Good for your bill
Earn a straightforward credit for three winter months, for something your battery is capable of doing anyway. No new hardware to buy.
Good for the climate
Peaks in demand are often covered by less-clean, more expensive power sources. Your stored energy decreases our reliance on those resources.
Good for the co-op
You're a member-owner, not just a customer. Reducing how much power we have to buy during peak times helps keep wholesale power costs in check.
Here's how it works
A few times each month from December through February, LPEA will send a signal to your battery during a time frame when demand is at a peak. You're notified well in advance, and you always keep your reserve.
1. We give you a heads up: You get a text (or email) at least 6 hours before a peak event.
2. Your battery helps out: Your battery stays at 100% charge ahead of the expected peak event, then sends power to the grid during the predicted peak. You'll never drop below your 30% reserve, and you can opt in to have your battery recharge again afterwards.
3. You earn bill credit: A credit is applied to the following month's bill, whether or not we call a peak event.
| Earn up to | $20/kW in bill credits |
| Every | Jan · Feb · Dec |
| You Always Keep | 30% in reserve |
| Typical Powerwall 3 | about $189/year in bill credits |
Your battery is still yours
The most common question we hear is "what about my backup power?" Here's exactly how the program protects you.
- A guaranteed 30% reserve - We will never discharge your battery will never be below 30%.
- No events around outages - We'll never declare a peak event within 24 hours of any type of planned outage.
- Fair limits - There will be no more than 10 events a month and no more than 2 in a day. We'll never discharge your battery more than 3 hours at a time, and we'll never recharge your battery during your peak-rate hours.
- Untouched most of the year - This program is only active December - February. The rest of the year, your battery is all yours.
- Weather alerts come first - You'll never be penalized if your system has a weather-alert mode enabled, and an approaching storm automatically pauses your participation.
- You can opt out - You can skip any event you like and opt out of that month's credit.
- Cancel any time - You can leave the program whenever you want with written notice, and we'll unenroll your equipment within 3 business days.
You'll need an eligible battery system with permission to operate within LPEA's service territory, and a reliable internet connection to it.
| Minimum battery energy | 10 kWh |
| Minimum inverter capacity | >3 kW |
| Monthly connectivity needed | 90% |
| Commonly Supported platforms |
Tesla |
Eligibility is at LPEA's discretion.
We'll provide reporting so you can see exactly how your battery contributed and the impact you had during an event.
- A real-time view - Track your battery's participation and status through the program dashboard and see events as they happen.
- Your personal impact - Get simple summaries of the energy you contributed, the credits you earned, and what it meant for the grid.
- The collective result - See how the whole Community Power group performed together.
Find your system (or the closest match) below to see roughly what you'd earn.
| System (Battery + Inverter) | Battery (kWh) |
Inverter (kW) |
Contracted Power (kW) | Monthly Incentive |
Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Powerwall 3 - 1 unit | 13.5 | 11.5 | 3.15 | $63 | $189 |
| Tesla Powerwall 3 + 1 expansion pack |
27 | 11* | 6.30 | $126 | $378 |
|
Tesla |
40.5 | 11* |
9.45 |
$189 | $567 |
| Enphase IQ Battery 5P - x2 (10 kWh) |
10 | 7.68 | 2.33 | $46.67 | $140 |
| Enphase IQ Battery 5P - x3 (15 kWh) | 15 |
11.52 |
3.50 | $70 | $210 |
| Enphase IQ Battery 5P - x4 (20 kWh) | 20 | 15.36 | 4.67 | $93.33 | $280 |
| Enphase IQ Battery 10C - x1 (10 kWh) | 10 | 7.08 | 2.33 | $46.67 | $140 |
| Enphase IQ Battery 10C - x2 (20 kWh) | 20 | 14.16 | 4.67 | $93.33 | $280 |
| FranklinWH aPower 2 - 1 unit | 15 | 10 | 3.50 | $70 | $210 |
| FranklinWH aPower 2 - 2 units | 30 | 20 | 7.00 | $140 | $420 |
| Sol-Ark 15K - 20 kWh bank | 20 | 15** | 4.67 | $93.33 | $280 |
| Sol-Ark 15K - 30 kWh bank | 30 | 15** | 7.00 | $140 | $420 |
Season = December + January + February (paid monthly)
How it's figured. Contracted Power = the lesser of (a) your battery energy × 70% ÷ 3 hours, or (b) your inverter's continuous output. Monthly incentive = $20 × Contracted Power, paid for each of the three program months (December, January, February) and credited on the following month's bill. Figures assume the program's 30% reserve.
