Increase your home’s resilience with Power+

Effective January 1st, 2023 – Through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the State of Colorado, Energy Storage Systems may now be eligible for up to 40% federal and 10% state tax credits.  Power+ installations that are completed in 2023 may now be eligible for these tax credits if the member pays off the balance owed on their Distributed Energy Resources Service Agreement no later than December 31st, 2023.

For current participants, we can provide you with your balance by contacting us at BESS@holycross.com.  (This balance is the installed cost less the HCE rebate and any DERSA Payments that have been made since the project was completed).

Before you pay off your balance, please consult with your tax advisors.

Power +

Power+ offers HCE members a new resilience option from threats of extreme weather events like wildfires, snowstorms and other outage-causing events while also benefitting the entire HCE membership by reducing wholesale energy costs.

Utilizing Tesla’s Powerwall 2 battery energy storage system, members can store energy directly from the grid or energy generated from on-site solar. Powerwall 2s can provide backup power of 4 to 8 hours on peak usage and 20 to 40 hours with reduced usage, supplying your energy needs during grid outages. Having a solar system alone will not supply this resilience without battery backup.

By allowing HCE to optimize the charging and discharging of your battery during times of high energy demand or renewable energy oversupply, the cost HCE pays for power is reduced. These savings benefit the entire co-op membership. HCE will always leave at least 20% state of charge, and this should allow you at least a few hours of resilience in a worst-case scenario such as an outage after a peak load event.

Under our Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Service Agreement, HCE will pay for the battery and its installation costs upfront for you. You repay HCE with the monthly charge on your bill, which is partially offset by ongoing bill credits that you receive in exchange for periodic control of the battery. Your repayment amount does not include interest or additional fees for ten years.

Images courtesy of Tesla Inc.

How the program works?

  • HCE will partner with you to use the battery’s stored power during times of high demand to lower costs. During these forecasted events, the stored energy on your Powerwall 2 will be discharged onto the grid. High demand events will typically be between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm no more than 10 times per month. You will still have access to power from the grid and should not be impacted by these events.
  • For the remaining days of the year, the battery will be yours to control. You can keep them fully charged in preparation for an outage or you can use the time-based control feature to charge the batteries from your solar and power your home most the of day and evening from your local generation. HCE will also schedule charging from the grid to correlate with renewable energy oversupply. This process will allow HCE to minimize renewable energy curtailment charges and save on power supply costs.
  • During a power outage, the energy stored in your Powerwall 2 system will power your home, providing resilience. If present, solar panels may continue to recharge the system.

Images courtesy of Tesla Inc.

How much does it cost?

There are no upfront costs, but members will see an additional charge for the resilience benefits on their monthly bill. This will vary depending on the exact installation costs of your system. The system and installation costs that HCE paid upfront will be repaid to HCE over ten years through the Power+ monthly charge. The energy credits you receive for participating in the program reduce those costs and could continue after ten years if the member wishes to remain in the program.

How to apply

  1. Submit an online application form.
  2. Once approved, complete a site survey self-assessment form.
  3. Site survey approval completed by HCE.
  4. A Tesla-certified installer will contact you for a site inspection and installation quote.
  5. Site inspection completed by installer and a quote for installation costs will be provided.
  6. HCE will request the following documents:
    1. Home-owners insurance verification
    2. Signed Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Service Agreement
    3. Signed Generation Interconnect Application
  7. The contractor will contact you to schedule the installation.
  8. Installation is completed.
  9. The system is commissioned by the contractor and Tesla.
  10. The battery is available for use.

Questions?

Give us a call or email us.
membercare@holycross.com
970.945.5491

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions?

Give us a call or email us
Membercare@HolyCross.com
970.945.5491
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