APS Residential Battery Pilot FAQ

Pilot participants need to be residential customers in APS territory and must be on a time-of-use (TOU) service plan or a grandfathered service plan with a solar rate rider.

Only new battery systems, connected to the APS grid for the first time and provided by a participating battery partner are eligible to receive incentives. In addition, an interconnection application for the battery system must be submitted, indicating battery pilot participation on or after the pilot launch date of October 4, 2021.

Eligibility

To participate, customers must submit a pilot enrollment and an Interconnection Application. Interconnection Applications must be submitted by a licensed installer and approved. Participants must also agree to the Pilot Terms & Conditions. The submission date for both the pilot enrollment and the Interconnection Application must be on or after October 4, 2021. The application must indicate pilot participation and must not have received Permission to Operate (PTO) for the battery to be eligible for the pilot. Pilot participants need to be customers in APS territory and must be on a time-of-use (TOU) service plan or a grandfathered service plan with a solar rate rider.

Customers may assign his or her incentive to an approved third party. In cases in which the customer assigns the incentive to the approved third party, the third party must demonstrate through documentation that they have compensated the customer for the full amount of the paid incentive amount. Please note that not all battery partners offer customers the option to reassign their incentive.

The battery partners and/or installer networks you choose should install the battery system. Your installer will complete and submit an interconnection application on your behalf. The installer or subcontractor installing the battery system must hold either an active R-11 or CR-11 ROC License.

Additional equipment may be required based on your current system configuration. The battery system design must allow for the battery production to be measured separately, except in the case of DC coupled systems. Sample diagrams are available at www.aps.com/dg.

The pilot will last for three years from the date a participating battery system receives the Permission to Operate from APS.

The number of annual events will vary depending on the APS need for capacity, but no more than 100 events will be called each year. Events may take place on weekdays from 6:00 PM-9:00 PM and on weekends & holidays from 9:00 AM-9:00 PM.

Events will range in duration from one hour to four hours.

During Battery Management Events customer needs for energy, demand and back-up will be taken into account. Batteries will always be able to retain at least 20% of their capacity for backup power. Any remaining battery capacity may then be used for grid support.

Some of the battery partners provide the opportunity to opt out of events. You will need to communicate your intent to opt out of an event using the method provided by your battery partner.

• Enphase customers may opt out by adjusting the operating mode of the battery device.

• Solar Edge customers can opt out by clicking on the link sent in the customer notification email at least one hour prior to the event.

• Sunrun customers can opt out by contacting Sunrun at sunrunrewards@sunrun.com.

You will be notified prior to an event with the date and time of the event. If the event will take place on the same day, you will receive the notification a minimum of 4 hours in advance. For events that will take place the next day, you will receive a notification a minimum of 24 hours in advance.

Combining solar with a battery system allows you to store the solar energy produced in the middle of the day and use it during the on-peak period when energy rates are the highest. Storing and using all the solar energy you produce provides customers with the most flexibility to lower on-peak energy and demand charges and save the most money. The potential for energy and demand savings that you can realize will largely depend on how your solar and battery system are operated and the APS service plan selected.

A solar system is not required to qualify for a Residential Battery Pilot incentive. A battery system can be charged by the grid in the off-peak periods and used by the customer to reduce energy use and demand during on-peak hours when energy prices are higher.

The number of hours a battery system can run a home depends on several factors, such as the size of the battery system and the loads in the home that are being powered. A 13.5 kW battery system can run a home that averages 28 kWh/day for 12 hours when fully charged.

If your home has electric service, even if you don’t use any energy, the home is grid connected. However, if the home is energy efficient and has a solar and battery system, it is possible to generate enough power to produce all the home’s energy needs and essentially become net zero so that no energy is purchased from the utility.

Battery systems can be installed outside but will work better if installed in a garage or in a conditioned space. Extreme changes in temperature impact the performance of the battery system.

Capacity to store energy depends on the size of the battery installed. Current residential battery systems range from 3 to 13 kW.

You can find the program terms and conditions for all battery providers below:

Enrolled and accepted participants who have not yet received the pilot incentive can withdraw by contacting aps@energyhub.com.