FranklinWH Energy Storage‘s home energy management and storage solution is approved for Ava Community Energy’s SmartHome Battery program, a virtual power plant (VPP) serving more than 2 million households in Alameda and San Joaquin counties in California.
Credit: FranklinWH
Income-qualified participants enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) programs can receive upfront incentives of up to $6,000 for enrolling a FranklinWH System in the program. Market-rate customers are eligible for rebates of up to $1,080. All participating homeowners receive ongoing monthly payments of $3 per kilowatt-hour of enrolled battery capacity, distributed quarterly over a five-year period.
Under the program, enrolled FranklinWH systems discharge stored energy to Ava’s VPP during periods of peak electricity demand. Homeowners choose how much of their battery capacity to share (40, 60, or 80%), while retaining backup power for their homes. A homeowner enrolling 80% of a 15 kWh FranklinWH aPower battery would receive approximately $1,080 upfront at market rates, or up to $6,000 under CARE or FERA, plus approximately $36 per month in ongoing payments.
“People want practical ways to lower their energy bills and have more control over how they use electricity,” said Gary Lam, CEO and co-founder of FranklinWH. “A program that pays you upfront and keeps paying you every month, while keeping your lights on during an outage, is exactly what makes a home battery worth it.”
Enrollment is available on a first-come, first-served basis for eligible Ava customers in Alameda and San Joaquin counties.
“SmartHome Battery was created to give residential customers more access to solar and battery storage while supporting grid reliability,” said Howard Chang, CEO of Ava Community Energy. “Adding FranklinWH Systems as an approved provider advances our goals of expanding access, delivering reliable backup power, and creating a simple homeowner experience.”
The Ava program adds to FranklinWH’s portfolio of more than 25 utility VPP and demand response programs across the United States.
News item from FranklinWH
