LADWP Solar & Battery Incentives in Los Angeles (2026)
Straight answer: on LADWP the incentive most solar homes actually use is net metering — LADWP’s own rule that nets every exported kilowatt-hour against one you buy, at the full retail price. Everything else is narrow in 2026: SGIP pays $1.10 per watt-hour of storage, but only to income-qualified households, and LADWP’s budget was on a waitlist on October 2; Solar Rooftops pays $360–900 a year to put an LADWP-owned system on your roof; and the most widely available money is for EVs — $1,000 toward a home charger and $1,500 toward a used EV. A system installed in 2026 gets no federal credit.
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- Net metering is the big one: exports are netted kWh for kWh at your retail rate each billing period, and a surplus becomes a dollar credit that never expires but is never paid out. LADWP is not on NEM 3.0; it allows leases but not PPAs.
- SGIP on LADWP is the state program itself: LADWP administers $32.4 million of its income-qualified budget, paying $1.10 per watt-hour of storage plus $3.10 per watt of solar. It was waitlisted on October 2, 2026.
- Solar Rooftops rents your roof: LADWP installs and owns a 1–10 kW system and pays $30–75 a month for 20 years. The power goes to LADWP, not to your bill.
- Batteries earn through the state’s DSGS program only via an aggregator LADWP has approved; Tesla stopped new DSGS sign-ups in March 2026, and the utilities’ ELRP does not cover LADWP.
- EVs: $1,000 toward a home charger ($1,500 for EZ-SAVE and Lifeline, plus $250 for an EV meter), $1,500 toward a used EV ($4,000 for EZ-SAVE and Lifeline) and 2.5¢ off each base-period kWh on a separate EV meter.
- Federal: the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit ended for expenditures after December 31, 2025, and the EV charger credit for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026.
Every LADWP incentive for homes in 2026
LADWP is a city-owned utility, so it runs its own programs. This is what each one listed on its website on October 2, 2026 pays, and who can use it.
| Program | What you get | Who qualifies | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net metering (LADWP rider NEM) | Exports netted kWh for kWh at the retail price each billing period; a surplus becomes a dollar credit, never paid out | Solar customers who own or lease their system | In effect |
| SGIP — Residential Solar and Storage Equity (AB 209) | $1.10 per Wh of storage plus $3.10 per W of solar | Households at or below 80% of area median income; low-income multifamily | Waitlist; no guarantee of funding |
| Solar Rooftops | LADWP installs and owns 1–10 kW on your roof and pays $30–75 a month for 20 years; +$25 a month with a battery | Owner-occupied homes on R1-A, R1-B, R1-D or R1-E that pass LADWP’s roof review | Taking applications |
| Shared Solar | 50 or 100 kWh a month from LADWP solar plants at a rate fixed for up to 10 years | Apartment, condo and duplex residents on R1A, R1D or R1E | Taking applications |
| DSGS battery pay (CEC) | Paid per kW a battery proves on summer evenings, through the aggregator that enrolls it | Battery owners enrolled by an aggregator LADWP has approved | Open to approved aggregators; Tesla closed to new sign-ups |
| Home EV charger rebate | $1,000; +$500 for EZ-SAVE or Lifeline; +$250 for a dedicated EV meter | LADWP residential customers | Open; apply within 12 months |
| Used EV rebate | $1,500; $4,000 for EZ-SAVE or Lifeline households | Anyone whose home is served by LADWP | Open; apply within 12 months |
| EV rate discount | $0.025 off each base-period kWh | An EV charger on its own meter, on a time-of-use rate | Open |
Sources: LADWP solar programs, SGIP, Solar Rooftops, Shared Solar, DSGS and EV pages · SGIP Program Metrics · Tesla (terms as of September 28, 2026). LADWP notes that its programs can change or end without notice.
Net metering: the incentive most LADWP solar homes use
It is not a rebate, but it is where most of the value of solar on LADWP comes from.
LADWP nets the kilowatt-hours your system exports against the ones you draw over each billing period, usually two months, so an exported kWh cancels a purchased one at the full retail price — 26–41¢ a kWh on the standard rate in summer 2026. A period with more exports than use leaves a dollar credit that carries forward with no time limit, but LADWP never pays it out and zeroes it when the account closes, including when you sell the house. These are LADWP’s own rules, set by a net-metering rider dated September 1, 2008 (LADWP rider NEM): state net-metering law exempts LADWP, and it is not on NEM 3.0. Leases qualify; power-purchase agreements do not, because LADWP does not allow anyone else to sell you energy. Rates, minimum charges and credits are in LADWP net metering explained.
SGIP on LADWP: the state program, income-qualified only
LADWP is one of SGIP’s five program administrators, but it runs only one of its budgets.
