East Bay and Stockton Homeowners Your Local Power Provider Will Pay You to Share Your Home Battery

East Bay and Stockton Homeowners: Your Local Power Provider Will Pay You to Share Your Home Battery
If you live in most of Alameda County, or in Stockton, Lathrop, or Tracy, there is a good chance your electricity comes from Ava Community Energy, even though PG&E still delivers it and sends your bill. And Ava has a program that pays homeowners to share their home battery with the grid.

What is Ava Community Energy?
Ava is a community choice energy provider, a local, community-run agency that buys electricity on behalf of residents and businesses in its service area. PG&E continues to own the poles and wires, deliver the power, and handle billing, but Ava chooses where the power comes from. Ava reported saving Stockton and Lathrop customers more than $4.4 million in its first six months of service there.

The SmartHome Battery program
Ava's SmartHome Battery program is designed to help residents lower the cost of adding solar and storage, or adding a battery to an existing solar system. It has two main parts.
Installation rebates: Ava offers rebates to reduce the upfront cost of installation. The amount depends on the customer's income level, battery capacity, and how much of that capacity is designated for sharing with Ava's virtual power plant. Participation payments: customers receive quarterly payments over five years, calculated based on the type of battery and the amount of capacity they choose to share. In return, Ava can call on enrolled batteries to support the grid during times of high demand, effectively combining many home batteries into a local virtual power plant. Full terms are set out in Ava's program participation agreement.

Batteries are starting to earn money
Ava's program is part of a larger trend across California. Utilities, community energy providers, and the state are all creating ways to compensate homeowners whose batteries support the grid. Statewide programs have already paid battery owners for power delivered during grid emergencies, and California recently signed SB 913, which directs regulators to create a way to value customer batteries that export power during peak demand. For homeowners, that means a battery is becoming more than a backup box. It stores solar energy for the expensive evening hours, keeps essential loads running during outages, and may earn compensation through local programs, depending on where you live and program eligibility.

Check what is available where you live
Programs vary by city, county, and utility. Some areas have local battery incentives like Ava's, while others offer statewide or utility-run programs. Through third-party ownership programs, qualifying homeowners can also get solar and battery storage installed without buying or financing equipment, while enjoying lower energy costs and backup power. If your local power provider is willing to pay for battery capacity, your home may be sitting on untapped value. Find out what your home qualifies for.

To find out if your home qualifies for a TPO solar and battery program, visit myhomesolution.org/california_public_utility_commissions