Solar Financing & Incentives

Solar financing and incentives make it easier and more affordable to install solar panels at your California home or business. Six Rivers Solar works with a variety of financing companies and can help you find a solar loan that fits your needs the best. We want to make sure the right financing is available for your solar system purchase and will work with you to find an option that makes sense for your project and budget.

Solar Panel Financing Options

When it comes to solar financing in California, you have a few different options to choose from:

Talk to Your Bank

One method of financing your solar purchase is to reach out to your own bank, the benefit being that you likely already have an established relationship with them that will make securing financing for your system simple and easy.

Coast Central Credit Union’s HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) is an excellent option from a local bank that can be used to finance your solar installation.

Sungage Financial

If you would like to explore solar financing outside of your own bank, Sungage Financial is a great option. Sungage makes solar financing simple and convenient for homeowners, offering:

Zero-down solar financing
Low monthly payments
Easy online application
On-the-spot approval

We Make It Easy to Finance Your Solar Purchase

Six Rivers Solars wants to make solar energy as accessible as possible for our customers. Cash is always an option in addition to financing. We do not require a down payment or deposit, and we only request funds once your system has been installed.

If you want to learn more about the solar loans and financing options that may be available to you, give us a call and we’ll be happy to provide additional information and help you make the best decision for your solar installation. We offer free, no-obligation in-home consultations so you can talk to an expert without any pressure.

Solar Incentives

Solar is essential to a clean energy future! To make it easier for homeowners and businesses to go solar, the government offers incentives for solar installation. You can qualify for solar incentives whether you finance your solar system or pay with cash.

Some of the best solar incentives that are currently available include:

The Federal Solar Tax Credit

The federal solar tax credit, also known as the solar Investment Tax Credit or ITC, allows homeowners and businesses to reduce their federal tax liability by a percentage of their total solar installation costs.

The solar tax credit is currently worth 30%. The ITC is on a step-down schedule, however. It will be reduced in 2033 and eliminated for residential solar in 2035.

MACRS Depreciation for Commercial Solar

MACRS depreciation is a commercial solar incentive that allows businesses to recover some of the costs of their solar installation through accelerated depreciation. Qualifying solar equipment is eligible for a cost recovery period of five years as opposed to the usual ten year depreciation period. If the ITC is also claimed, the solar owner must reduce the project’s depreciable basis by ½ the value of the ITC.

Net Energy Meeting 3.0 (NEM 3.0) / Net Billing Tariff (NBT)

As of April 15, 2023, California is operating under the Net Billing Tariff (NBT)—often referred to as NEM 3.0. With NEM 3.0, customers who install solar will:

Be compensated for the excess power their system exports back to the grid using an “Avoided Cost Calculator,” rather than retail rates.
Be billed for electricity usage using new “electrification” rates.
Be locked into the same energy credit value & incentives for 9 years after their signup date.

To gain access to the greatest benefits under NEM 3.0 / NBT, install solar battery storage. Solar battery backup allows you to store excess energy generated by your solar PV system, which you can then use when you need it most—like when the sun goes down and peak electricity rates switch on.