The Self-Generation Incentive Program names LADWP as a program administrator alongside PG&E, SCE, SoCalGas and the Center for Sustainable Energy. LADWP takes part only in the Residential Solar and Storage Equity budget funded by the state under AB 209, and its share is $32.4 million (SGIP Handbook). It pays a flat $1.10 per watt-hour of storage plus $3.10 per watt of solar — up to $30,020 for the handbook’s example of a 13.2 kWh battery with 5 kW of solar — and never more than the project’s eligible cost.
- Household income at or below 80% of area median income, shown on a federal Form 1040 or a comparable return; deed-restricted low-income multifamily housing has its own path.
- New solar with a battery, or a battery added to existing solar and set to self-consumption, so it serves only the home and does not discharge to the grid.
- Equipment you own or lease; a power-purchase agreement is not allowed on LADWP.
- An SGIP-approved developer usually files the application on selfgenca.com (LADWP SGIP FAQ).
On October 2, 2026 LADWP’s budget was on a waitlist (SGIP Program Metrics). LADWP says it cannot guarantee an incentive to anyone waiting, that a lottery notice is not an award, and that after a February 2026 CPUC ruling on unusually high reported costs, applications may be changed or canceled if costs look out of line (LADWP). SGIP’s ratepayer-funded budgets — which LADWP customers who buy gas from SoCalGas could use through SoCalGas — took their last applications on December 30, 2025. The other tiers are in our SGIP guide, and what a battery costs in home battery cost in California.
Solar Rooftops: renting your roof to LADWP
LADWP puts solar on your house at no cost to you — but the solar is LADWP’s.
| System LADWP installs | Per month | Over 20 years | With a battery added, over 20 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to under 2 kW | $30 | $7,200 | $13,200 |
| 2–5 kW | $45 | $10,800 | $16,800 |
| Over 5 to 8 kW | $60 | $14,400 | $20,400 |
| Over 8 to 10 kW | $75 | $18,000 | $24,000 |
Source: LADWP Solar Rooftops Program Guidelines and program page. A battery adds $25 a month for customers who meet additional criteria.
LADWP inspects the roof, designs the system, pulls the LADBS permit, installs it and connects it. It owns the system and takes all the energy; you are paid for the roof, the same amount whether the panels produce or not, a year in advance. The agreement runs 20 years and passes to a buyer if you sell, and the buyer may end it; either side can end it on 60 days’ notice after the first year, and LADWP removes the system at its own cost. It will also take the system off once for roof repairs at no charge. Eligible homes are owner-occupied, on rate R1-A, R1-B, R1-D or R1-E, and must pass LADWP’s roof evaluation and LADBS’s expedited solar criteria.
The trade-off is plain: your bill does not fall, because the power is LADWP’s, and the roof is taken for as long as the lease runs. Solar you own or lease yourself is credited through net metering instead.
Shared Solar: for apartments and condos
Residents without a roof of their own can buy part of their power from LADWP solar plants.
Customers living in apartments, condominiums or duplexes on rate R1A, R1D or R1E can subscribe to 50 or 100 kWh a month from new solar plants in or near the LA basin, at a rate fixed for up to 10 years, with no sign-up or cancellation fees (program guidelines). LADWP lists the 2026 Shared Solar rate at $0.29624 per kWh, or $0.28124 discounted, against $0.26408 for Standard Residential Tier 1 in July–September 2026 (LADWP), so in 2026 it costs more per kWh than Tier 1; what it offers is a fixed price. The subscription moves with you to another LADWP multifamily home, and LADWP keeps the environmental attributes.
Batteries: earning through DSGS
The state’s grid-support program is how a battery on LADWP can earn payments for its owner.
The California Energy Commission’s Demand Side Grid Support program pays battery aggregators for the capacity a battery proves it can deliver on summer evenings, and the aggregator passes part of it on to you. On LADWP an aggregator needs LADWP’s written permission: it must respond only to LADWP-originated events, report its enrolled customers every month, share 15-minute performance data and accept future LADWP control of the aggregation (LADWP DSGS requirements). Tesla pays $64.55 per kW for the 2026 season — about $284 in its own one-Powerwall example — but stopped taking new DSGS sign-ups in March 2026 (Tesla). The utilities’ Emergency Load Reduction Program is open to PG&E, SCE and SDG&E customers, not LADWP (CPUC). Payments, budgets and who is enrolling are in virtual power plants in California.
EV rebates: the money most households can use
Unlike SGIP, these have no income test; EZ-SAVE and Lifeline households get more.
LADWP pays $1,000 toward a qualified home Level 2 charger, $500 more for customers in EZ-SAVE or Lifeline, and $250 more for a dedicated EV meter; eligible costs include installation labor and permit fees, and the application is due within 12 months of buying the charger (LADWP rebate FAQ). With that separate meter on a time-of-use rate, base-period charging is $0.025 per kWh cheaper, subject to a $10 monthly minimum. The used-EV rebate is $1,500 for anyone whose home is served by LADWP and $4,000 for EZ-SAVE or Lifeline households, for a listed used electric or plug-in hybrid at least two model years old and no more than eight, applied for within 12 months of purchase (LADWP). The federal charger credit ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026 (IRS). The installation side is in Level 2 EV charger cost in Los Angeles.
