Considering installing solar? You can save thousands of dollars in cost when you install solar and a battery storage system at the same time. Once your systems have been installed, a battery storage system will let you use the solar power you generate at any time of the day or night so that you won't have to pay an electric utility to access electricity once the sun goes down. 

There is a 30% federal tax credit to install a battery storage system, in addition to a state rebate through the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) that covers anywhere from 25% to almost 100% of the system’s installation cost.

In addition, MCE offers a credit of up to $20 per month to residents who have solar and a battery storage system and commit to using the solar stored on their battery from 4-9 pm every day.

• MCE offers a free energy audit and home energy upgrades program to increase comfort and reduce energy bills for income-qualified residents. 

• The statewide Energy Savings Assistance Program provides free insulation upgrades, weatherproofing upgrades, water heater and furnace replacements, and other upgrades that save energy to income-qualified residents. 

• Walnut Creek's Home Rehabilitation Loan and Grant Program for low and moderate income homeowners provides loans and emergency grants for energy efficiency updates. 

• An Energy Efficient Mortgage(EEM) is a mortgage that credits a home's energy efficiency in the mortgage itself. EEMs give borrowers the opportunity to finance cost-effective, energy-saving measures as part of a single mortgage and stretch debt-to-income qualifying ratios on loans, allowing borrowers to qualify for a larger loan amount and a better, more energy efficient home.

What is PACE?

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing allows residential property owners to finance energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy, and electric vehicle infrastructure upgrades to their property by repaying the cost of the improvements through a voluntary assessment on their property tax bill. 

Several PACE programs are available in California. The City of Walnut Creek allows PACE programs to operate within its jurisdiction to give consumers an additional financing option, but it does not administer the programs. Contact the programs directly with any questions. 

Benefits of PACE

• No money down, fixed interest rates, and low annual payments: Long-term PACE financing of up to 20 years results in low annual payments, allowing energy or water savings from property upgrades to offset PACE payments.

• Receive tax incentives and rebates: The property owner owns the system, so they can apply for any of the federal, state, and local rebates and tax incentives listed above for the improvement.

• Reduce energy and water use: Energy efficiency and water conservation improvements can help lower utility bills.

• Increased property values: More efficient properties are typically worth more.

• Payment obligation is tied to the property: A voluntary assessment lien stays with the property upon transfer of building ownership (Note: Some residential lenders may not allow payment obligations to transfer and will require repayment, so ask your PACE program for more information. You may be required to pay off the assessment before selling or refinancing your home.)  

• Voluntary: Property owners choose to participate in the program at their own discretion. 

Potential Drawback of PACE

While residential PACE payment obligations are designed to be tied to the property, some residential lenders may not allow payment obligations to transfer and will require repayment, so ask your PACE program for more information. You may be required to pay off the assessment before selling or refinancing your home. Homeowners who are looking to sell or refinance in the near future should consider whether PACE works for their situation.

• MCE's Peak FLEXmarket program pays businesses to shift or reduce electricity use during demand response events in the summer (from June to October).

• BayREN offers a Bay Area Multifamily Building Enhancement (BAMBE) program that offers rebates for home energy efficiency and electric improvements. These range up to $5,000 to $6,000 depending on the project type. Properties located in high-priority zones that are most impacted by air pollution, extreme heat, and/or high housing costs qualify for bonus rebates. Note that the BAMBE program is temporarily paused for new applicants.

•  BayREN also has a business program that helps small businesses upgrade their energy efficiency by offering: 

  •  free energy assessments 

  •  at least two proposals from qualified program contractors 

  • Installation of energy efficiency equipment such as: 

    • lighting 

    • refrigeration 

    • heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, 

    • hot water systems  

    • building envelope improvement 

    • controls-based technologies 

  
  

• The California Public Utilities Commission's TECH Clean California program offers multi-family housing property owners up to $500,000 in funding to install heat pump HVAC systems, heat pump water heaters, and electrical upgrades.

• California Energy Smart Homes is funded by the California Public Utilities Commission and offers single to multifamily home incentives for whole building electrification alterations. The base incentive is between $2,000-4,500 depending on the unit with the opportunity for various bonuses such as HP dyers, and induction cook tops. Property owners who receive these incentives are not eligible to receive any other incentives for the replaced appliances, if those incentives are funded by the California Public Utilities Commission.

• MCE offers rebates, free energy assessments, and technical assistance for energy-saving and water-saving improvements to qualifying multi-family housing property owners.

• The federal tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings is now available for newly constructed buildings and qualifying building renovations until June 30th, 2026. To learn more about the other rebates and financing programs available to help businesses save money while saving energy, visit our Business Energy Rebates page.

• There are many programs offering funding to cover the installation and equipment costs of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. For more information on funding for EV charging stations, visit our EV Charging Stations page.

• An extensive list of the electric vehicle, clean energy, and energy efficiency incentives that are offered in the United States can be found at the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE).

• MCE electricity customers are eligible to participate in a generous Net Energy Metering (NEM) program that returns money to customers for any excess electricity that they produce. MCE also has a Feed-In Tariff program for larger renewable energy projects.  

• PG&E customers are also eligible to participate in a Net Energy Metering (NEM) program. To learn more about why MCE is the primary electricity generator for Walnut Creek, visit our MCE Clean Energy page.  

• An extensive list of the solar incentives that are offered in the United States can be found at the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE).

California's Self-Generation Incentive Program gives businesses a rebate to reduce the cost of buying a battery storage system.Having a battery storage system installed will increase your business' resilience, since it will allow you to use stored electricity if there is a power outage. 

In addition, businesses can save thousands of dollars in project costs when installing a battery storage system at the same time as solar. A battery storage system will let you use the solar power you generate at any time of the day or night so that you won't have to buy electricity from your utility once the sun goes down.

• The Small Business Financing (SBF) program offers affordable options to help California businesses shrink their energy bills and carbon footprints. Learn more about eligibility for small businesses and start planning your energy improvement project for your business today. 

• The Affordable Multifamily Financing program offers financing for multifamily properties where at least 50% of the units are income restricted.

What is C-PACE?

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing allows commercial property owners to get low-cost, long-term financing for energy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable energy projects. C-PACE provides financing for commercial projects such as multifamily residential properties, commercial properties, industrial buildings, or nonprofit properties. 

Several C-PACE programs are available in California. The City of Walnut Creek allows C- PACE programs to operate within its jurisdiction to give consumers an additional financing option, but it does not administer the programs. Contact the programs directly with any questions.  

Benefits of C-PACE