California's SOMAH Program Brings Solar Savings to Affordable Housing Tenants: Average of $58 a Month in 2025
The California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program provides financial incentives for solar energy systems at qualifying multifamily affordable housing properties, allowing tenants to receive credits on their electricity bills without installing panels themselves. According to the May 2026 SOMAH Evaluation Report, cited by the CPUC on October 26, tenants saved an average of $58 per month in 2025, about 75 percent of their average monthly electricity bill.
At participating properties, solar generation serves both tenants and common areas such as hallways, laundry rooms, and community spaces. Through virtual net energy metering, the benefits of one system can be shared among multiple electricity accounts, with credits appearing directly on tenants' bills. Tenants are not responsible for operating or maintaining the system, and rent cannot be raised because of a SOMAH-funded installation. For property owners, SOMAH incentives can offset up to the whole cost of an eligible system; in 2025, owners saved an average of $1,977 per month, about 68 percent of the average common-area bill.
SOMAH grew out of Assembly Bill 693. The CPUC established the program design in 2017, applications opened in 2019, and the program is working toward at least 300 megawatts of installed capacity by December 31, 2032. As of mid-2026, completed and pipeline projects totaled about 139 megawatts, with roughly 58 megawatts already operating. The program also offers job training, and 85 percent of participating trainees surveyed said they obtained a job in the solar industry; participating tenants are also automatically enrolled in the Energy Savings Assistance Program.
"SOMAH is designed to enable tenants of participating properties to receive bill relief from solar generation where they live," said Thovie Michaud-Gonzales, the CPUC's SOMAH lead analyst, adding that the program makes bills more affordable while contributing to the state's climate goals.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Suisun City一处已完工的SOMAH多户保障房太阳能项目（加州公用事业委员会CPUC官方照片） / Photo: A completed SOMAH solar project at a multifamily affordable housing property in Suisun City. Photo by the California Public Utilities Commission
