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SGIP Rebate Question - This Legit?

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At the start of 2020, $675mm extra was approved to up the SGIP pool. However $513mm of the new monies are going into "Equity Resiliency" which is only accessible for homeowners who live in high fire threat zones as or had their power shut off at least twice (like long-duration shutoffs; not just brownouts).

The actual cash from these allocations rolls out in "steps". On July 20 $120mm was allocated out with the vast majority going to the "Equity Resiliency" and "Equity" buckets.

The normal small-scale residential SGIP (2x or fewer Powerwalls) is on Step 5 of 7; and the waitlist is so long it's unlikely new customers today will get the straggler funds on Step 7 of the program.

So yeah, this SGIP thing should be split into 4 sub-categories instead of just calling it SGIP.

SGIP-PSPS has a ton of funds for people whose energy reliability are significantly impacted by wildfires

SGIP-Large-Scale has some funds for people who buy 3x or more Powerwall. But they can't go through Tesla or Sunrun or Vivint; they have to go through local shops who actually put their hat into the ring for the large-scale program

SGIP-Small-Scale-Residential is fools gold now for people who buy 2x or fewer Powerwall

SGIP-Commercial is for who the heck knows
Thanks for the info. Yes, I was specifically talking about the currently available budget for the equity resiliency program. The SGIP site seems to indicate there’s a fair amount of funding available at the moment (though the last tranche in March indeed went pretty quickly from what I understand).

71253EDF-74E5-4797-8BA7-A0618C943387.jpeg


SGIP |
 
Thanks for the info. Yes, I was specifically talking about the currently available budget for the equity resiliency program. The SGIP site seems to indicate there’s a fair amount of funding available at the moment (though the last tranche in March indeed went pretty quickly from what I understand).

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SGIP |

Yeah your screenshot shows the Equity Resiliency (aka PSPS or fire risk). If you were significantly affected by PSPS or your house is in a fire zone, then by all means load upppppppp on some Powerwalls under this program.

But if you're a random suburbanite just wanting some more stability you won't qualify. My MIL lives with my family, and we're on the medical baseline. PG&E had a lot of rolling brownouts and annoyed the hell out of us in 2019. But we don't qualify due to the red-tape.

I still think most local shops are clueless about how 3x Powerwalls qualifies for the large-scale incentive. I get the feeling only @Vines works for a company that is raring to go on that program.
 
Yeah your screenshot shows the Equity Resiliency (aka PSPS or fire risk). If you were significantly affected by PSPS or your house is in a fire zone, then by all means load upppppppp on some Powerwalls under this program.

But if you're a random suburbanite just wanting some more stability you won't qualify. My MIL lives with my family, and we're on the medical baseline. PG&E had a lot of rolling brownouts and annoyed the hell out of us in 2019. But we don't qualify due to the red-tape.

I still think most local shops are clueless about how 3x Powerwalls qualifies for the large-scale incentive. I get the feeling only @Vines works for a company that is raring to go on that program.

I'm not sure clueless exactly. I've looked over the large scale >10kW application and the forms are more complex and require different calculations to be done. Not necessary for the smaller systems. Likely there's a few reasons why filing for the larger systems isn't to their advantage. From what I've read on here some people took it upon themselves to fill out the forms themselves and apply for their own key or whatever it was called. I'd say for the average person, the forms are more than they feel comfortable completing on their own and supposedly you aren't suppose to get help from anyone else filling them out. Not sure why but that was my understanding.
 
I'm not sure clueless exactly. I've looked over the large scale >10kW application and the forms are more complex and require different calculations to be done. Not necessary for the smaller systems. Likely there's a few reasons why filing for the larger systems isn't to their advantage. From what I've read on here some people took it upon themselves to fill out the forms themselves and apply for their own key or whatever it was called. I'd say for the average person, the forms are more than they feel comfortable completing on their own and supposedly you aren't suppose to get help from anyone else filling them out. Not sure why but that was my understanding.

Yeah I’m going to apply for my own key. I can get to the same $8,700 as Vines described when I drafted my own SGIP form.

And with the Enphase Envoy and Tesla Gateway info I should be able to supply SGIP with the performance data proving I’m cycling the batteries.
 
Sorry if asking dumb questions - still trying to navigate all this myself - but as of today the SGIP budget page is showing some $120m still available to PG&E after the funding addition on July 20? Am I missing something?

i thought i had read here that even the SGIP-PSPS funding was totally spoken for (outstanding applications would deplete the funding) but maybe (i hope!) i am wrong about that.
 
Yeah I’m going to apply for my own key. I can get to the same $8,700 as Vines described when I drafted my own SGIP form.

And with the Enphase Envoy and Tesla Gateway info I should be able to supply SGIP with the performance data proving I’m cycling the batteries.
Make sure you can provide all of the information SGIP asks for. As I remember from reading that long thread, there was some information required that only Tesla knows and they wouldn't release to the average consumer.
 
