or all solar installation costs for city of San Diego residents who qualify.
The 10-year initiative is part the franchise agreement that San Diego Gas & Electric signed with the city in 2021 after months of sometimes tense negotiations.
The money spent on the program comes from SDG&E shareholders, not ratepayer bills. It’s istered by the Center for Sustainable Energy, a nonprofit based in San Diego that oversees clean energy and transportation programs in a dozen states.
Thus far, the program has installed or is in the process of installing 89 systems, placing a priority on communities considered most at risk from climate change due to historically low access to renewable energy.
Here’s what it takes to qualify:
Applicants must be residents of the city of San Diego.
Homeowners must have a total household income of less than 120% of the area median income in San Diego. For example, the income limit for a family of four is $143,400. For a single person, the annual income limit is $100,400.
Applicants who live in ZIP codes impacted by the 2024 floods or in areas with very low, low or moderate access to socioeconomic opportunities as defined by the city’s Climate Equity Index. received priority.
However, starting Tuesday, applications will be accepted for those who meet the income requirements across the entire city of San Diego, regardless of geographic location.
“We’ve got about $600,000 in funding still left” in the current fiscal year that runs through the end of June, said Laura Rehrmann, director of marketing at the Center for Sustainable Energy. “And we’re opening it up to the whole city, not just communities of concern, so people ought to jump on that.”
Single-family homes are eligible and so are duplexes, quadplexes and manufactured homes.
Other requirements include:
- participating solar companies must hold an active license with the California Contractors State License Board
- contractors must pay prevailing wages to all installers, and
- contractors must consult with homeowners on their energy needs and help them with the required paperwork
In addition to paying most or all installation costs for solar systems up to 6.5 kilowatts at $4 per watt, the solar equity program also pays up to $3,500 to upgrade existing electrical s so that property owners can add solar to their homes.
Applications will be reviewed and approved on a first-come, first-served basis by the Center for Sustainable Energy. For more information about the program, go to sdsolarequity.org.
