Join the nation's largest solar installation incentive program with long-term energy savings for property owners and tenants

California's SOMAH Program provides financial incentives to all qualified affordable multifamily apartment homes to aid in solar installation costs. More than 3,500 properties across California encompassing nearly 255,000 individual households may qualify for program benefits.

How SOMAH Helps Multifamily Property Owners

Property Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a SOMAH incentive, a property must:

  • Have at least five units
  • Be deed-restricted low-income residential rental housing, including but not limited to manufactured and mobile home properties
  • Satisfy one of the following:
    • 66% of the property residents have incomes at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI)
      OR
    • Property is in a defined disadvantaged community (DAC) that scores in the top 25% of census tracts statewide in the CalEnviroScreen including property that is located on tribal land and is federally recognized*
      • OR
    • The property is owned by a California Native American tribe
      OR
    • The property is rental housing property that is owned by a public housing authority or public housing agency
  • Be an existing housing property or retrofit (with Certificate of Occupancy)
  • Have separately metered units
  • Be a utility or community choice aggregator (CCA) customer (with VNEM) in the following utility territories:
    • Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
    • Southern California Edison (SCE)
    • San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
    • PacifiCorp
    • Liberty Utilities

Select from one of the following utility companies:

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*Learn how to successfully reserve an incentive for your community by visiting the Tribal Affordability Requirements Guide.

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SOMAH has been a good administrative partner, its staff has been hands on throughout the process, and that makes all the difference.

peter isherwood

Patrick Isherwood

Self-Help Enterprises
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SOMAH is a great program that benefits [tenants living in affordable housing communities]. With solar, [these same residents] have $45 or so extra a month to spend on something else, like maybe medication, food or anything they need in their households.

Isuara Guerrero

Isuara Guerrero

senior property supervisor, EAH Housing

More about the SOMAH Program

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Incentives & Finance

The SOMAH Program is designed to help reduce costs associated with solar panel installation for your multifamily affordable property. To help California reach its objective to move toward using efficient resources, this program has developed financing options to alleviate the portion of costs that are not covered by the program. Visit the Incentives & Finance page to learn more.

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Technical Assistance and Support Services

SOMAH provides you with no-cost, whole-building technical assistance (TA) and support services focused on solar PV design, financial assistance and energy efficiency and coordination with other energy-related programs. SOMAH TA is available to all participating projects in the SOMAH Program at any stage in the application process. Find out which Technical Assistance and Support Services will meet your projects' needs.