- About the CSI
- Program FAQs
- Cash Back for Solar
- Eligibility
- How the Process Works
- How to Apply
- Documents and Handbooks
- Rebate Amounts and Decreases (program structure) 2007
- Contact Us
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- Solar 101
- Federal Tax Credits
- How Photovoltaics and Efficiency Can Save you Money
- Nonresidential Solar
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- Solar Thermal Systems
Flex Your Power
ENERGY STAR®
Consumer Energy CenterSolar and Energy Efficiency
Can Save You Money
When the sun is shining, your solar system generates electricity, which means you will purchase less electricity from the local utility.
Over the course of one year, your utility will track the amount of electricity your system has fed into the grid and use this credit to offset the costs of power purchased from the utility when your system does not generate electricity, i.e. cloudy days or at night.
At the end of the year, the utility will "true up" how much electricity it provided to you, and compare it to how much your system fed back to the utility grid.
If you produced more than you consumed, your bill will be close to zero. If you used more electricity than you generated, you will only pay the difference.
The California Solar Initiative currently contributes $2.50 /watt for solar systems. That can add up to 30% of a typical home array!
In 2007, for systems smaller than 100 kilowatts, incentives will be paid "up front" based on performance. The expected performance will be calculated based on equipment ratings and installation factors, such as geographic location, tilt, and shading.
The rebate levels will also decrease an average of 7% per year between 2007 and 2017. The purpose is to set incentive levels high enough to motivate solar investments, yet not so high that ratepayers are subsidizing projects that would be built with lower incentives. Developers and customers benefit by knowing how much the rebate will be as demand for the solar rebates increase.
See our page on Performance Based Incentives for additional information on the new incentives.
Wait - did you know making simple energy-efficiency improvements can further lower the costs?
Did you know that products with the ENERGY STAR® label use 25-75% less energy than their common counterparts?
Making your home energy efficient-first-can dramatically improve the returns on a new solar electricity system. California also provides rebates for a number of energy efficiency upgrades via your utility.
Visit Flex Your Power to learn how to receive rebates for these purchases. To get the most rebates possible, apply now.
Looking for the Handbook?
California Solar Initiative Handbook - With SB1/CSI Draft Decision Noted
California Public Utilities Commission, December 19, 2006, posted 12/22/2006. (Acrobat PDF file, 95 pages, 1.5 megabytes)