Make sure you can provide all of the information SGIP asks for. As I remember from reading that long thread, there was some information required that only Tesla knows and they wouldn't release to the average consumer.

Agreed; SGIP is clearly not a normal consumer rebate. But they've create dis-incentives for Tesla and Sunrun to participate in it, so the only person that gets harmed is the consumer haha.

@SoundDaTrumpet seems to be the most knowledgeable on this... hopefully he got his rebate :)

And I agree, it's stupid that Tesla won't release information about their systems that could aid people to afford to buy their product (and presumably encourage others to buy their product).
 
here's what i learned today: i tracked down my new new tesla advisor and asked if they could file the SGIP ER paperwork. he replied saying i'm not eligible as i'm not in a high-fire risk zone... so i replied with the language on PGE's page saying 2+ PSPS + medical baseline is qualifying. after checking with tesla's SGIP crew he agreed. he said they need "letters" from PGE affirming the putative future PSPS (i currently only have 1) and although he didn't respond to my query i assume he is talking about the official letter that PGE has to send to the CPUC regarding the shutdown (which has maps, and durations of outages, etc.), rather than a 'personalized' letter from PGE to the account holder (does that exist?)

so that's not a "no" but based on @JPP 's experience i'm sure i'll get nowhere with this when the time comes, especially if the PSPS happens after the PWs are installed/PTO is granted and i have paid them. and of course i think the SGIP ER funds are currently depleted.

also the advisor claimed that tesla is on a crazy hiring spree and that they would very likely pull in my november date. i told him "that's ok" as i'd rather have an experienced crew working on my house and he said that "an experienced supervisor will be on the job." well, at least the MPE was done by competent local electricians!

You must be in a Tier 2 or 3 Fire risk zone and have suffered at least 2 prior PSPS. Then you need a 3rd qualifier: medical baseline, low income or well pump. That is what qualifies for the PG&E SGIP Equity Resiliency.
 
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Agreed; SGIP is clearly not a normal consumer rebate. But they've create dis-incentives for Tesla and Sunrun to participate in it, so the only person that gets harmed is the consumer haha.

@SoundDaTrumpet seems to be the most knowledgeable on this... hopefully he got his rebate :)

And I agree, it's stupid that Tesla won't release information about their systems that could aid people to afford to buy their product (and presumably encourage others to buy their product).

Why make it so hard to file for 1 extra PW? Not everyone’s home is the same size and given what I see of all the terms and conditions in their applications they don’t want homeowners to apply. I thought the point was to help homeowners impacted by these shutdowns and drains on the grid during hot weather and high demand purchase these systems. If they don’t want to give credit for the 3rd unit without jumping through hoops why not still allow people to apply for the 2 that they have? I thought they said that everyone who was a customer could qualify for one of the programs but this doesn’t feel like it.
 
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Why make it so hard to file for 1 extra PW? Not everyone’s home is the same size and given what I see of all the terms and conditions in their applications they don’t want homeowners to apply. I thought the point was to help homeowners impacted by these shutdowns and drains on the grid during hot weather and high demand purchase these systems. If they don’t want to give credit for the 3rd unit without jumping through hoops why not still allow people to apply for the 2 that they have? I thought they said that everyone who was a customer could qualify for one of the programs but this doesn’t feel like it.


I think the main reason Tesla, Sunrun, etc won't help with this is the requirement for large-scale installations to cycle 104 times. It seems like there's a strong chance many customers getting 3x Powerwall will struggle to do this in California where average household energy usage per month is the next to lowest in the nation.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/sales_revenue_price/pdf/table5_a.pdf

This means a customer over-sizing to get 3x PW may miss out on the large-scale rebate and potentially blame Tesla or Sunrun.

I think the worst part is Tesla even says they will actively NOT help customers who try to file the large-scale program without going through a Tesla Certified Installer. Given my recent experience getting a boatload of quotes, none of the Tesla Certified Shops knew anything about this large-scale program. I received several quotes for 3x and 4x Powerwalls and they NEVER brought up the large-scale program.

Energy Incentives | Powerwall Support
The SGIP program does not allow Tesla to support customers to apply as their own developer. Tesla provides SGIP support at no additional fee for customers with a Powerwall system installed by Tesla or Tesla Certified Installers. However, Tesla is not able to provide certain necessary SGIP documents or reports to a non-Certified Installer.

I'm finding it borderline impossible for a normal person to score the large-scale SGIP unless you go through Vines' employer haha. I can't wait to see how painful it'll be trying to get this large-scale SGIP on my own.
 
You must be in a Tier 2 or 3 Fire risk zone and have suffered at least 2 prior PSPS. Then you need a 3rd qualifier: medical baseline, low income or well pump. That is what qualifies for the PG&E SGIP Equity Resiliency.

