Adam-GlickAustin Energy Power Partner Battery Program: What It Pays and Who Qualifies
By Adam Glick, Solar Sherpa, NATiVE Solar

The short version: Power Partner Battery is Austin Energy’s home battery demand response pilot. If you’re an Austin Energy residential customer with an eligible, customer-owned battery installed by a participating contractor, you may qualify for a $500 upfront rebate plus an annual performance payment of $75 per kW. In exchange, Austin Energy can draw some stored energy from your battery a limited number of times a year when the grid is stretched.

Austin Energy launched the pilot in March 2026, and it’s turning into one of the better deals around for Austin homeowners who have (or are adding) battery storage. Here’s how it actually works, from the folks who install these systems around Austin every week.

Power Partner Battery at a Glance

Program detail What Austin Energy says
Who runs it Austin Energy (residential demand response pilot)
Upfront rebate $500 per battery system that received Permission to Operate (PTO) on or after February 18, 2025
Annual performance payment $75 per kW per year, based on battery size, backup reserve setting and average event hours. Austin Energy says most participants average a bit over $300 a year.
Events Usually 2–3 hours each, up to 40 per year (grid emergencies not counted), any day of the year, including weekdays and holidays
Backup reserve Events won’t take your battery below its reserve; Austin Energy’s FAQ puts the floor at 20%
Storms Events typically aren’t called when severe weather is forecast, and battery storm modes override dispatch to charge to 100%
Solar required? No. Grid-charged batteries can participate too
Ownership Customer-owned only. Leased, third-party-owned and Base Power batteries aren’t eligible
Installer Must be an Austin Energy participating contractor
Pilot size Capped at 1,500 approved systems, per Austin Energy’s March 2026 launch announcement. No limit on batteries per household.
Eligible brands Enphase, FranklinWH, Generac, SolarEdge and Tesla (models below)

What the Program Pays

There are two separate incentives, and it helps to think about them differently.

The $500 upfront rebate is a one-time check for battery systems that got PTO (after passing Austin Energy’s final inspection) on or after February 18, 2025. Austin Energy says it typically arrives within one to two billing cycles after you enroll.

The annual performance payment is the ongoing piece: $75 per kW, figured from your battery’s maximum output, your backup reserve setting and how long your battery contributes during events. Austin Energy’s own example is a single 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall with a 20% reserve, which works out to roughly $324 for the year. It’s paid by check after the calendar year closes.

Your number will depend on your equipment, your reserve setting, how many events you sit out, and whether your system stays online. Think of it as a meaningful offset to the cost of owning a battery, not an income stream.

Who Qualifies

  • You’re an Austin Energy electric customer, and the battery is installed and permitted in Austin Energy’s service territory

  • The battery is for residential use

  • It was installed by an Austin Energy participating contractor and passed Austin Energy’s electrical final inspection

  • You own the battery (no leases or third-party ownership, at least for now)

  • It’s one of the eligible makes and models below

There’s no limit on how many batteries a household can enroll, and you don’t need solar panels to participate. The pilot as a whole, though, is capped at 1,500 approved systems, according to Austin Energy’s launch announcement.

Eligible Batteries

  • Enphase: IQ Battery 3, 3T, 10 and 10T, paired with IQ8 or IQ7 microinverters. Have a newer IQ Battery 5P? Check with us or Enphase before counting on the incentive.

  • FranklinWH: aPower X and aPower 2

  • Generac: PWRcell 2 (M2, M4, M5 and M6)

  • SolarEdge: SolarEdge inverters SE3000H-US through SE11400H-US, paired with a SolarEdge Home Battery (BAT-10K1P) or LG Chem RESU10H

  • Tesla: Powerwall+, Powerwall 2 and Powerwall 3

Austin Energy updates this list as manufacturers come on board, so check the current version before you buy. We install all of these brands and can help you pick the one that fits your home, not just the program.

What Happens During a Power Partner Event

This is the part most homeowners actually worry about, so here’s the plain version:

  • You’ll get a heads-up in your battery app. Austin Energy doesn’t send notices itself. The manufacturer’s app shows them before and during events.

  • Your home gets served first. The battery covers your house before anything goes back to the grid.

  • Your reserve stays put. Events stop at your backup reserve, and most batteries are fully recharged within a day.

  • Storms come first. Austin Energy generally won’t call events when severe weather is forecast, and your battery’s storm mode (Tesla Storm Watch, Enphase Storm Guard and so on) overrides dispatch to charge up to 100%.

  • You can opt out. Skipping an event carries no penalty, though it trims your annual payment. Most apps let you opt out anytime. Enphase is the exception: you have to opt out at least five minutes before the event starts.

  • Stay connected. Your system needs a steady internet connection to respond. If it’s offline, it can’t participate, and that lowers your payment.

How to Enroll

  1. Have an eligible battery installed by an Austin Energy participating contractor, and get through final inspection and PTO.
  2. Enroll through your battery manufacturer, either in the battery’s app (Enphase owners, for example, use the Grid Services section of the Enphase app) or through the manufacturer’s enrollment link on Austin Energy’s Power Partner Battery page.
  3. Double-check your mailing address. Checks are mailed by a third-party vendor.

Austin Energy says funding is limited and first-come, first-served, and pilot terms can change.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. A battery that charges from the grid can participate, as long as it’s an eligible model, customer-owned and installed by an Austin Energy participating contractor.

Yes. Adding an eligible battery to an existing solar system is one of the most common ways people get into the program. The $500 rebate applies if the battery gets PTO on or after February 18, 2025.

It shouldn’t. Events don’t go below your backup reserve, Austin Energy typically avoids calling them when severe weather is forecast, and battery storm modes charge to 100% when a severe weather alert is issued.

Based on Austin Energy’s published rules, yes. The eligibility requirements don’t set an installation date. The February 18, 2025 cutoff only applies to the $500 upfront rebate, so an older system that meets the other requirements can still enroll and earn the annual performance payment.

Not right now. Third-party-owned batteries aren’t eligible, and Base Power runs its own separate lease program outside Power Partner.

Your bill is still based on standard residential rates and the Value of Solar credit. Austin Energy says the performance payment is designed to exceed any added energy charges from participating, and Power Partner events don’t reduce the Value of Solar credits you earn.

You can unenroll anytime through Austin Energy’s online opt-out form or by emailing [email protected].

Is It Worth It?

For most Austin battery owners, I’d say yes. You bought the battery for backup and peace of mind. Power Partner lets it do some useful work on the handful of afternoons the grid is stretched thin, pays you for it, protects your reserve and stays out of the way when storms roll in.

If you’re still deciding on a battery, it’s a real point in favor. Just don’t let a rebate be the whole reason. A battery should make sense for your home, your backup needs and how you use energy first. Our page on residential solar and battery storage design covers how we approach that, and if you’re outside Austin Energy territory, our Texas battery incentive programs page lays out what’s available elsewhere. For Austin Energy’s solar rebate and Value of Solar credit, see our 2026 Austin Energy residential incentives guide.

How NATiVE Can Help

NATiVE Solar has been designing and installing solar and battery storage around Austin since 2007, and we’re on Austin Energy’s participating contractor list for both residential and commercial work. We install every brand on the eligible list, so we can help you add a battery to the solar you already have, design a new solar + storage system, or make sure an existing battery is set up to qualify.

Program terms last checked against Austin Energy’s published materials on November 11, 2026. Eligibility, incentive amounts and terms are set by Austin Energy and can change, and payments are not guaranteed.