Save With SASH, California's Solar Savings Initiative

California is a state of many notables.  Home to skateboarding legends, movie stars, rock stars, the Govenator, California knows how to lead the pack.  In the case of solar energy, The Golden State has been leading the game since inception.          

In national polls concerning California has held the top ranking solar state for installed capacity and amount of jobs completed. A huge factor of their growth model comes from the California Solar Initiative (CSI). Enacted in 2006, CSI was created to implement upfront rebates for domestic and commercial property owners buying solar panel systems. The rebates were available for consumers three utility corporations: Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E).

Falling under the umbrella of the “Go Solar California” campaign, this statewide initiative had an opening goal to reach approximately 1,950 megawatts (MW) of new solar production potential from 2007 until 2016. It has proven to be a success, and the majority of the money available for the rebates was instantly used up and hasn’t been possible to many utility customers for years. But, that doesn’t mean CSI is gone. In an effort further, stimulate the growth of solar in within the state, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decided toallot no less than 10% of CSI’s funds to programs committed to providing solar electric systems to low-income households. Hence, the Single-family Affordable Solar Homes Program (SASH): which has produced savings for years now.  

What is SASH?

The Single-family Affordable Solar Homes Program (SASH) is a segment of the California Solar Initiative.  This solar cost savings effort is designed to help low-income residents go solar by reducing the upfront investment of buying a solar panel system. The initial budget for the SASH plan was $108.34 million. In 2015, the CPUC decided to add onto that with a combined $54 million. The program is set to remain until 2021, or until all the depletion of all available funds.

Specific Criterium 

Let's explore the required criteria one must hold so to qualify for SASH:

The solar panel system can only be installed on your primary place of residence. 

You must currently be a customer of PG&E, SCE, or SDG&E

Your house must be designated as “affordable housing,” according to California Public Utilities (P.U. Code 2852)

Your cumulative household earnings must be 80 percent or less of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Meeting these eligibility requirements for SASH will get you $3 a watt for a maximum system size of 5 kilowatts (kW), or 5,000 watts. 

More than 1 kW of solar capacity must be installed to receive this incentive.

Solar Savings Can Be Yours Today

Solar is an excellent investment for homeowners in California.  The SASH initiative sweetens the deal.  Remeber that payback period usually lands around the six-year mark for many Californians seeks solar panel installations. The SASH rebate can shorten this and make it very doable for everyone.  

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, 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 relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.