Central Coast Community Energy Launches Residential Battery Rebate Program
MONTEREY, Calif., July 22, 2024 – Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) announced today the launch of its Residential Battery Rebate Program, which provides residential 3CE customers with rebates for the purchase and installation of an eligible battery energy storage system.
Installing home battery storage helps customers manage their energy consumption and lower costs. Electricity rates change throughout the day. When clean renewable energy is abundant during the middle of the day, largely as a result of California’s expansive solar generation, prices are lower. But when the sun goes down and the demand for electricity goes up during evening hours, prices are higher. A home battery allows customers to store more renewable energy generated during the day when it is most cost effective and then use their battery-stored power at night.
“Our battery storage program will empower individual consumers with more control over their energy costs and provide another way to use more clean renewable energy,” said Chris Cook, 3CE’s Director of Energy Programs. “These rebates will help bridge the gap, making battery storage systems accessible to more homes in our community.”
The adoption of energy storage technology is crucial to California’s fight against climate change and to meet the state’s ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals by reducing reliance on fossil-fuels. Additionally, diverting some energy use from the grid during net peak use times will help control energy costs for all Central Coast communities.
3CE’s Residential Battery Rebate Program will provide a standard rebate of $300 per kilowatt hour(kWh) of storage capacity. For example, a 13kWh battery will earn 3CE customers $3,900 toward the purchase and installation of a home battery. Additional rebates are also available from the California Public Utility Commission’s SGIP incentive, PG&E, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
To prioritize low-income customers and those with an increased reliance on electricity, CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline customers will receive a higher rebate of $500 per kilowatt hour, or $6,500 for a 13 kWh battery. When combined with the other available incentives, the total funding may cover close to 100% of the costs to purchase and install a home battery for 3CE households that are enrolled in utility discount programs.
Initially, the program is anticipated to allow for the deployment of 400 battery systems per fiscal year. The rebates will be available to residential 3CE customers, regardless of whether they have a solar system or not.