For the past 25 years, Jose Santana was reluctant to turn on his AC in his Pico Rivera home during the hot summer days. Why? Because his electricity bill would go up to $225!
"There's been sometimes that it gets unbearable. So, we always go and look for cool places to hang out like the library, the mall and what not. But that's changed," said Santana.
That's because of a new city solar energy program. Residents can now benefit from solar energy and Tesla power wall battery storage. It's free installation, with no credit check or no costs of owning the system. Some residents get a free wall charger for electric vehicles. Santana was the first resident to get the solar power system installed.
"Zero costs for me," said Santana. "That was an incentive for me. We have been running our AC units. We have been using our appliances during the day as we're harvesting solar energy."
This is thanks to the Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy Program that aims to address critical issues such as energy affordability.
Officials say residents only pay for the energy produced and stored by the system at a rate of 14 cents per kilowatt-hour instead of paying up to if not more than 40 cents per kilowatt hour off the power grid.
"It provides access to a lot of families that don't have $25,000 laying around to install solar panels. It gives access to Pico Rivera to not only participate in green energy but to also enjoy long-term savings," said Mayor Andrew Lara.
Santana says in August, 75% of the power to his home came from solar energy. He projects that his August bill will be more than $50 less than his previous regular bill.
Residents can sign up on the city's website for the solar energy program.