Specs are nominal. Battery and inverter values are typical manufacturer ratings for these configurations; your actual numbers and eligibility (minimum 10 kWh battery, inverter over 3 kW, a supported manufacturer, and reliable connectivity) are confirmed by LPEA. Multi-battery inverter figures are the combined continuous output.
*Powerwall 3 expansion packs add battery capacity only and share the base unit's 11 kW inverter, so continuous output doesn't rise as packs are added. Here the incentive is set by battery energy anyway.
**Sol-Ark 15K is shown at its 15 kW nameplate (12 kW on battery alone). In both rows the Contracted Power is set by battery energy, not the inverter, so the incentive is the same either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
The program runs in the months of December, January, and February, when LPEA's peak load is highest. Outside those months, your battery stays enrolled, but LPEA would only ever signal it in a rare grid emergency.
- Your credit = your Contracted Power × $20/kW
- You're paid each of the three program months.
- Contracted Power is the lesser of
- (a) your usable battery energy (total energy minus the 30% reserve) divided by 3 hours, or
- (b) your inverter's continuous output.
A typical Tesla Powerwall 3 earns about $63/month, or roughly $189 across the winter.
LPEA will never discharge your battery below 30%.
If your system has a weather-alert mode enabled, approaching storms automatically pause your participation so you can maintain your battery reserves in case of an outage.
Furthermore, no peak events will ever be scheduled within 24 hours of any LPEA planned outage.
A peak event is a short window of time when LPEA adjusts your battery's settings to help provide power to the grid when our community is using the most power at once.
Events happen mostly from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Your battery's discharge time will last no more than 3 hours, at most twice a day, and no more than 10 times a month. You're notified at least 6 hours ahead.
The peak event usually involves ensuring your battery charges to full and holds at 100%, then gradually discharges to the grid. There is also an optional recovery afterward.
You'll be notified via text or email. You pick your method when you enroll.
Yes. You can opt out of any peak event; doing so simply forfeits that month's credit. Automatic opt-outs, such as from an enabled weather alert or an LPEA-directed pause for a planned outage, never cause you to lose your credit.
It's possible. If your battery is held at full charge during a peak event, or was discharged toward the 30% reserve, you may draw more from the grid during peak hours than usual, which can affect peak demand or on-peak energy charges. For most members, the credit outweighs this, but we want you to know the trade-off up front.
Your credits are earned for the December, January, and February program months and appear on the following month's bill — so, roughly, your January, February, and March bills. If your account credit exceeds $500 on your April bill, you can request the balance as a check.
LPEA may charge your battery from the grid before an event. Grid-charging can interact with previously claimed Investment Tax Credit eligibility depending on when your system was installed. We're not able to give tax advice. Please check with a tax professional about your situation.
The initial term runs through November 30, 2029, then renews annually. You can cancel anytime with written notice, and we'll unenroll your equipment within 3 business days. Your equipment can't be enrolled in another battery aggregation or demand-response program at the same time.
This page is a plain-language summary. The full Terms & Conditions are the official rules and spell out eligibility, exactly how contracted power and credits are calculated, your reserve and protections, opt-outs, tax notes, and how to leave. If anything on this page and the Terms ever differ, the Terms take precedence. Please read the full Terms & Conditions before enrolling.
Ready to put your battery to work?
Join your neighbors in building a cleaner, more affordable grid! Enrollment takes just a few minutes.
Contact us at communitypower@lpea.coop or call 970-247-5786 today!
Before you enroll, we encourage you to read the full Terms & Conditions.
"I already use it to save every day. This pays me far more for the same thing."
