Burbank Water and Power's Battery Storage Rebate Program pays homeowners up to $3,700 back on a qualifying solar battery. Here's what you need to know to claim it before funds run out.
If you're a Burbank homeowner with solar panels — or thinking about going solar — there's a local rebate program most people don't know about.
Burbank Water and Power (BWP) is offering up to $3,700 back on qualifying solar battery storage systems through their Battery Storage Rebate Program. This isn't a state program. It's a Burbank-exclusive incentive funded directly by your utility, and it won't last forever.
With BWP electricity rates rising 9.9% annually starting in 2026, adding a battery to your solar system isn't just smart — it's becoming essential. This guide breaks down exactly who qualifies, how much you can get, and why now is the time to act.
Your BWP bill isn't getting cheaper. In fact, Burbank City Council approved 9.9% annual electricity rate increases starting January 2026, driven by renewable energy mandates, aging infrastructure upgrades, and wildfire mitigation costs.
The average Burbank household currently spends around $216 per month on electricity. That figure is set to climb — and it will keep climbing year after year.
Under BWP's current rate structure, electricity costs the most between 4 PM and 7 PM daily. This is when you're home, cooking dinner, running appliances, and using the most power.
If you have solar panels but no battery, your panels are generating their best energy midday — and you're selling that back to the grid at low credit rates. Then you're buying expensive power back during peak hours. That's the core problem a battery solves.
Under California's current billing rules, a solar-only system can still leave you paying significant peak-hour charges. A battery changes the math completely.
When your battery is programmed to discharge during those expensive peak hours, you're using your own stored energy instead of buying from BWP at peak rates. That's how Burbank homeowners are cutting their bills dramatically — even with rising rates.
Burbank Water and Power's Battery Storage Program is a local rebate designed to help BWP customers offset the cost of installing a qualifying solar battery system. It's available to both residential and commercial customers.
This program is Burbank-specific. It's not a statewide incentive, and it's not available to SCE or PG&E customers. If you're a BWP customer, this is one of the most valuable local energy incentives available to you right now.
The base rebate is $275 per kWh of installed battery capacity, with a maximum rebate of $3,700 for standard eligible customers. That's a meaningful reduction on the total cost of a home battery system.
Customers who don't qualify for the standard rebate tier may receive $530 per kWh — up to the same limits. Either way, the program caps out at the first 100 kWh of battery capacity per site.
The rebate is paid as a one-time payment and cannot exceed the total installed cost of the battery system. It's real money back in your pocket — not a complicated credit or a future billing adjustment.
Before diving into the details, it helps to understand everything you need to know about solar and battery storage. The program is open to all BWP electric customers — residential and commercial — who install a qualifying battery system. Here's what matters most:
The good news: if you already have solar, you can still add a battery and qualify. This program is open to existing solar customers, not just new installations.
One of the program's key rules is that your battery must be programmed to discharge at least 80% of its capacity daily during BWP's peak period — 4 PM to 7 PM.
At first, that sounds like a requirement. But for homeowners, it's actually a built-in savings strategy.
Those three hours between 4 PM and 7 PM are when BWP's rates are highest. If your battery is automatically discharging during that window every day, you're systematically avoiding the most expensive electricity on the grid.
That daily discharge habit — required by the program — is exactly how solar batteries maximize your savings. Over a year, those daily savings add up to hundreds of dollars.
Your solar panels charge your battery during the day. By 4 PM, the battery is full. It discharges through peak hours. Your panels top it back up the next morning. The cycle repeats daily — and your bill reflects it every month.
Beyond the daily savings, a solar battery gives you something increasingly valuable in Southern California: backup power when the grid goes down.
Depending on your battery size and usage, a fully charged battery can power your home through an outage — keeping your refrigerator, lights, phone charging, and medical devices running for many hours or even overnight.
Burbank and the surrounding Los Angeles area have experienced grid disruptions tied to wildfires, extreme heat events, and aging infrastructure. Learn how solar and battery systems protect California homes during grid failures — a battery-backed solar system keeps your home running when your neighbors lose power.
This is especially important for families with medical equipment, home offices, or anyone who can't afford to lose power unexpectedly.
The BWP rebate is your starting point — not your only option. Burbank homeowners may be able to stack additional California incentives on top of it.
Explore California SGIP rebates for home batteries — California's Self-Generation Incentive Program is a statewide rebate for battery storage that may be available to eligible customers. Combining SGIP with the BWP program could significantly reduce your out-of-pocket cost.
Not every solar company knows how to navigate local rebate programs like BWP's. Missing a form, filing late, or installing non-compliant equipment means losing your rebate entirely.
That's where working with an experienced, locally-focused installer matters.
When it comes to maximizing a local program like BWP's battery rebate, your installer matters as much as your equipment.
US Power is California's exclusive QCells partner, offering factory-direct pricing that's 15-20% below market rate. That lower starting price — combined with the BWP rebate — can make a solar battery system significantly more affordable than you might expect.
Our CSLB-licensed consultants help you choose the right backup solution for your Southern California home based on your actual usage, roof, and energy goals — not a one-size-fits-all package.
Every US Power installation comes with:
US Power installs American-made QCells panels, which are designed for Southern California's high-heat, high-sun environment. Combined with a qualifying battery system, you're getting a setup built for decades of reliable performance — not just a quick install.
Still wondering if batteries are worth it for solar in California? The combination of rising BWP rates, the daily peak-hour savings, outage protection, and the $3,700 rebate makes 2026 one of the strongest years to add battery storage in Burbank's history.
The BWP Battery Storage Rebate is one of the most valuable local incentives available to Burbank homeowners right now. It rewards you for doing something that already makes financial sense — adding battery storage to your solar system to stop paying peak-hour rates.
But the program is funded, and funding runs out. Waiting means risking your spot in the queue — while your BWP bill keeps climbing month after month.
US Power is ready to help you move fast. From your free consultation to final installation in as little as 3-4 weeks, our team handles every step — including making sure your BWP rebate application is submitted correctly and on time.
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