SF’s Rebate Program, Is It Worthy of Its Rep?
The city of San Francisco is aggressively pursuing solar energy. To bring more awareness to the issue and to reach the city’s goal of 10,000 rooftop solar systems by 2010, the San Francisco Solar Task Force was formed. Since their creation in 2007, the task force has already proposed and passed through a number of incentives for SF residents and businesses. Since we recently posted an article on the Task Force, here’s a bit more information on what San Francisco offers in incentives.
On June 10, 2008 the city of San Francisco approved the Solar Energy Incentive Program, the largest municipal solar incentive program in the United States. Under this program, a resident can receive $3,000-$6,000 toward installing a solar system, and businesses can receive up to $10,000. Further demonstrating their commitment to this movement, the City agreed to allocate $3.5 million to fund the program for 10 years. The City also offers the following:
- As a resident, your system must be at least one kilowatt in capacity.
- If you install a basic system, you are eligible for a $3,000 rebate.
- If you hire a local installer, you may qualify for $4,000.
- If you are in a lower income or racially diverse neighborhood classified as an “environmental justice district,” you are eligible for $5,000.
- If your installer was trained by the City’s workforce development system, you may qualify for the $6,000 rebate.
The best part about this program is that these rebates can be combined with the state and federal tax credits, making solar an affordable and logical choice for homeowners and businesses.
This useful site, DSIRE, has organized numerous links on both the state and federal level to other financial incentives. You may find some helpful programs in your area that you were unaware of. You can also contact your city or state government agencies to research further. Request free estimates from prescreened solar contractors in your area for all of your solar needs.
Posted on August 8th in Going Solar by Anna.