Stats:
- ✅ Suburban Home
- ✅ One Tesla Powerwall 3
- ✅ Already cycles it daily to trim peak-demand charges
This member doesn't leave their battery sitting idle. They already run it every day to dodge the Peak Power Charge on their bill, discharging through the costliest hours so the meter never records their peak.
Community Power is a dramatic amplification of that habit. They ran the math: yes, participating could nudge their Peak Power Charge up in a winter month when an event lands, but the program's $20/kW payment almost certainly far exceeds any increase. Same battery, same daily routine, but now it earns on top of what it already saves.
|
13.5 kWh/11.5 kW |
3.15 kW Contracted Power |
$20/kW Participation Value |
$189 |
"I bought this battery to shave my Peak Power Charge, and it idoes Then Community Power offered to pay me twenty dollars a kilowatt for basically the same behavior. The credit blows past any bump in my winter bill. Easy call."
"The credit helped the battery worth it."
Stats:
- ✅ Household going solar and weighing whether to add a whole-home battery
- ✅ FranklinWH aPower 2
- ✅ Focused on Payback
This member was already sold on solar and is considering a FranklinWH aPower 2 for whole-home backup. The battery was the line item they kept going back and forth on. It was worth it for backup and self-supply, but also a real cost.
Their savings estimate already counted the everyday value of avoiding On-Peak energy costs by leaning on stored power during the priciest hours. Community Power stacks on top of that: learning it adds a recurring winter credit tipped the math, so the battery now earns every winter on top of the On-Peak energy savings they'd already penciled in and the backup it provides.
| 15 kWh/10 kW System (battery + inverter) |
3.5 kW Contracted Power |
$20/kW Participation Value |
$210* ($70/mo) |
*About $630 estimated credits earned through the initial program term (2029)
"Between the energy savings, the backup, and the winter credit, the battery finally made sense. Community Power was the nudge."
"My backup comes first, and it still does."
Stats:
- ✅ Rural Home
- ✅ Sol-Ark 15K hybrid inverter with a 30 kW battery bank
- ✅ Backup is the reason they have storage
For this member, backup is the whole point of why they bought storage in the first place. Outages in their area aren't all that frequent, but when one does come, they want to ride it out in comfort. So their first question about the Community Power program was the one we hear most: "Will I still have backup when I need it?" The answer is YES! And that has been what made them comfortable enrolling.
|
30 kWh/ 12 kW |
7 kW Contracted Power |
$20/kW Participation Value |
$420 ($140/mo) Winter Credit |
This member maintains 3-4 hours of backup power too, at any given time. Even in the worst case, this member will have 9 kWh untouched. That reserve can keep their household running comfortably for about 3-4 hours (refrigerator and freezer, lights, Wi-Fi, phones, and a well pump or a few extra outlets). A fully charged 30 kWh system stretches those loads to a day and a half or so, and rooftop solar refills it during daylight.
Members can also ask LPEA to add a recharge step shortly after a Peak Event's discharge, so the battery climbs back toward full. Other protections apply too:
- No peak events will be called within 24 hours of a planned outage
- Members may always manually opt out of an event (forfeiting that month's incentive)
"One battery is a drop. A few thousand of us in a power plant we don't have to run."
Stats:
- ✅ In-town Home
- ✅ Enphase system with two IQ Battery 10C units (20 kWh)
- ✅ Joined for the mission
This member went solar to shrink their own carbon footprint, and Community Power lets them take that goal further. This program is a way to actually contribute as an individual to making our grid more resilient. Their participation in the Community Power Battery program means LPEA can lean on stored sunshine instead of purchasing power from more expensive, less clean sources. This is an extension of the same clean-energy goal that led this member to put solar on their roof in the first place.
|
20 kWh / 14.2 kW |
4.67 kW Contracted Power |
$20/kW Participation Value |
$280 ($93/mo) Winter Credit |
This member would avoid about 7 kg of CO₂ per event
One house may not make a huge impact, but a few thousand pooled together? That can make a real difference! It contributes to less fossil fuel being burned and lower costs for the co-op as a whole to obtain power during peak times.