Connecticut Battery Storage Incentives in 2026: Energy Storage Solutions Explained

What battery storage incentives are available in Connecticut in 2026?

As of November 2026, Connecticut homeowners on Eversource or UI can use Energy Storage Solutions. It pays an Enrollment Incentive that lowers the battery price before installation, and Performance Incentives paid each season for 10 years when your battery supports the grid. The program is administered by the Connecticut Green Bank, Eversource and UI.

As of November 2026, PURA is reviewing changes to this program (docket 26-08-05, vote scheduled for December 2, 2026); we will update this page after the decision.

The program is overseen by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) and is paid for by electric ratepayers, according to the Connecticut Green Bank.

Since April 1, 2026, new applicants join a performance-based, Active Dispatch-only design that the ESS Program Manual calls Construct 5.

Construct 5 removed the Passive Dispatch track and the earlier Upfront Incentives for new customers, and raised Active Dispatch Performance Incentives.

Upfront incentive figures in older articles describe the Legacy Program. Residential customers enrolled on or after April 1, 2026 are eligible for the Enrollment Incentive instead.

The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D) is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, according to the IRS.

Source for every value: ESS Program Manual, Version May 19, 2026 (Tables 9 and 16) and the ESS homes page.

How do ESS performance incentives work?

Eversource or UI can dispatch your battery during grid events, and you earn a Performance Incentive based on its average kW contribution each season. As of November 2026, the residential rate is $300 per kW per year, $450 per kW per year for Underserved customers and $550 per kW per year for Low-Income customers, for up to 10 years.

• Summer season: June through September, with 30 to 60 events.
• Winter season: November through March, with 1 to 10 events.
• Each event lasts 1 to 3 hours, in an anticipated window of 12 PM to 9 PM.
• If a storm is on the horizon, the utility will not dispatch energy from your battery.
• Payments are based on actual performance during events, as shown by inverter data, not on nameplate capacity.
• Under the May 19, 2026 Program Manual, you can choose annual or twice-yearly payments; with twice-yearly payments, 89% of the annual amount is allocated to summer and 11% to winter. A PURA proposed decision of October 29, 2026 would remove the annual option; it is set for PURA's December 2, 2026 meeting.

Underserved customers live in a Connecticut distressed municipality on the most recent DECD list. Low-Income customers are on an Eversource or UI Low Income Discount Rate.

Can you get the ESS incentive with a leased battery or a PPA in Connecticut?

Yes, if the owner qualifies. A battery may be owned by the customer or by an eligible third-party owner (TPO) with the customer's permission, and all ESS rules apply whoever owns it. Enrollment Incentives are provided as upfront discounts in the customer's purchase or lease agreement, and the Green Bank reimburses them to the eligible contractor or TPO.

The program publishes a list of eligible third-party owners that own and maintain systems for customers through a lease or power-purchase agreement.

If a TPO owns the battery, the equipment title remains with the TPO.

Customers can designate a direct payment payee at enrollment, and the utilities can assign performance incentive payments to a TPO, vendor, financial institution or other party the customer specifies.

In SunPol's Prepaid Solar Program, SunPol owns, monitors and maintains the system under the agreement, and in a solar PPA the provider owns and maintains it. As of November 2026, Sunpol LLC appears on the ESS contractor list but not on the eligible third-party owner list. If you choose the Prepaid Solar Program or a PPA, ask SunPol how storage incentives are handled under your agreement before you sign.

Before you sign any lease, PPA or purchase agreement, ask the installer to show in writing how the ESS incentive is reflected in the price, who receives the performance payments and what your agreement requires if you leave the program.

How do you apply for Connecticut's battery incentive?

To get the Enrollment Incentive, you do not apply on your own. You choose an eligible contractor, tell them you want to take part in Energy Storage Solutions, and the contractor or third-party owner completes the application through the Customer Enrollment Platform. Enrollment has two steps, Customer Enrollment and Battery Enrollment, and rates are set when funds are reserved.

1. Get a few quotes from eligible contractors before you decide, as the program recommends.
2. Confirm that Eversource or UI is your electric utility.
3. Ask whether your home qualifies as Grid-Edge, Underserved or Low-Income, because the rate depends on it.
4. After the system is installed and energized, the contractor or TPO submits proof of completion and interconnection, and the Enrollment Incentive is then reimbursed to the contractor or TPO.
5. Stay enrolled for the whole season once a summer or winter season starts, to receive that season's performance incentive.

Under the May 19, 2026 Program Manual, customers who enrolled on or after April 1, 2026 and received an Enrollment Incentive do not have to return any portion of it if they later unenroll. A PURA proposed decision of October 29, 2026 would require new enrollees who leave before the end of the 10-year term to repay a prorated share, starting once a revised Program Manual is approved.