7 rebate programs available. 83 licensed installers based in Santa Cruz.
A typical tesla powerwall 3 (13.5 kwh), installed costs $14,500 installed. Most jobs land between $11,500 and $18,500 (one powerwall 3 (13.5 kwh, integrated hybrid inverter), backup gateway/backup switch, wiring, mounting, permit, interconnection paperwork, commissioning. expansion units extra (~$6,000 each). excludes main-panel or service upgrade (+$3,000-$5,000 where needed) and solar.). We haven't found a rebate for this project here right now.
Cost sources: EnergySage - Tesla Powerwall 3 review (typical installed ~ $13,473, ~ $998/kWh); EnergySage - 2026 cost of energy storage in New Jersey ($1,074/kWh; 13 kWh avg $13,963, range $11,869-$16,057); EnergySage - 2026 cost of energy storage in Connecticut ($1,167/kWh). Rebates come with conditions (equipment, income, approved contractor), so check each program.
Pays battery owners, through their aggregator (storage VPP provider), for exporting during grid-stress events. The 2026 per-kW rate was not confirmed. The total budget is $109.5M, with about $34M left after projected...
A free permanent backup battery system, installed at no cost. More than 3,800 customers have received one since 2022. PG&E says free batteries are almost gone for 2026.
Storage: 1,100/kWh; Solar: 3,100/kW
The rebate may cover 80 percent to 100 percent of the cost of installing a battery storage system.
CLOSED: these ratepayer budgets stopped taking new applications, including waitlist entries, after 2025-12-30. The Equity budget rate was $0.85/Wh. The final general-market step rate was not confirmed.
CLOSED to new applications since 2026-03-19. 3CE planned a virtual power plant pilot for fall 2026.