We’ve launched a new pilot for residential electric customers considering the purchase and installation of a home battery for backup power.
The GridSmart Battery Program pilot provides a $5,000 incentive toward the purchase and installation of a qualifying new battery, with the option for up to $25,000 in interest-free, on-bill repayment for remaining installation costs.
The battery belongs to you, and you don’t need rooftop solar to participate. The pilot is specifically for customers purchasing and installing a qualifying new battery system and is not available for existing battery systems.
What can a home battery do for you?
A home battery stores electricity so it can be used when it’s needed. One of its biggest benefits is backup power during an electric outage.
Home battery storage offers homeowners another way to make their homes more resilient. Through our GridSmart Battery Program, we’re giving customers another way to invest in their homes by adding reliable backup power while helping us better understand how residential battery storage can support a more reliable electric grid. It’s an important step in helping shape the future of energy in New Jersey.
– Lauren Thomas, Vice President, Clean Energy Solutions – Customer Solutions.
How does the pilot work?
As part of the program, participating batteries may be called upon during scheduled GridSmart Events to temporarily power your home, reducing the amount of electricity it draws from the electric grid during periods of high demand. For this pilot, the battery does not send electricity back to the grid.
We may call up to 100 GridSmart Events per year, with each lasting up to four hours. You will always be notified in advance by email and can opt out of an event. No action is required during an event and you can continue using electricity as usual while the battery operates in the background.
GridSmart Events will not be called during an outage, allowing the battery to remain available to provide backup power when needed.
The pilot will also help us learn more about how residential battery storage performs for customers and the electric system.
Can I use my battery with PSE&G’s Time of Use rate?
Outside of scheduled GridSmart Events, you may also be able to use your battery to benefit from our Time of Use (TOU) rate. The TOU rate offers different electricity prices depending on the time of day: off-peak, mid-peak and on-peak. It is designed to help save on energy costs by shifting your whole-home electric usage to mid- and off-peak hours.
You may be able to configure your battery to charge during lower-cost, off-peak hours and use stored energy during those higher-cost on-peak or mid-peak periods. Battery settings and capabilities vary, so you should check with your battery manufacturer for available settings and configuration options.
Learn more about the Time of Use rate at pseg.com/TOU.
Why are we testing home battery storage?
As our customers’ energy needs and available technologies continue to change, we want to better understand how residential battery storage can benefit you and the electric system. Through the pilot, we’ll evaluate how customer-owned battery systems can provide backup power when you need it, support electric system reliability, reduce demand during peak periods and provide operational insight.
The pilot also comes as New Jersey explores the role customer energy technologies can play in its evolving electric system. What we learn will help inform future customer programs and contribute to the state’s broader efforts to modernize the electric grid.
Considering purchasing a new home battery?
To learn more about our GridSmart Battery Program, including program requirements, qualifying battery systems and the $5,000 incentive, visit pseg.com/GridSmart.
