San Diego Community Power staff told the agency's Community Advisory Committee at its Oct. 9 meeting that three pilot efforts have yielded lessons and measurable near‑term outcomes for low‑income homeowners, commercial customers and small food retailers.

The pilots were described as limited tests meant to inform larger program design. Nelson Lomeli, a program lead, said the Disadvantaged Community Single-Family Solar Homes (DAC‑SASH) readiness pilot exceeded its target: “we ended up exceeding our goal and, target and have 27 homes participate in the pilot,” he said. GRID Alternatives conducted outreach and site work for the pilot; the agency spent about $490,000 of a $500,000 allocation and estimates the homes will receive average 4.2 kilowatt solar systems.

The pilot's purpose and results

The DAC‑SASH readiness pilot, funded in part by a $2 million pilot budget in Community Power’s FY24–25 budget, paid to replace or repair roofs so eligible low‑income homeowners could participate in the state’s DAC‑SASH program, which provides no‑cost rooftop solar. Staff told the committee GRID Alternatives outreached to more than 300 households and progressed 27 homes through roof work into the pipeline for solar installations. Staff reported an average roofing cost of roughly $18,000 per home (below an initial $20,000 estimate) and said the pilot leveraged about $858,000 in statewide funding in addition to Community Power’s contribution. Lomeli said the pilot’s lifetime bill reductions for participating homes total roughly $1,000,000 when calculated by GRID.

Questions raised and follow‑up

Committee members asked how monitoring, warranties and third‑party ownership would be handled after installation. Lomeli said outright‑paid systems are funded by the state and remain with the home, but he did not have details on how monitoring or third‑party ownership situations would be managed and said he would follow up. On the rate of attrition from outreach (about 300 initial contacts to 27 completions), staff explained that many applicants failed to meet the DAC‑SASH eligibility requirements (for example, proof of homeownership) or dropped out during screening.

Commercial and refrigeration pilots

A commercial application assistance pilot run with TRC Solutions served as a no‑cost, tiered assistance offering for commercial customers. Staff reported identifying more than 80 target commercial accounts, engaging 20 businesses (most at a light “level 1” engagement), and completing deeper “level 2” site analyses for 10 customers. The pilot team said it identified roughly 3,000,000 kilowatt‑hours per year in potential energy savings and approximately $14,000,000 in potential incentives and funding that businesses might pursue; staff emphasized those figures are potential opportunities, not guaranteed awards.

The efficient refrigeration pilot was funded by a $710,000 Healthy Refrigeration grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and targets corner stores, small businesses and nonprofits to replace refrigerated cases with energy‑efficient equipment. Staff reported more than 70 interest forms, 20 enrolled participants so far, and 14 of those opting for optional energy site assessments. The pilot is scheduled to run through March 2026 under the CDFA grant agreement.

How pilots will inform programs

Staff said the pilots are explicitly intended to test operational hurdles and inform program design and larger funding requests. Lomeli and other presenters said lessons on outreach, eligibility screening, contractor coordination and “wrap‑around” remediation (for example roof repair plus solar installation) will be incorporated into future program designs and funding pursuits. The commercial application assistance pilot is being scaled into a full service offering planned for mid‑2026; the refrigeration pilot will inform a broader county program run by the San Diego Regional Energy Network (SD REN).

Action taken

The committee moved to “receive and file” the update on programs (agenda item 4). A motion to receive and file was made and seconded; the clerk recorded an affirmative vote and the motion carried.

Ending

Staff committed to follow up with committee members on specific questions about monitoring and third‑party ownership under DAC‑SASH and on the schedule for community workshops tied to the solar battery savings relaunch. The CAC will have future opportunities to review pilot findings as staff transition tested models into full programs.