Solar for renters in California: what you can do without owning the roof

Why rooftop solar is the owner’s decision

Every rooftop route (cash, loan, lease or PPA) puts equipment on the building and usually a contract or financing statement against the property. That has to be signed by whoever owns it. The state’s main low-income rooftop program, DAC-SASH, is for homeowners: the CPUC describes it as enabling “income-qualified homeowners in DACs to receive no-cost rooftop solar” (CPUC, checked September 23, 2026).

So a renter’s options fall into two groups: programs that credit your own utility account, and persuading the owner to install. The first group is faster.

Bill-discount community solar for income-qualified households

The CPUC runs two programs for customers who cannot put solar on their own roof. Both are for residential customers in disadvantaged communities (DACs):

• DAC Green Tariff (DAC-GT). Lets “income-qualified, residential customers in DACs who may be unable to install solar on their roof to benefit from utility-scale clean energy” with “a 20% bill discount.”
• Community Solar Green Tariff (CSGT). Lets residential customers in DACs “who may be unable to install solar on their roof to benefit from a local solar project and receive a 20% bill discount.” Communities work with a local nonprofit or government sponsor to organize participation.

A disadvantaged community is defined by census tract, not by city, so ask your utility to check your exact address. To see which utility or CCA runs the 20% solar discount for your address, and whether it is taking new customers, use the provider-by-provider list.

At PG&E the bill-discount program is called Green Saver. PG&E says it gives “a 20% discount on electricity bills,” on top of any CARE or FERA discount, for customers who are eligible for or enrolled in CARE or FERA and live in a disadvantaged or tribal community, and that it is open to renters. It also says the program “is currently at capacity”: PG&E auto-enrolls eligible customers as space opens (PG&E, checked September 23, 2026). The rest of PG&E’s programs are in PG&E solar programs.

Renting in Los Angeles: LADWP Shared Solar

LADWP runs a program built for apartment and condo households. Shared Solar lets residential customers in multifamily dwellings “fix a portion of their electric bill against rising utility costs for 10 years.” You subscribe to 50 or 100 kWh a month from new solar plants in or near the LA basin, with no enrollment fees, and the subscription moves with you to another multifamily unit in LADWP territory. For 2026 LADWP lists the Shared Solar rate at $0.29624 per kWh standard and $0.28124 discounted, beside a Tier 1 rate of $0.26408 for July to September 2026 (LADWP, checked September 23, 2026).

Read the rates together: in the third quarter of 2026 the Shared Solar rate was above the Tier 1 rate, so what you buy is a price fixed for 10 years, not a discount today. You need an account in good standing on the R1A, R1D or R1E residential rate and no past participation in LADWP’s Solar Incentive program. LADWP’s other programs are in LADWP solar programs.

A community solar program built for renters is coming, not open yet

On June 11, 2026 the CPUC announced rules for a new Community Renewable Energy Program. It says community solar “allows customers, such as non-profits, businesses, renters, and those living in multifamily housing, to subscribe to a portion of a shared solar array,” and subscribers “receive a reduction on their electricity bills.” It is not open yet: “Investor-owned utilities must submit implementation and marketing plans for CPUC approval,” and no enrollment date was given (CPUC, checked September 23, 2026). Be wary of anyone selling a subscription to it before your utility announces enrollment.

Your utility’s community renewable program

If you do not qualify for the discount programs, the big utilities offer ways to match your use with renewable energy without panels on your building.

• PG&E Solar Choice (enrollment on hold). “In the Solar Choice program, you can elect to purchase solar energy to match either 50% or 100% of your energy use.” PG&E says participation “may result in either a bill premium or discount depending on a customer’s rate schedule and PCIA vintage.” But enrollment “is on hold per California Public Utility Commission directive in Decision 21-12-036,” and new applicants go on a waitlist. Customers served by a community choice aggregator and customers on net energy metering are not eligible (PG&E, checked September 23, 2026).
• SCE Community Renewables Program. SCE lists it among its solar programs as a way to “get clean energy in your community” (SCE, checked September 23, 2026). Ask SCE for the current price effect on your rate.

Read the price effect before you enroll. A program that greens your power can raise or lower your bill; PG&E says so directly. If your city is served by a community choice aggregator, ask it what renewable options it offers.

Living in affordable multifamily housing: SOMAH

SOMAH “provides financial incentives for installing solar panel and integrated storage systems that benefit both low-income tenants and property owners of multifamily affordable housing properties throughout California.” Tenants benefit through energy bill credits. The program “provides an average of $100 million in financial incentives each year,” covers properties in PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, Liberty Utilities and PacifiCorp territory, and applications go through the PowerClerk portal (SOMAH, checked September 23, 2026).

A building qualifies if it has at least five units, is deed-restricted low-income rental housing, and meets one more test: 66% of residents at or below 80% of area median income, a location in a top-25% CalEnviroScreen census tract, ownership by a California Native American tribe, or ownership by a public housing authority (SOMAH, checked September 23, 2026).

The property owner applies, not the tenant. If you live in an affordable housing building, give the manager the program information and ask whether the building has applied.

Asking your landlord to install solar

A landlord who owns a single-family rental or a small building can add solar the same way any owner can. Two facts can help the conversation:

• Property tax. The Board of Equalization says a qualifying system “is excluded whether it is leased or owned,” and “there is no form or filing required to receive the exclusion” (BOE, checked September 23, 2026). The exclusion is scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2027.
• No homeowner credit for a landlord. The IRS says, “You can’t claim the credit if you’re a landlord or other property owner who doesn’t live in the home,” and the credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 anyway (IRS).

If you pay the electric bill, the savings land on your account while the cost lands on the owner. Agree in writing how that is shared, for example through the rent, before anything is installed. If the owner is weighing a lease, point them to how renting solar panels works for a home.

When the bill is the urgent problem

Bill assistance does not depend on a roof. The CPUC says CARE gives “30–35% discount on their electric bill,” and FERA “applies an 18% discount on electricity bills” for families whose income is slightly above the CARE limits. FERA covers PG&E, SCE and SDG&E customers. For June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027, the FERA limit is $54,100 for a household of one or two, $68,300 for three and $82,500 for four (CPUC, checked September 23, 2026). Apply through your utility.

More on reading a high bill is in why California electric bills run high, and the full list of state programs is in California solar incentives in 2026.

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