The SGIP handbook reads differently to me...

You must be in a Tier 2 or 3 fire risk zone OR have suffered at least 2 prior PSPS, plus one of the second qualifiers (well, med baseline, etc).

Page 35:

Screen Shot 2020-08-05 at 4.06.42 PM.png
 
The SGIP handbook reads differently to me...

You must be in a Tier 2 or 3 fire risk zone OR have suffered at least 2 prior PSPS, plus one of the second qualifiers (well, med baseline, etc).

Page 35:

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You're right... a homeowner could have been impacted 2 or more times by PSPS but didn't live in a fire risk tier on the ARCGIS map. I can't imagine many people in this predicament though.

From there you still need one of those 4 points in bullet B.
 
You're right... a homeowner could have been impacted 2 or more times by PSPS but didn't live in a fire risk tier on the ARCGIS map. I can't imagine many people in this predicament though.

From there you still need one of those 4 points in bullet B.

We live on a valley floor and our town was impacted twice by PSPS. Some of our neighbors got hit twice however. Where I live we only got turned off the first time on Oct. 9. When we signed up for solar/PWs first week of January, we received a power shut down bundled discount of $1K from Tesla (not sure if Tesla program or joint one with PG&E) so I thought we were in the fire risk ARCGIS map until looking at it just recently and apparently not, just areas more toward the elevated areas of the coast ranges were. Pretty shocked, and then we don’t meet conditions under B, so we fall under the general market area of SGIP except now we have 3 PWs on order. Had our app submitted for us back in Jan/Feb timeframe with 2 but already then told not sure if we made the cut off before it was filled.
 
We live on a valley floor and our town was impacted twice by PSPS. Some of our neighbors got hit twice however. Where I live we only got turned off the first time on Oct. 9. When we signed up for solar/PWs first week of January, we received a power shut down bundled discount of $1K from Tesla (not sure if Tesla program or joint one with PG&E) so I thought we were in the fire risk ARCGIS map until looking at it just recently and apparently not, just areas more toward the elevated areas of the coast ranges were. Pretty shocked, and then we don’t meet conditions under B, so we fall under the general market area of SGIP except now we have 3 PWs on order. Had our app submitted for us back in Jan/Feb timeframe with 2 but already then told not sure if we made the cut off before it was filled.


Did Tesla explain to you why they wouldn't submit your 3x Powerwalls under the "large capacity" General Market SGIP?
 
Did Tesla explain to you why they wouldn't submit your 3x Powerwalls under the "large capacity" General Market SGIP?

We are working through our current scheduling period and not even discussing that with them now. So far all I know is under our 2xPW contract they had submitted an application for us. Even then we were told that back in the Jan/Feb time frame there was a waitlist and they couldn't guarantee we'd get it from PG&E. They had people who installed back at the end of last year who would have been submitted before ours when the funds were available. My husband is under the understanding when we upped to a third that we'd have something submitted reflecting the new info. Nothing gets submitted as I understand until after you have your PTO so we still have some time to go.
 
The funding has been replenished. $13,500 is the standard allotment per Powerwall, so thats why they are charging that much.

If you are eligible, I'd jump on it.

Like Vines mentioned, Palo Alto doesn't qualify for SGIP..

Unless I'm missing something or unless Palo Alto utility has very specifically spelled out terms that they are excluding SGIP or blocking them, being in a utility not under the jurisdiction the CPUC (like most public utilities in California, big or small) does not automatically disqualify from SGIP rebates. I'm under a public utility and they had no clue about SGIP or anything related to it but my check came in the mail regardless: my utility had no say on this.
 
Unless I'm missing something or unless Palo Alto utility has very specifically spelled out terms that they are excluding SGIP or blocking them, being in a utility not under the jurisdiction the CPUC (like most public utilities in California, big or small) does not automatically disqualify from SGIP rebates. I'm under a public utility and they had no clue about SGIP or anything related to it but my check came in the mail regardless: my utility had no say on this.

It really depends on whether your installer (Tesla or other) has not 'used up' their SGIP budget under the 'general' program. Note that there is a 2nd pot of $$ under the Equity Resiliency program (which began in March of this year) which set aside funds for individuals in high fire risk zones who had experienced PSPS and who also met criteria of 'need' (medical need, financial need, critical equipment like well pump). You need to quiz your prospective PV solar installer.
 
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Unless I'm missing something or unless Palo Alto utility has very specifically spelled out terms that they are excluding SGIP or blocking them, being in a utility not under the jurisdiction the CPUC (like most public utilities in California, big or small) does not automatically disqualify from SGIP rebates. I'm under a public utility and they had no clue about SGIP or anything related to it but my check came in the mail regardless: my utility had no say on this.
If you go to the SGIP website it lists how much budget is allocated for each utility. If your utility isn't listed it doesn't have budget.
 
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