Top Tier — Indiana Battery Sales Reference

Duke Energy Indiana · Central & Southern Indiana

Sales reference for reps working Duke Energy Indiana territory (central and southern Indiana — the largest electric utility in the state by customers). This is the deep reference — how to sell it up top, full utility detail below. Indiana moved off retail net metering under SEA 309 (the EDG buyback tariff). Duke's export credit is the lowest in Indiana, so here the lead isn't the spread — it's a big multi-year rate increase and a generation transition. That's the fact that shapes the Duke pitch.

What kind of market this is

Duke Energy Indiana is a post-net-metering market under Indiana's SEA 309 in the middle of a big, multi-year rate increase — and here the lead is rate protection, not the spread. Four defining facts:

1. Indiana ended retail net metering under SEA 309. New solar customers are on EDG (Excess Distributed Generation) — you buy power at full retail but your exports are credited at the utility's EDG rate, far below retail. Grandfather cohorts are statutory and set by install date (see the Cohort Map) — with the biggest cohort's retail netting ending July 1, 2032.
2. Duke has an approved ~11% rate increase phasing in — the IURC approved about $295.7M (Cause 46038): roughly 8% took effect in early 2025 and another ~3% in early 2026. Duke customers are watching their bills climb on a documented schedule.
3. Duke's EDG credit is the lowest in Indiana (~4.15¢) — so the retail-to-export spread, while real, is smaller here than at NIPSCO or CenterPoint. That's why the Duke pitch leads with the rate increase and rate protection rather than a headline spread number.
4. Duke is in a generation transition — moving off coal toward gas and renewables, with that capital recovered through rates. It's the reason the rate increase exists and the reason rates keep climbing.

Your lead is rate protection + resilience (spread second). Duke's approved 11% increase and generation transition make rate protection the concrete, documented anchor; the ~7–9¢ spread is a real but secondary bonus; the 2032 grandfather cliff is a real clock; and central/southern Indiana's derecho and tornado exposure makes backup a genuine need. Unlike NIPSCO, Duke isn't a "widest spread" sale — it's a "your rates are going up on a published schedule, lock in now" sale.

Default configuration: backup-capable.

• Backup-capable: $18,500 cash / $23,942 financed / ~$228/mo
• Self-consumption-only: $17,000 cash / $22,068 financed / ~$210/mo

Confirm pricing in the tool before quoting.

PART A — The Pitch (Problem → Solution → Urgency → Close)

The spine is multiple beats per section. Each beat = customer headline + statement + rep layer (+ objection where noted). Beats marked (BACKUP ONLY) render only for backup config; beats with Self-consumption:/Backup: branches swap the customer line by config.

The Problem

Why your bill keeps climbing — and why your solar isn't fully shielding you. Duke has an approved ~11% rate increase phasing in right now — about 8% already hit in early 2025 and another 3% in early 2026. And under Indiana's SEA 309 rules, if you installed after mid-2022 you export your surplus for well under half of what you pay to buy power back. If you went solar before mid-2022 you may still have the old retail netting, but that has an expiration date now. Either way, your solar does nothing when the grid goes down.

Rep layer: Duke leads with the RATE INCREASE, not the spread (Duke's EDG is the lowest in IN, so the spread is a secondary bonus). The ~11% phased hike (Cause 46038) is the documented anchor for every cohort. EDG customers also have the ~7–9¢ spread; grandfathered NM II customers have the 7/1/2032 cliff. Objection — "I get credits for my solar." At the EDG rate, which is well under half of what you pay to buy it back — and Duke's rates are climbing on a published schedule, so locking in your own power cost matters more here.

Your system is orphaned. Whoever installed your solar is likely gone, merged, or unreachable — especially after so many installers folded when the federal tax credit expired. If something goes wrong, there's no one accountable. You own the system and the risk.

Rep layer: Ask who installed it. Sets up the takeover section. Objection — "My installer's still around." Would they answer a service call within a week — and cover it?

