GoSolarSF – Everything You Need To Know

June 07, 2019

This week Rex and Patrick talk about Go Solar San Francisco, a rebate program exclusive for people living in San Francisco. To start, we’ll go through the program’s overview before checking out various incentive levels, eligibility criteria, and application process of the GoSolarSF program.

GoSolarSF Incentive

GoSolarSF is a program launched by the city of San Francisco to encourage solar installations by providing one-time incentive payments to reduce project costs for homeowners, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. This city program will reduce the participants’ electricity bills and shrinks the city’s carbon footprint by helping people install thousands of kilowatts of solar energy.

The program also gives back by providing jobs to disadvantaged San Franciscans and supports solar projects for low-income households.

In addition to the cash incentives, GoSolarSF offers additional bonuses for homeowners and businesses. Along with a low-income bonus incentive, you can get a city installer bonus from the installers exclusively operating in San Francisco.

GoSolarSF Incentive Levels For 2019

1. CleanPowerSF & Hetch Hetchy Basic – $200/kW capped at 4 KW.
   • Available to any resident installing solar generation on their own property located within San Francisco and actively enrolled (or signed-up for early enrollment) in CleanPowerSF or is an existing Hetch Hetchy customer.
2. Environmental Justice or CalHome Loan – $100/kW capped at 4 kW.
   • Available to residential installations located in San Francisco’s environmental justice zip codes, 94107, and 94124. Also available to property owners enrolled in the CalHome loan program under the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
3. City Installer Bonus – $250/kW capped at 4 kW.
   • Available to San Francisco residents who contract with an installer holding a current San Francisco business registration certificate showing a San Francisco address as the principal place of business.
4. Low-income Bonus – $2,000/kW capped at 3 kW
   • Low-income SASH (Single-family Affordable Solar Homes Program) – Available to SASH applicants. The SASH program is a low-income program of the State’s California Solar Initiative, administered by GRID Alternatives. Grid is the only organization that may install SASH projects. Applicants may be eligible for a free system or a highly subsidized system. To qualify, the household must be below the median income and the home must be located in the San Francisco Enterprise Zone or in a Neighborhood Revitalization Area, including Bayview Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, South of Market or the Mission.
   • Low-income Non-SASH – Available to applicants who do not qualify for SASH and who are CalHome loan participants or City residents who are certified by the SFPUC as earning at or below the City’s median income.
   • Below are the details on the low-income qualification:

How To Apply For GoSolarSF

Below are certain pre-application steps involved while applying for GoSolarSF program:

• CleanPowerSF Program – To be eligible for a GoSolarSF incentive, recipients must be actively enrolled (or signed-up for early enrollment) in the CleanPowerSF program or be an existing Hetch Hetchy customer.
• Energy Efficiency Audit – Make your home or business energy efficient before installing solar. You can think about some energy-saving actions like replacing the incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or changing old and inefficient appliances etc. These energy efficiency measures can reduce the size of your PV system and can save money in up-front installation costs.
• Selecting a contractor – To get the most productive solar PV system for any home or business, selecting a licensed contractor is very important. In most cases, your contractor will apply for incentives on your behalf and arrange for the system to be interconnected with the local power grid.

Application Process

After completing an energy efficiency audit and a contract with a solar contractor, an application must be submitted online via PowerClerk. You can access GoSolarSF documents at www.solarsf.org.

You’ll need to submit these documents with your application:

1. Terms and Conditions (T&C) document with T&C Signature Page and Application Signature Page
2. Documentation of an Energy Efficiency Audit (or documentation of exemption)
3. Solar Purchase Agreement Insurance Policy Declaration
4. Energy bill from within the last 6 months for the site address

According to the GoSolarSF Program Handbook, it is always better to acquire at least three bids before choosing a solar contractor. Energy Advisors at Pick My Solar will help you get multiple quotes from qualified installers in San Francisco.