February Program Updates

Process Update: After your customer signs the Property Owner Agreement, program staff will be contacting the customer to confirm their decision to participate and that they understand the program requirements. The program is implementing this process step as a quality assurance measure to validate customer participation.

Reminder, the program will not be accepting new projects for 2022 with gas energy savings exceeding 5,000 therms without prior review and authorization from Program Management. Please note, electrification measures will not be affected. Projects that already have an Incentive Reservation letter will still be accepted. This decision will help ensure our participating contractors and customers can benefit from an incentive budget that lasts throughout the year.

Please remember projects must be in Application Complete status by Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The following documents are needed for close-out: 

The following documents are needed for close-out:

• Customized Installation Report. If you have not received a customized installation report from our engineering team, please reach out to your account manager.
• Change orders. Any changes to the original scope of work will need a change order. If you need the form or have any questions, please reach out.
• Building Permit Sign-off Form. This form must be submitted even if no permits were pulled.
• Invoice. Please submit an itemized invoice that shows the quantities, unit price, total price, and sales tax. If you installed DHW, HVAC, or solar thermal systems please itemize all the costs for the measures.
• Assignment of Incentive. If you (the contractor) are receiving the incentive and not the property, please submit this form.
• W-9. A W-9 is needed for whoever is receiving the incentive. If the property is receiving the incentive, we will need the W-9 for the property. If the contractor is receiving the incentive, we will need the contractor’s W-9.

If you need any of these forms or have any questions, please contact your account manager.

New Resource Updated: The SoCalREN Project Incentive Estimation Sales Tool has been updated and is listed on the website under Contractor Resources. More documents and resources will be released soon, and an announcement will be sent out once they have been updated and uploaded. 

The SoCalREN Multifamily Program will implement a new incentive structure in 2022. This new structure has been developed to pay directly for energy savings and is aligned with industry best practices. Projects with an Incentive Reservation issued on January 1, 2022 or after will be subject to the new incentive structure. Select projects from 2021 that have not completed construction yet will be grandfathered under the 2021 incentive structure. The Multifamily Program Team will provide helpful tools and updated Program documents for contractors to calculate estimated incentives for their customers with the new incentive structure. 

2022 Incentive Structure

• Properties located in Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) will receive:
• $0.57/kWh and $6.00/therm

• Non-DAC Properties will receive:
• $0.33/kWh and $3.50/therm

2022 Project Eligibility

• The 10 percent energy savings minimum will no longer be required. This requirement will be replaced with a 10,000 kWh OR 1,000 therm energy savings minimum.
• The three-measure minimum requirement will remain.
• The 60 percent and 75 percent of project cost incentive cap for Non-DAC and DAC respectively will remain.

SoCalREN Marketing Collateral and Cobranded Materials

The Program is working on updating marketing collateral and cobranded materials with 2022 updates. The SoCalREN Project Incentive Estimation Sales Tool has been updated and is listed on the website under Contractor Resources. Once the other materials are available, a notice will be sent out to all Participating Contractors with a link to download updated materials directly from the Contractor Resources section of the website. 

SoCalREN Resource Energy Efficiency Learning Center

Participating Contractors; have you taken advantage of the SoCalREN Energy Efficiency Learning Center (EELC)? Did you know that the EELC is available for you and your staff at no cost? Participate in e-learning courses at your own pace from the comfort and safety of your home or office. Participating Contractors can access the SoCalREN EELC as a Program benefit at no cost. The EELC offers an expanding catalog of courses in a variety of categories including HVAC, Sales and Marketing, Commercial Energy Efficiency, Continuing Education Units, Building Performance Institute (BPI), Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), and North American Technician Excellence (NATE).

All these accredited courses can be found in the EELC. Currently, there are more than 80 active courses available. To access these courses, please email the SoCalREN team, and a login will be created for you and any staff members interested in taking advantage of this Program benefit offered by SoCalREN. Start this year off right by reviewing what the EELC has to offer for you and your staff! 

Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH)

Are you interested in growing your solar installation business? 

Learn how you can quickly become a SOMAH eligible contractor and extend your solar installation service to multifamily properties. The Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) Program provides financial incentives for solar energy systems on multifamily affordable housing in California. There are over 3,000 potential eligible properties that can be found using our Eligible SOMAH properties map. 

Want to learn more? 

Visit CalSOMAH.org. If you are ready to get started call 858-244-1177 ext. 5 or email contact@calsomah.org or sign up for an upcoming live eligibility training webinar here.

Give us a follow! Keep up with Program updates, virtual events, and other news happening related to the Multifamily Program. Don’t forget to tag us if you’re photographing any of your current projects. We will be sure to highlight and repost your update.