2025 Solar Incentives Guide for San Diego, CA - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in San Diego.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2024 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
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What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in San Diego?
Property Tax Exclusion for Solar Energy Systems and Solar Plus Storage System
Western Riverside Council of Governments - Home Energy Renovation Opportunity (HERO) Financing Program
Minimum financing: $5,000
The financing may not exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the market value of the property, up to the first seven hundred thousand dollars ($700,000) of the property’s market value, and ten percent (10%) of the remaining value of the Property above seven hundred thousand dollars ($700,000) minus any PACE assessment on the propertyThe total amount of any annual property taxes and assessments shall not exceed five percent (5%) of the property's fair market value, determined at the time program financing is approved.
Local Option - Municipal Energy Districts
Self-Generation Incentive Program
Incentives will step down over time. See below for incentive amounts.
Renewable Market Adjusting Tariff (ReMAT)
LADWP - Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Program
Base price will step down over time as certain MW goals are met
California Solar Initiative - Solar Thermal Program
Single Family Residential Incentives:
Systems that displace natural gas: $29.85 per estimated therm displaced
Systems that displace electricity or propane: Funding has been exhausted
Commercial/Multifamily Incentives:
Systems that displace natural gas: $20.19 per estimated therm displaced
Systems that displace electricity or propane: $0.42 per estimated kWh displaced *** Note, funding has been exhausted in this category for SCE and PG&E
Solar Pool heating: $5.00 per estimated therm displaced
City of San Diego - Sustainable Building Expedited Permit Program
San Diego County - Green Building Program
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
Solar incentives are intended to make renewable energy usage more affordable through financial incentives for those who install solar panels on their homes. You may be eligible for several types of incentives, including discounts, cash back or credit towards your monthly utility bill, depending on your situation. Certain incentives come from your specific utility company, county or municipality, some from the state of California and others from the federal government. Categories of solar incentives include:
- Tax Credits: Tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, how much income tax you owe the federal government. Tax credits are different from tax deductions.
- Rebates: A solar rebate is a partial refund given after you've purchased your solar system. These might be offered by your local utility company, your county or your state. The discount that rebates offer is normally applied to the price of solar panels before calculating tax credits.
- Net Metering: Net metering factors in once your solar panels are up and running. If you have a net metering agreement in place with your San Diego utility company, the company will subtract the value of the excess energy your solar system produces from your utility bill each month. In some places, this is a dollar-for-dollar credit, while in others you might make back a percentage of the value.
- Tax Exemptions: Sales tax exemptions are applied at the time of purchase for your solar system. Property tax exemptions let you ignore the value added by your solar system when you calculate how much property tax you need to pay on your home.
- Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC): SRECs and other performance-based incentives are usually handled by your state government. Once your solar panel system meets a predetermined threshold (generally a small amount of energy production), you are eligible to receive SRECs that can then be sold to your utility company or other buyers. The money you receive from the sale is generally considered part of your taxable income.
Federal Solar Incentives
When people think of solar incentives, federal incentives might be the first thing that comes to mind. One of the incentives many people are likely to be familiar with is the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). This incentive is a tax credit for a given percentage of your solar system's cost.
The ITC applies to the value of a solar system installed on your primary or secondary residence in the United States. The solar system has to have been installed on a property you own after January 1, 2006, for you to claim the credit. Initially, the ITC applied to 30% of all system installation costs (panels, accessories, equipment and labor), although the covered amount has fluctuated over time between 26-30%. The amount you qualify for will depend on when your solar system was installed. There is no cap on the amount you can claim.
To understand exactly how much the ITC could save you, talk to your local San Diego solar panel installation expert.
In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act expanded and extended the ITC, now called the Clean Energy Credit. The Clean Energy Credit runs until 2035. Any solar installation project that is completed between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2032, may qualify for a 30% tax credit. This amount will then decrease slightly on a yearly basis until the end of the current program. Starting in 2023, the expansion will also make it easier to get credit for energy storage systems.
More information about the new Inflation Reduction Act can be found here. To understand how the new Clean Energy Credit will apply to you, talk to your local San Diego solar installation company.
State & Local Solar Incentives
Some solar incentives are often also provided by state and local governments. Similar to federal incentives, these may include tax credits, rebates and more. These incentives may be given out by your county or municipality, or by the California government. Some incentives may be available for a limited time, while others are ongoing.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in San Diego
Solar incentives may come from your local utility company, the federal government or the California government. The large number of incentives available has contributed to a large increase in solar energy use in the last 15 years. Your local San Diego solar panel installation company can help you learn more about which incentives you can apply for, and get you started on the path to switching to renewable energy today.
EcoWatch's San Diego, CA Solar Incentives FAQs
How can I find out if I qualify for solar incentives?
Typically, solar incentives apply to:
- a new solar system
- installed on property that you own
- within the U.S.
- within the date range specified by a particular incentive.
Specific incentives, including those run by the California government or by your county/municipality, may have additional qualifications. Talk to your local San Diego solar installer to learn more about what incentives your project will qualify for.
How much can I save on my electric bill annually if I install solar panels on my house in San Diego?
After adding solar panels to your house in San Diego, you can anticipate savings of about $1,637.07 per year, or about $31,104.39 over the next 20 years.
What are some environmental benefits of adding solar panels to my home?
You can decrease your carbon footprint by 250 pounds of CO2 annually when you switch to solar panels. This adds up to approximately 5,000 pounds over 20 years. Solar is also a renewable energy source, meaning that making the switch reduces the drain on our planet's resources.
Can I claim incentives both towards the initial cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
The order that incentives will be applied in might vary depending on which incentives you are claiming but typically yes, you can receive multiple types of incentives for your solar project. Talk with your solar installer or a local tax professional to confirm you are claiming all the incentives you're eligible for and applying them in the correct order.
Can I use a combination of multiple types of renewable energy to power my home?
You can use multiple types of renewable energy, or a combination of renewable and non-renewable energy, to power your home. Be sure to talk through your ideas with your local San Diego solar installer. They can help you with the plan for your project and also help you understand the various incentives that you might or might not qualify for.
Our goal is to reach as many people as we can with sensible solutions like solar energy. Our team of full-time local researchers collects solar price and installation data for every city in America then compiles it to create these digestible city guides. If you want to read our solar expert's opinion on the top solar companies featured here, follow this link.