Los Angeles, CA · Battery Storage
What it costs, what's permitted, and what to ask before you hire.
$10,000–$20,000
Expired Dec 31, 2025. For 2023–2025: 30% of total installed cost, no cap (battery capacity at least 3 kWh). EXPIRED: This federal credit ended Dec 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025). Expenditures made after Dec 31, 2025 do not qualify — for §25D, the IRS treats the expenditure date as the date the installation is placed in service (completed), not the date of payment. A homeowner who paid a deposit in 2025 but whose system was placed in service in 2026 does not qualify. For installations placed in service during 2023–2025, the credit applied to battery storage systems with a rated capacity of at least 3 kilowatt-hours installed in a U.S. home used by the taxpayer as a residence (existing homes and new construction; principal residence not required; rentals not occupied by the taxpayer did not qualify). Standalone batteries (not paired with solar) were explicitly eligible from Jan 1, 2023 onward. The credit was nonrefundable with carryforward. Homeowners with eligible 2025 placed-in-service installations may still claim the credit on their 2025 federal tax return. Verify with a qualified tax professional.
Up to $1,000/kWh (Equity Resiliency tier) or $1,100/kWh (Residential Solar and Storage Equity / San Joaquin Valley Residential tiers); General Market 'Small Residential Storage' tier up to $150/kWh. Per-project totals depend on installed battery capacity (kWh) and tier eligibility. Administered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and delivered through utility program administrators (PG&E, Center for Sustainable Energy / SDG&E territory, SoCalGas, SCE; LADWP application opening separately). Tiers as of 2026-05-30: (1) Residential Solar and Storage Equity ($1,100/kWh) — available to low-income residential electric and/or gas customers in California; reservation window opened June 2, 2025. (2) Equity Resiliency ($1,000/kWh) — for IOU residential customers meeting additional eligibility criteria (typically high fire-threat district residency and/or medical baseline / income qualification — verify against the SGIP Handbook). (3) San Joaquin Valley Residential ($1,100/kWh) — PG&E and SCE residential customers in the San Joaquin Valley pilot footprint. (4) Small Residential Storage ($150/kWh) — General Market IOU residential customers. Applicants must reserve funds before installation; reservations require a one-year completion window and enrollment in a qualified Demand Response program. Tier eligibility, income documentation, and HFTD-tier residency must be verified against the current SGIP Handbook and the customer's utility administrator. Homeowners should consult their SGIP program administrator before signing a contract.
As of 2026-05-30, LADWP residential customers are generally NOT eligible for the following CPUC-administered or IOU-funded California incentive programs, which are restricted to investor-owned utility (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E) customers: TECH Clean California (heat pump incentives — fully reserved as of Pass 2 in any case), HEEHRA-CA (single-family heat pump rebates — fully reserved single-family as of Pass 2), the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP — battery storage), Golden State Rebates (IOU joint program), and the CPUC NEM 3.0 / Net Billing Tariff for new solar interconnections. LADWP runs its own parallel rebate portfolio (Consumer Rebate Program for HVAC / water heating / cool roofs, Charge Up LA! for EV chargers, and its own net-metering tariff). Homeowners served by LADWP should look to the LADWP CRP rather than CPUC-IOU programs when scoping incentives. Applies to all LADWP-served residential addresses. Homeowners who are unsure whether they are served by LADWP or SCE should check the utility name printed on their most recent electric bill — the eligible program set differs materially between the two utilities even within LA County.
Contractor question bank coming soon for this project.