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Storage Rewards Pilot Program
Earn Rewards with Your Home Battery Storage System
Join the APS Storage Rewards pilot and get paid for sharing energy from your battery storage system. This pilot will run for five years with up to 5,000 participants. During each event season, you can earn money for the stored energy your battery releases to the APS grid when overall customer energy use is high. It’s an easy way to turn your stored energy into rewards while helping us to learn more about how to integrate battery storage safely and reliably into the grid. With your participation, we have the opportunity to gain deeper insights into the value batteries can offer based on their performance during events.
How It Works
During the season, from May 1 through October 31, up to 60 events may be called. These events typically occur during times of high energy use and can last from one to four hours. They may take place on weekdays, weekends or holidays and only between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.
When an event is scheduled, you’ll receive advance notice by email or text with the date and time, so you can ensure your battery is charged. During the event, your battery manufacturer will signal your battery system to release stored energy to your home and send any remaining energy to the grid.
It’s important for you to be informed and reach out to your battery manufacturer to understand how your battery operates, including how they manage the release of stored energy and how that works with your rate plan during on-peak and off-peak hours. Experiences may vary depending on the battery manufacturer. For example, some battery manufacturers don’t change how they release energy because of an event, while others do. Some battery manufacturers, like Tesla, reserve energy in the battery until the start of an event. In these cases, reserving energy could mean the energy stored in your battery won’t be available for use during on-peak hours if the event happens later in the day.
You’re always in control and can opt out of an event at any time.
How Compensation Works
The amount you earn depends on how your battery storage system performs during events. By participating, you can earn $110 for the average kilowatts your battery releases throughout the event season. These events can happen up to 60 times per year, each lasting between 1-4 hours.
We measure your battery’s output during each event. Then we calculate your average based on all event outputs to determine your compensation.
To maximize your earnings in the program, it’s best to participate in all events for their entire duration. You may choose to opt out of any event, but doing so will reduce your average performance over the event season because those events would count as zero kW when the average is calculated.
For example, if your battery delivers an average of 2.11kW across all events, you would earn $232.10 at the end of the season.
If your battery contributed 4.14kW in the first event and you opted out of the second, your battery’s average would drop to 2.07kW across the two events, and you would earn $227.70.
Here are some examples of how compensation works depending on battery system performance.
| Customer | Event 1 | Event 2 | Average kW discharged | APS Storage Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer 1 | 0.96kW discharged | 3.25kW discharged | 2.11kW | 2.11kW x $110 = $232.10 |
| Customer 2 | 0.98kW discharged | 1kW discharged | .99kW | 0.99kW x $110 = $108.90 |
| Customer 3 | 4.14kW discharged | 0kW discharged (opted out of event) | 2.07kW | 2.07kW X $110 = $227.70 |
| Customer 1 | |
|---|---|
| Event 1 | 0.96kW discharged |
| Event 2 | 3.25kW discharged |
| Average kW discharged | 2.11kW |
| APS Storage Rewards | 2.11kW x $110 = $232.10 |
| Customer 2 | |
|---|---|
| Event 1 | 0.98kW discharged |
| Event 2 | 1kW discharged |
| Average kW discharged | .99kW |
| APS Storage Rewards | 0.99kW x $110 = $108.90 |
| Customer 3 | |
|---|---|
| Event 1 | 4.14kW discharged |
| Event 2 | 0kW discharged (opted out of event) |
| Average kW discharged | 2.07kW |
| APS Storage Rewards | 2.07kW X $110 = $227.70 |
At the end of the season, you’ll see your rewards on your APS bill as a credit called BYOD Storage Rewards. If you’re a solar customer, you’ll still receive compensation for the solar energy you send to the grid under the Resource Comparison Proxy (RCP) or Net Metering buyback rate.
Battery system performance will vary based on size, configuration, internet connectivity and other factors. Please contact your battery storage system manufacturer for more information about your battery’s expected performance. The number of events, including the duration of each, will vary based on grid needs. For questions regarding compensation, please email APSStorageRewards@energyhub.com.
Am I Eligible?
