Haven manages the entire process for participating homeowners, including determining eligibility, submitting application and program papaerwork, coordinating installations and managing the energy system after it is installed. Photo courtesy of Haven Energy

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Haven Energy, the No. 1 SGIP developer in California, is working to connect income-qualified California homeowners with nearly $8.7 million in remaining state funding that can provide households with home battery systems at no cost. Haven has identified the Sacramento area as a key market for the program, with a high concentration of potentially eligible households served by participating public utilities including SMUD.

The funding is part of California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) Residential Solar and Storage Equity program, which was created to expand access to solar and battery storage for lower-income households. Haven has already deployed more than 1,000 residential batteries through SGIP, giving the company deep experience helping homeowners navigate the program from application through installation.

Available to customers of participating publicly owned utilities, the program can cover the cost of a home battery system, as well as solar, and includes installation. Eligibility is based on factors including household income – which varies according to county and household size – and utility provider. For single-family homeowners, households earning at or below 80% of Area Median Income may qualify. Homeowners do not need to already have solar panels to participate.

For more information or to determine eligibility, visit havenenergy.com/sgip.

Available to customers of participating publicaly owned utilities, the program can cover the cost of a home battery system as well as solar, and includes installation. Photo courtesy of Haven Energy

Despite the available funding, awareness remains one of the biggest barriers to participation. Many households that may qualify have never heard of the program or do not know how to navigate the application process.

“For qualifying Sacramento homeowners, the SGIP program can be a gamechanger, offering families access to a home battery system for zero out-of-pocket and opening the door to long-term energy savings and outage protection,” said Vinnie Campo, co-founder and CEO of Haven Energy. “We’ve helped Californians across the state navigate SGIP, and right now we’re actively working to reach as many low-income homeowners as possible, to help them understand what they qualify for, and to submit their applications while funding is still available.”

Haven manages the entire process for participating homeowners, including determining eligibility, submitting applications and program paperwork, coordinating installation and managing the energy system after it is installed.

The benefits extend beyond individual homes. When electricity demand is high, networks of residential batteries can contribute stored energy to the grid, helping utilities manage peak demand and improve grid reliability for entire communities. During an outage, the battery will also provide direct backup electricity to the home.

Haven has built a proven model for expanding access to home energy storage. Since launching in California in 2022, the company has built more than 10 MW of installed battery capacity, with more than 50 MW of additional capacity in development. Haven also works with utilities, nonprofits, and other community partners to aggregate distributed batteries into virtual power plants that can strengthen the grid.

About Haven Energy
Haven is on a mission to transform the electric grid through the deployment and aggregation of battery storage and solar. Through strategic partnerships with utilities, non-profits, EPCs and government agencies, Haven deploys distributed energy resources at residential and small C&I sites to build virtual power plants (VPPs) at scale.