- The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit: expenditures after December 31, 2025 do not qualify, so a system finished in 2026 gets none (IRS; what ended).
- Power-purchase agreements: not allowed on LADWP. Leases are.
- LADWP’s former Solar Incentive Program rebate no longer appears among its solar programs.
- ELRP, the utilities’ emergency demand-response program, covers PG&E, SCE and SDG&E customers only.
- SGIP’s general-market battery rebate closed to new applications at the end of 2025.
Where to go next
Not sure LADWP is your utility? Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena run their own — see who’s my electric utility. Whether a battery pays on LADWP’s rates is in do I need a battery. Cali Energy is a licensed Los Angeles solar, battery and electrical contractor (CSLB #1032379) working in LADWP territory. This is general information, not tax or program advice; each program’s own page has the final word. Call +1-323-844-7777 or ask about solar on LADWP.
Frequently asked
Does LADWP have a solar rebate in 2026?
Not for a system you buy. For solar you own or lease, LADWP’s value is net metering, which credits exports at the retail price. Solar Rooftops pays $360–900 a year to put an LADWP-owned system on your roof, and income-qualified households can apply to SGIP, which was waitlisted on October 2, 2026.
Is LADWP part of SGIP?
Yes. LADWP is one of SGIP’s five program administrators, but only for the income-qualified Residential Solar and Storage Equity budget funded by AB 209: $32.4 million, paying $1.10 per watt-hour of storage and $3.10 per watt of solar. It was on a waitlist on October 2, 2026. Until the end of 2025, LADWP customers who buy gas from SoCalGas could also apply to SGIP’s ratepayer-funded budgets through SoCalGas.
What is LADWP’s Solar Rooftops program?
LADWP installs and owns a 1–10 kW system on an owner-occupied home and pays $30–75 a month for 20 years, by system size, whether or not it produces; a battery adds $25 a month. The energy goes to LADWP, so your bill does not drop. Either side can end it on 60 days’ notice after the first year.
Does LADWP pay for home batteries?
LADWP itself pays through SGIP, for income-qualified households — including for a battery added to existing solar. Separately, the state’s DSGS program pays through an aggregator LADWP has approved; Tesla pays $64.55 per kW for 2026 but stopped new DSGS sign-ups in March 2026, and ELRP is not available on LADWP.
What EV rebates does LADWP offer?
$1,000 toward a home charger ($1,500 for EZ-SAVE and Lifeline customers, plus $250 for an EV meter), $1,500 toward a used EV or plug-in hybrid ($4,000 for EZ-SAVE and Lifeline households) and $0.025 off each base-period kWh on a separate EV meter. Both rebates must be claimed within 12 months.
Can I sign a solar PPA on LADWP?
No. LADWP does not allow anyone else to sell you energy, so power-purchase agreements are out. A lease is allowed, both for net metering and for SGIP.
Can I still get the 30% federal solar tax credit on LADWP?
No. Expenditures after December 31, 2025 do not qualify for the Residential Clean Energy Credit, whatever the utility, so a system finished in 2026 gets none. This is general information, not tax advice.
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page come from the primary sources below and, where noted, from Cali Energy calculations using the stated assumptions. Rates, incentives, and program terms change; each was verified October 2, 2026.
- LADWP — Solar Programs (Solar Rooftops, Shared Solar, SGIP, Utility Built Solar, Feed-in Tariff)
- LADWP — Self-Generation Incentive Program (update on RSSE cost verification, March 2026)
- LADWP — SGIP Frequently Asked Questions
- SGIP — Program Metrics (budget status checked October 2, 2026)
- SGIP — 2026 Handbook: program administrators, AB 209 allocations, incentive rates
- LADWP — Solar Rooftops
- LADWP — Solar Rooftops Program Guidelines (revised November 3, 2025)
- LADWP — Shared Solar (2026 rates)
- LADWP — Shared Solar Program Guidelines
- LADWP — Service Rider NEM, Net Energy Metering
- LADWP — Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) requirements for aggregators
- Tesla — Virtual Power Plant with DSGS (2026 terms)
- CPUC — Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP)
- LADWP — Electric Vehicles: charger rebate, used-EV rebate, EV rate discount
- LADWP — Residential EV Charger Rebate FAQs
- LADWP — Used Electric Vehicle Rebate Program
- IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit
- IRS — Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C)
See which LADWP incentives you actually qualify for
Tell us about your LADWP bill, your roof and whether you might be income-qualified — we’ll walk you through net metering, SGIP and the rest before you sign anything.
Get a free estimatePrepared by Cali Energy, October 2, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)