Pilot Supports Vulnerable Customers Who Live in High-Fire Threat Areas or Have Been Impacted by Public Safety Power Shutoffs
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced a new financial assistance pilot for residential customers installing home battery storage systems through the statewide Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). Approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on July 16, 2020, the new pilot for the existing SGIP program allows eligible customers to install the technology at no cost to them.
Through SGIP, PG&E provides financial incentives for customers installing new, qualifying equipment for generating and storing energy for their homes. Typically, a customer who applies for SGIP receives the rebate once the project is complete, which requires the customer to pay the upfront costs for the project. This new financial assistance pilot for SGIP ensures eligible customers do not pay any costs for buying and installing a home battery storage system.
To qualify for the pilot, residential customers need to:
- Be on the Medical Baseline Program; and/or
- Have notified PG&E of a medical condition that could be life-threatening if power is lost; and/or
- Be income-qualified customers who live in low-income residential housing as explained at www.pge.com/sgipeligible.
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- Live in a tier 2 or 3 High-Fire Threat District as defined by the CPUC and found at https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/firemap/; or
- Had their power turned off for safety as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event two or more times.
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A home battery is connected to PG&E’s electric grid and charged from the grid or the customer’s rooftop solar system, if they have one. A home battery can extend a customer’s home power for several hours or, if paired with solar, up to several days depending on the battery system size and the customer’s critical energy needs.
“Incentives for energy technologies offered through this statewide program allow our customers to have more choice and control over their energy. We strongly support California’s direction providing additional financial assistance helping our vulnerable customers install storage at home so they have backup power when they may need it most,” said Laurie Giammona, PG&E Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer.
PG&E is partnering with community-based organizations to help reach eligible customers, aiming to make it easy for customers to research and find a contractor. The community-based organizations can connect customers with contractors who have been previously approved through the SGIP program. The customer’s contractor or community partner will help walk them through the application as well as confirm the customer’s eligibility and approval to have 100 percent of the costs covered before the installation begins.
PG&E is now accepting SGIP applications on a first-come, first-serve basis. PG&E customers can learn more at pge.com/batterypsps.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 23,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
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