You must have an eligible battery that is not already enrolled in a battery management program and be on a residential rate plan. Before enrolling, be sure to check which rate plan you’re on.
Is This Program Right for Me?
To help you decide if this program is right for you, here are some important factors to consider.
It could be right for you if you:
- Effectively manage your energy use based on your rate plan without relying on your battery system to offset some of your energy use during higher-cost on-peak hours
- Can shift the use of major appliance to off-peak hours or stagger usage during higher-cost on-peak hours
- Are an energy and technology enthusiast
It may not be right for you if you:
- Rely on your battery to offset some of your energy use during higher-cost on-peak hours
- Are on a time-of-use rate plan but do not adjust your energy use based on on-peak and off-peak hours
Here are some scenarios that can help you understand if this program is a fit for you.
| Customer | Chris |
| Rate Plan | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge |
| Scenario | Chris is able to shift energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours. He also staggers the use of major appliances during higher-cost on-peak hours to save on his energy bill. He doesn’t rely on his battery to reduce his energy costs during on-peak hours. |
| Program Fit |   High |
| Customer | Sam |
| Rate Plan | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays |
| Scenario | Sam is able to shift his energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours, helping him save on his energy bill. He doesn’t rely on his battery to reduce his energy costs during on-peak hours. |
| Program Fit | High |
| Customer | Mary |
| Rate Plan | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays |
| Scenario | Mary purchased a battery to help reduce her energy bill because she wants to save money during on-peak hours, although she’s sometimes able to shift her energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours. |
| Program Fit | Moderate |
| Customer | Lori |
| Rate Plan | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge |
| Scenario | Lori purchased a battery to help reduce the cost of her energy bill by using the energy from her battery during on-peak hours. Sometimes, she is able to shift energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours and stagger the use of major appliances during on-peak hours. |
| Program Fit | Moderate |
| Customer | John |
| Rate Plan | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge |
| Scenario | John purchased a battery to help reduce the cost of energy from his battery during on-peak hours. He is not able to shift energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours and can’t stagger the use of major appliances during on-peak hours. |
| Program Fit | Low |
| Customer | Beth |
| Rate Plan | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays |
| Scenario | Beth purchased a battery to help reduce the cost of energy from her battery during on-peak hours. She is not able to shift energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours. |
| Program Fit | Low |
| Customer | Rate Plan | Scenario | Program Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge | Chris is able to shift energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours. He also staggers the use of major appliances during higher-cost on-peak hours to save on his energy bill. He doesn’t rely on his battery to reduce his energy costs during on-peak hours. | High |
| Sam | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays | Sam is able to shift his energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours, helping him save on his energy bill. He doesn’t rely on his battery to reduce his energy costs during on-peak hours. | High |
| Mary | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays | Mary purchased a battery to help reduce her energy bill because she wants to save money during on-peak hours, although she’s sometimes able to shift her energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours. | Moderate |
| Lori | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge | Lori purchased a battery to help reduce the cost of her energy bill by using the energy from her battery during on-peak hours. Sometimes, she is able to shift energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours and stagger the use of major appliances during on-peak hours. | Moderate |
| John | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge | John purchased a battery to help reduce the cost of energy from his battery during on-peak hours. He is not able to shift energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours and can’t stagger the use of major appliances during on-peak hours. | Low |
| Beth | Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays | Beth purchased a battery to help reduce the cost of energy from her battery during on-peak hours. She is not able to shift energy use from higher-cost on-peak hours to lower-cost off-peak hours. | Low |
Eligible Battery Manufacturers and Models
Please see the list of supported battery manufacturers and models below. You can also reach out to your installer to see if they install one of the supported inverters. These inverters allow you to participate in this program by responding to signals triggered whenever an event is called. Don’t see your battery or inverter on this list? Reach out to your installer to see if they are interested in participating in the APS Storage Rewards pilot. Or sign up for our interest list to be informed if your battery manufacturer becomes part of the pilot.
