How CT-ESS Works
- Sunnova takes care of everything from enrollment to administering the program. When you sign your lease agreement, you authorize us to enroll your system in the CT-ESS program.
- During a peak demand event, we’ll send a signal to your battery, so it knows to power your home during this time.
- Get a Summer and Winter on-bill credit for your participation.
Demand response events include:
| Summer I (Active) | Summer II (Passive) | Winter | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Events per Season |
30-60 | All non-holiday weekdays (approximately 60) | 1-5 |
 Months |
June-September | June, July, and August | November-March |
 Event duration |
1-3 hours | 5 Hours | 1-3 Hours |
 Anticipated Dispatch Window |
12PM-9PM | 3PM-8PM | 12PM-9PM |
What This Means For You...
Get Rewarded for Using Your Battery
Your participation earns you a Summer and Winter on-bill credit while helping protect the Connecticut power grid.
Peace of Mind
Sunnova will actively manage your storage system. Rest assured, we will only dispatch from your battery when the grid demands are high and will cease discharge when the battery’s charge drops to 20%— and your battery will not discharge ahead of a forecasted, severe winter storm, so your backup power is safe!1
We Handle Everything
When you get battery storage service through Sunnova, we will enroll, manage and administer all aspects of the program for you, including managing your battery during demand response events.
1: The amount of power available from the battery during a power outage is limited, depending on the loads connected, customer usage and battery configuration (i.e., batteries in certain areas may be set up to provide you with the best economic benefit, which may affect the amount of back-up power available). [Solar systems and/or batteries may require repairs after weather events and such repairs may be delayed due to forces outside of our control.] No assurances can be given that the solar system or the battery will always work. You should never rely upon either of these to power life support or other medical devices. To see how long your battery will last during an outage, go to https://www.sunnova.com/batteryduration/.
It’s Easy to Get Started
To join the Energy Storage Solutions program, simply authorize Sunnova to enroll your battery storage system as part of your contract with us — we’ll take care of everything from there!
Energy Storage Solutions FAQs
Sunnova will actively manage your storage system during demand response events. We will only instruct your battery to discharge when the grid demands are high and will cease discharge when the battery’s charge drops to 20%.
No. In the summer, it is possible for two discharge events to be called on the same day. However, Summer I (active) events take precedence over the Summer II events (Passive), causing cancellation of the Summer II event.
Sunnova will manage your storage system during demand response events. And your battery will not discharge ahead of a forecasted severe storm – so your backup power is safe! Additionally, if your battery charge is below 20%, the system will not discharge for a demand response event.
You will receive the on-bill credit after each season for as long as you participate in the program for up to 10 years from the start of your enrollment. In addition, your system must be InService to start receiving the credits.