Eligibility
Eligibility
The San Diego Solar Equity Program offers monetary assistance to income-qualifying, single-family homeowners to offset the cost of solar panel installation.
City of San Diego Solar Equity Program Homeowner Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the City of San Diego Solar Equity Program, a customer must meet all of the following eligibility requirements. Eligibility requirements are rolled out in phases as described in the Eligibility Table below. The Solar Contractor you select will assist you in the application and approval process. If you apply for the program in a phase for which you do not qualify, your application will be cancelled, and you will have to re-apply in the appropriate phase.
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 6 months (September 23, 2025 to March 31, 2026) | 3 months (April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026) |
| Eligibility | Homeowners who have participated in Phase 1 of the City of San Diego HEART program OR A total household income less than 80% Area Median Income (AMI) AND located within a City of San Diego Environmental Justice Community, Community of Concern, or 2024 flood impacted neighborhood (zip codes 92102, 92113, and 92114) | Total household income less than 120% AMI and located within the City of San Diego |
- Income
This is an income-qualifying program. Participating households must have a total household income of 80% or 120% or less of the San Diego County Area Median Income (AMI). Refer to the Eligibility Table above for income requirements by phase. The total household income must meet this requirement for at least 12 months prior the date of application.
Customers will need to provide income verification as part of the application process or submit documentation indicating proof of enrollment in another income-qualifying program such as the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program or the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA).
- Home Address
Eligible customers must reside within the San Diego city limits.
Additionally, in some phases of the program eligibility requirements, your home address must be located within a Community of Concern as defined by the City of San Diego's Climate Equity Index (CEI) or environmental justice neighborhood as defined by the Environmental Justice Element Story Map. If applying to Phase 1, your home must be in a Community of Concern or located in a neighborhood impacted by the January 2024 floods (within the following zip codes: 92102, 92113, and 92114). If applying to Phase 2 and your AMI is between 80% and 120% AMI, your home must be located within the City of San Diego. Refer to the Eligibility Table above for more details. If you are unsure if this applies to you, please use the linked tool to search for your address and refer to the provided guidance on the Resources page of the website.
- Property Type
To participate you must be a single-family homeowner. “Single-family” includes detached homes, as well as duplexes, quadplexes, or mobile/manufactured homes.
- No Existing Solar Systems
To be eligible for the program, you cannot already have a PV (photovoltaic) system installed on your home. A photovoltaic system is composed of one or more solar panels combined with an inverter and other electrical and mechanical hardware that use energy from the sun to generate electricity.
San Diego Solar Equity Program – County Pilot Homeowner Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the SDSEP – County pilot program, a customer must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
- Income
The San Diego Solar Equity Program - County is an income-qualifying program. Participants must have a total household income of less than 120% of the San Diego County Area Median Income (AMI). The household must meet this requirement for at least 12 months prior to the date of application.
Customers will need to provide income verification as part of the application process or submit documentation indicating proof of enrollment in another income-qualifying program.
- Home Address
To be eligible for the San Diego Solar Equity Program - County, a customer must reside in a disadvantaged community per the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) and in an unincorporated area of San Diego County.
Eligible areas are depicted in the following map:
If you are unsure about your address’s eligibility, please contact our team and we can check the eligibility of your home.
- Property Type
To participate, you must be a single-family homeowner.
- No Existing Solar Systems
To be eligible for the program, you cannot already have a PV (photovoltaic) system installed on your home. A photovoltaic system is composed of one or more solar panels combined with an inverter and other electrical and mechanical hardware that use energy from the sun to generate electricity
Solar Contractor Eligibility Requirements
To become an eligible Solar Contractor, you must meet the following requirements:
- Wages
Participating Solar Contractors are required to pay a prevailing wage to all workers involved in the solar panel installation, as defined by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR).
Solar Contractors installing projects under the San Diego Solar Equity Program - County are required to submit certified payroll records on a weekly basis via LCPTracker software.
- Licensed Solar Contractor
Participating Solar Contractors must be certified to install solar systems per the California Contractors State Licensing Board (CSLB). This includes active licenses A, B, C-10, or C-46.
- Energy Efficiency Education
Participating Solar Contractors must commit to discuss energy efficiency with each customer during the initial consultation phase. Energy efficiency upgrades are not required, but the Solar Contractor must ensure each customer has a basic understanding of energy efficiency including the current and future energy needs that their new solar system will support.
- Job Training
While job training is not a formal requirement, it is highly encouraged.
Participating Solar Contractors in the City of San Diego Solar Equity Program that provide 40 hours of training time will be eligible for an additional incentive. Eligible job training hours do not need to be solely spent on the specific program project and can be spread across the Solar Contractor’s other projects, provided that these projects are not funded by another solar incentive program requiring job training.
About the San Diego Solar Equity Program
The San Diego Solar Equity Program (SDSEP) is a 10-year incentive program funded by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) shareholder funds as part of the City of San Diego’s franchise agreement with SDG&E. The program allocates a total of $10 million, $1 million per year, to provide eligible, income-qualifying customers with monetary assistance to install solar panels on their homes.
The San Diego Solar Equity Program - County Pilot (SDSEP - County) is a small-scale pilot that leverages federal funds to incentivize solar for low-income customers in the unincorporated areas of San Diego County. The SDSEP - County is anticipated to support up to 22 projects, and the outcomes of the pilot will inform future programs serving unincorporated county residents.