One of the worst potential attacks upon solar savings for millions of CA customers has been prevented, thanks to the pushback from tens of thousands of people who spoke out against the proposed changes.
The changes would have penalized solar customers in several ways, first by preventing the way solar allows them to save on utility bills. It also would have wreaked havoc for homebuyers who purchased homes with solar, as they would not have been able to receive the same benefits from the solar as did the prior owners. This could have led to many canceled escrows and problems in the resale property market – all because the property owners did what CA politicians wanted them to do for years – utilize solar power to help the environment.
According to the Solar Rights Alliance, a group that fought against the proposed changes, there are 2 million rooftop solar systems in CA, with the potential for many more. They argue “the sun belongs to everyone. No one—not the utilities, and not the government—should be allowed to prevent you from using the sun’s energy, or penalize you for going solar.”
Current CA law also provides for tax exemptions for homeowners who use solar energy. The proposed changes would have stopped that. There is still a long way to go to prevent future attacks on your rights to remain exempt and use solar power. Please click here to contact your CA legislator to keep the rooftop solar property tax exemption.
SB 710 will extend the tax exemption for another 5 years, preventing homeowners from being taxed on solar systems – please click on the above link to encourage your Assemblymember to vote YES on SB 710.
