EV charger rebates in Sacramento: SMUD, PG&E, Roseville and your community energy program

Why can the rebate-qualifying charger be smaller than the one you were quoted?

Many installers default to the biggest circuit the charger can use, so the car charges as fast as possible and there is room for a faster charger later. SMUD’s rebate goes the other way. It caps the charger’s output and the breaker size below that default.

For most daily driving, the capped setting still refills the car overnight. If you tow, drive long days, or want the fastest charging you can get, the bigger circuit can be worth more than the rebate. Decide before the breaker is picked, because a charger installed above SMUD’s limit does not qualify. We can size the circuit either way; tell us at the estimate which one you want.

Roseville Electric’s rebate works nearly the opposite way. It sets a minimum size for the charger rather than a maximum, wants a listed wall- or pedestal-mounted unit, and has an application window that starts when you buy the charger. Check the Roseville Electric EV page for the current terms before you buy.

If PG&E serves you, why might the program be Pioneer’s or Valley Clean Energy’s?

In much of PG&E’s territory around Sacramento, two companies are involved in your electricity. PG&E owns the lines and the meter, reads the meter, and sends the bill. A community choice program buys the power and runs its own customer programs. Those programs are called CCAs (community choice aggregators).

• Pioneer Community Energy serves Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln, Loomis, Rocklin, Placerville and unincorporated Placer and El Dorado counties. Pioneer does not run its own charger rebate. It points its customers to PG&E’s programs and to its Incentive Finder
• Valley Clean Energy serves Davis, Woodland, Winters and unincorporated Yolo County. It runs its own EV program, aimed at lower-income customers and renters. Check Valley Clean Energy’s credits and rebates page for what is open

West Sacramento is on PG&E without a CCA. Customers can also opt out of Pioneer or Valley Clean Energy, so a neighbor may be on a different program. Your bill shows which one you have. Whatever the program, PG&E still handles anything at the meter, like a disconnect for a panel change.

What paperwork needs to be done before you apply?

For SMUD, you need the building permit. That means the permit is pulled before or during the install, not after. The invoice also has to show the charger’s setting so SMUD can see it meets the cap.

Every city and county in California has to run a streamlined permit process for EV chargers, including one charger at a house. We pull the permit with the city or county that covers your address and book the inspection. You get the permit number and an invoice that lists the charger, its output setting and the breaker size.

Keep the charger receipt too. Roseville’s rebate counts its window from the purchase date, and most programs ask for proof of purchase. If you are ready to plan the install around the rebate, start with EV charger installation.