SASH introduction 

SASH is a component of the California Solar Initiative, designed to help low-income residents go solar by decreasing the upfront investment of purchasing a solar panel system. The original budget for the SASH program was $108.34 million. In 2015, the CPUC chose to add onto that with an additional $54 million in funding. The program is set to continue until 2021, or until all the available money allocated has been exhausted.
 

Check eligibility for this incentive 

There are certain criteria you need to meet in order to be eligible for this incentive. You must be a customer of PG&E, SCE, or SDG&E, the home you’re installing panels on must be your primary residence, your home must be defined as “affordable housing,” according to California Public Utilities (P.U. Code 2852), your total household income must be 80 percent or less of the Area Median Income (AMI). If you meet these eligibility requirements for this rebate, you can receive $3 a watt for a maximum system size of 5 kilowatts (kW), or 5,000 watts. Homeowners also need to install more than 1 kW of solar capacity in order to receive this incentive. 
 

Recent SASH updates 

In June of 2018, the CPUC announced that it would continue to incentivize solar installations in low-income housing through the Disadvantaged Communities-Single-family Solar Homes (DAC-SASH) program. This program will be modeled after the existing SASH program and continue to provide the same upfront rebates of $3 per watt up for eligible homeowners while also providing additional assistance in regards to raising capital for the installation or accessing financing. In addition, the eligibility for the DAC-SASH is broader than compared to the traditional SASH program. You no longer have to live in a household designated as “affordable housing,” which will allow this new program to help even more people go solar. This revitalized program will have $10 million in funds available annually until 2030.

In addition to approving DAC-SASH this past June, the CPUC decided to adopt two additional programs designed to help disadvantaged community members. The two other programs are geared towards low-income community members who aren’t installing solar on their roof. One is the Disadvantaged Communities- Green Tariff (DAC-Green Tariff). This incentive program provides a 20 percent discount on electricity bills for customers in disadvantaged communities who opt into a clean energy option through their utility. The third program adopted by the CPUC is the Community Solar Green Tariff program, which will also provide a 20 percent discount to people who participate in a community solar arrangement. The DAC-Green Tariff and the Community Solar Green Tariff program will be a good option for you if don’t have the upfront capital necessary to put panels on their own roof, or if your roof isn’t suitable for a solar panel installation.

If you want to join the solar revolution, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years. For more information about solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for guides and articles.