| Manufacturer | Eligible Inverters | Eligible Batteries |
|---|---|---|
| Fortress Power | eSpire Mini, eSpire 233, eSpire 280 (include battery and inverter) Envy Inverter | eSpire Mini, eSpire 233, eSpire 280 (include battery and inverter); LFP-10 Max, eVault Max 18.5kWh, eFlex 5.4 (need to be paired with Envy inverter) |
| Franklin WH | Franklin Home Power aPower X (battery & inverter) | Franklin Home Power aPower X (battery & inverter) |
| SolarEdge | SolarEdge Inverters | SolarEdge and LG Batteries |
| Tesla (2) | All solar inverters | Tesla Powerwall 2 (1), Tesla Powerwall+(1) |
(1) Tesla Powerwall has internal inverter.
(2) Only Tesla batteries connected directly to Tesla are eligible. Tesla battery systems managed by other software are not eligible at this time.
Please contact your battery vendor or installer for more information on which inverter and battery models are best suited for your system.
Eligible Battery Manufacturers and Models
Please see the list of supported battery manufacturers and models below. You can also reach out to your installer to see if they install one of the supported inverters. These inverters allow you to participate in this program by responding to signals triggered whenever an event is called. Don’t see your battery or inverter on this list? Reach out to your installer to see if they are interested in participating in the APS Storage Rewards pilot. Or sign up for our interest list to be informed if your battery manufacturer becomes part of the pilot.
| Fortress Power |
| Eligible Inverters: eSpire Mini, eSpire 233, eSpire 280 (include battery and inverter) Envy Inverter |
| Eligible Batteries: eSpire Mini, eSpire 233, eSpire 280 (include battery and inverter) LFP-10 Max, eVault Max 18.5kWh, eFlex 5.4 (need to be paired with Envy inverter) |
| Franklin WH |
| Eligible Inverters: Franklin Home Power aPower X (battery & inverter) |
| Eligible Batteries: Franklin Home Power aPower X (battery & inverter) |
| SolarEdge |
| Eligible Inverters: SolarEdge Inverters |
| Eligible Batteries: SolarEdge and LG Batteries |
| Tesla (2) |
| Eligible Inverters: All solar inverters |
| Eligible Batteries: Tesla Powerwall 2 (1) Tesla Powerwall+(1) *Tesla Powerwall has internal inverter |
(1) Tesla Powerwall has internal inverter.
(2) Only Tesla batteries connected directly to Tesla are eligible. Tesla battery systems managed by other software are not eligible at this time.
Please contact your battery vendor or installer for more information on which inverter and battery models are best suited for your system.
Frequently Asked Questions
To participate in the APS Storage Rewards pilot, you must be an APS residential customer on a residential rate plan. You must also use a battery storage system operated by an eligible manufacturer, and your battery must perform in accordance with your utility interconnection agreement (IA).
Your battery interconnection application must receive Permission to Operate (PTO) from APS prior to enrolling in the program. Please see the list of eligible battery manufacturers and models above.
The APS Storage Rewards pilot uses a pay-for-performance structure. By enrolling and participating in the pilot program, you can earn $110 per average kW you contribute from your battery to us throughout the event season.
Once your battery’s performance data has been validated, compensation payments for performance will be processed as a bill credit within one to two billing cycles after the season ends on October 31.
You can always opt out of events. In addition, some battery vendors can help you configure your system to limit how much energy your system will release during events, and battery manufacturers won’t fully deplete your battery when events are called. Please note, however, that these actions will affect how much your system can earn.
Yes, customers who do not have solar but have an eligible battery system that charges from the energy grid may participate in the APS Storage Rewards pilot.
Yes, this ensures your device can be communicated with.
During events, if your battery partner cannot communicate with your energy storage system, or if your energy storage system cannot release energy when needed (due to a maintenance issue), the amount earned will be affected.
Leased devices must be compatible with the pilot design and are subject to your lessor contract for any limitations.
Yes, you will need to communicate to your battery partner that you’d like to opt out of an event using their recommended method. Any events you opt out of will count as zero kW when the average is calculated. Check out the FAQs on the program enrollment page for more detailed information.
Please contact EnergyHub at APSStorageRewards@energyhub.com to unenroll from the program.
