Haven Energy & Clean Energy Alliance Launch Free Battery Storage Program For Eligible California Homeowners

In a move aimed at making energy resilience more accessible, Haven Energy and the Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) have teamed up to offer no-cost home battery systems to qualifying homeowners in San Diego County. The new initiative, called Battery Bonus Connect, provides fully installed battery storage without any out-of-pocket costs for residents who meet income eligibility criteria.

The program is funded through California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), specifically the Residential Solar and Storage Equity (RSSE) fund. This incentive is designed to help income-qualified households reduce electricity bills and gain backup power protection during grid outages or peak demand periods.

Who Qualifies?

To be eligible, homeowners must:

• Live within the CEA service area (which includes Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach, and other communities)
• Own their home
• Participate in the CEA’s PeakSmart Savers program (a virtual power plant initiative)
• Meet income limits (typically 80% or less of the area median income, or enrollment in programs like CARE, FERA, or ESA)

No credit checks or financing are required, and homeowners won’t be tied to any monthly fees, liens, or long-term contracts.

What’s Included?

Each installation includes:

• A home battery storage system tailored to the home’s energy profile
• Professional installation
• Ten years of maintenance and support from Haven Energy

After ten years, homeowners can choose to keep the system at no cost or buy it earlier at fair market value.

Virtual Power Plant Benefits

These batteries won’t just sit idle. With customer permission, they’ll be part of a virtual power plant (VPP) managed by Haven. During times of peak grid demand, small amounts of stored energy from each home will be used to reduce pressure on the grid, while reserving at least 20% of the battery’s capacity for the homeowner’s personal use.

This setup helps keep the lights on during outages and helps California reduce its reliance on polluting “peaker” power plants.

Why This Matters

California’s energy costs and climate-driven outages continue to rise. For many lower-income homeowners, the up-front cost of battery systems — often upwards of $10,000 — has kept them out of reach. Battery Bonus Connect removes those financial barriers.

“The Battery Bonus Connect program is a meaningful step toward making clean energy solutions more accessible and available to all of CEA’s customers. By partnering with Haven Energy, we’re helping income-qualified customers with existing solar systems to gain the added benefits of battery storage – improving energy reliability, lowering electricity costs, and supporting a cleaner, more resilient grid. This program reflects CEA’s commitment to an equitable and affordable clean energy future.” — Greg Wade, CEO of Clean Energy Alliance

Jeff Chapin, co-founder of Haven Energy, emphasized the program’s practical value: “By installing and aggregating the customer-sited battery systems into a VPP, we will also reduce grid congestion, lower our reliance on fossil fuels, and accelerate California’s optimization of renewables. Rather than sending surplus solar electricity to the grid in the middle of the day, we will store that electricity in the battery systems and discharge it during evening peak demand, reducing the need for natural gas generation.”

CEA expects the program to cover around 300 installations, with demand expected to exceed supply. Interested homeowners are encouraged to check eligibility and apply soon.