SCE Will Pay Up to $160 to Shut Off Your A/C on the Hottest Days Or Your Battery Could Keep It Running

SCE Will Pay Up to $160 to Shut Off Your A/C on the Hottest Days
Or Your Battery Could Keep It Running

Southern California Edison has a program that pays customers to give up some control of their air conditioning. It is called the Summer Discount Plan, and it offers bill credits of up to $160 a summer in exchange for letting SCE turn off or cycle your A/C during energy events. For some households that trade-off works. But before you sign up, it helps to understand exactly what you are agreeing to, and how a home battery offers a very different way to save during the hottest days of the year.

How the Summer Discount Plan works

SCE installs a remote-controlled device on your air conditioner at no cost. During energy events, which typically happen when the grid is under stress, SCE can turn off or cycle your A/C for up to six hours per day. Events can happen at any time during the year, and credits are earned from June 1 through September 30.

There are four options, and the more control you give up, the more you earn:

Maximum Savings pays up to $160 and allows continuous A/C shutoff for up to six hours per event, with no override.

Maximum Comfort pays up to $80 and cycles the A/C off for 15 minutes of every half hour, with no override.

Savings with Override pays up to $80 with continuous shutoff, plus a push-button override.

Comfort with Override pays up to $40 with 15-minute cycling and an override.
Overrides can be used up to five times a year and are not available for roof-mounted units. Actual credits vary based on the size and number of A/C units enrolled.

The catch: you get paid to be uncomfortable
Energy events are called on the hottest days, when the grid needs relief most. That means the program saves you money precisely when your home is most uncomfortable. For families with young children, older relatives, pets, or anyone with a health condition, losing air conditioning for hours on a 100-degree afternoon is a real cost, and $160 over an entire summer may not feel like enough.

A battery solves the same problem a different way
SCE's challenge on hot summer evenings is simple: too much demand at the same time that solar power on the grid is fading. The Summer Discount Plan addresses that by turning off your air conditioner. A home battery addresses it by powering your air conditioner with energy you stored earlier in the day.
With rooftop solar and storage, your panels charge the battery during the afternoon. When SCE's time-of-use prices peak in the evening, your home draws from the battery instead of the grid. You stay cool, you avoid buying the most expensive power of the day, and you reduce strain on the grid at the same time. If the power goes out entirely, the battery keeps essential loads running.

Getting there without buying equipment
Many homeowners assume solar and storage require a large purchase. Through third-party ownership programs, qualifying homeowners can get solar and battery storage installed without buying or financing equipment, while enjoying lower energy costs and backup power. The Summer Discount Plan pays you to go without. A solar and battery system lets you keep your comfort and still save. If you are an SCE customer tired of summer bills, it is worth seeing which option fits your home.
To find out if your home qualifies for a TPO solar and battery program, visit myhomesolution.org/california_public_utility_commissions