Case Study: SMUD achieves streamlined EV charger adoption and seamless bundled installations with Uplight

Streamlining EV Charger & Make Ready Incentives with Bundled Installation at SMUD

SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District), a community-owned utility serving 1.5 million people and targeting zero carbon by 2030, faced cost and complexity barriers to wider Level 2 EV charger adoption—especially for under-resourced customers and homes needing panel upgrades. To accelerate electrification and make incentives accessible at the point of purchase, SMUD partnered with Uplight, using the Uplight Marketplace and a bundled installation workflow (integrated with Qmerit) to deliver instant rebates and streamlined installer connections.

Uplight implemented instant $500 rebates on Level 2 chargers via its Marketplace, variable rebates for income-qualified customers (including up to $2,500 toward installation), and a branded Qmerit installation flow with a 5–10 minute Home Charging Assessment; available make‑ready incentives are applied directly to invoices. The results: rebated chargers are 3–5× more likely to sell, Uplight-facilitated promotions moved 644 devices in one week, and about 40% of customers who receive installation quotes go on to schedule and complete installations—improving access, uptake, and SMUD’s grid planning visibility.

SMUD

Misty Mersich

Senior Strategic Business Planner