Your inverter is on the clock. Your inverter is several years old. When it fails out of warranty, that's about $3,500 to $5,000 out of pocket — and your system produces nothing until it's replaced, typically 4 to 8 weeks.

Rep layer: SolarEdge string inverters ~12-yr warranty, real failure window 8–15 years; Enphase 25-yr, real issues 10–20 years. 70–90% of systems see inverter failure within the panel lifespan. Objection — "Still under warranty." Good — until it isn't, and then it's $3,500–5,000.

(BACKUP ONLY) No protection when the grid goes down — and central Indiana saw it in 2023. Your solar shuts off during an outage — anti-islanding, a safety cutoff. A battery keeps your critical systems running, and with sun it recharges through a multi-day outage.

Rep layer: Renders ONLY for backup config. Central/southern IN context: the June 29, 2023 derecho knocked out ~77,000–82,000 Duke customers (part of ~200,000 statewide); the March 30, 2025 tornado/wind outbreak took out ~114,000 statewide with 2 deaths. Central and southern Indiana sit in the derecho and tornado belt. Objection — "We don't get many outages." Central Indiana gets derechos and tornadoes — the 2023 derecho took out ~80,000 Duke homes, and a 2025 tornado outbreak killed two people.

The Solution

A battery locks in your power cost against a rising rate. Stores your daytime solar and uses it at night instead of buying at full retail — so as Duke's approved rate increase phases in, more of your power comes from your panels at a locked cost instead of the grid at a climbing one.

• Self-consumption: "Duke's rates are going up on a published schedule — a battery lets you lean on your own stored solar instead of buying more at the higher rate."
• Backup: "Keeps your home running when the grid goes down AND locks in your power cost against the rate increase the rest of the time."

Monthly Cost Chart and Net Bill Breakdown render here.

Rep layer: First cure beat. The Duke mechanism is rate protection first: as the ~11% increase phases in, self-consumed solar is insulated from it. The spread (retail ~11–13.4¢ vs EDG ~4.15¢ = ~7–9¢) is a real but secondary bonus — don't lead with it the way you would at NIPSCO. No VPP at Duke (or anywhere in IN).

We take it over. Top Tier becomes the single point of contact for your entire system — a new 10-year workmanship warranty, the 5-year Align Solar Protection contract ($0 deductible, non-transferable), and manufacturer warranty coordination.

Rep layer: Answers the orphaned-system problem. Be precise on transfers: workmanship with written consent; Align non-transferable; manufacturer per OEM terms.

Thousands you don't pay. The $11K+ Hidden Costs Avoided bundle — built into the takeover, not sold as extras.

Rep layer: Reframes total cost. "Your payment buys the battery plus warranty plus service plus inverter-replacement coverage — over $11K of value."

The long game. Duke's rates are climbing on an approved, published schedule — the ~11% increase (about $295.7M) is phasing in now, and the generation transition off coal keeps driving capital costs through rates. And if you're on the old retail netting, it expires (7/1/2032 for the NM II cohort). A battery locks in the cost of your own power against all of that.

Rate Justification + Own vs Rent render here.

Rep layer: 25-year case: conservative 3%, moderate 5%, aggressive 7%. Duke drivers: the approved ~11% rate case (Cause 46038 — 8% eff 2/27/2025 + ~3% early 2026) + the generation transition. This is the strongest documented rate-increase story of any Indiana utility — use it. For NM II customers, the 7/1/2032 cliff stacks on top. Note the affordability backdrop (Braun/IURC cut Duke's ask from ~28% to ~14%) — the increase is real but was reduced. Objection — "Rates might not go up that much." Duke's increase is already approved and phasing in — this isn't a forecast, it's on your bill.

What you actually own. The savings hero — combined value: rate protection against the approved 11% increase (or protected retail netting) + the spread + resilience + the takeover bundle.

• Self-consumption: "Locks in your power cost against Duke's rate increase and captures the spread. Does not provide backup — ask about the upgrade."
• Backup: "Does everything self-consumption does, plus keeps your critical loads running in an outage."

Rep layer: Duke combined value = rate protection (the lead) + the ~7–9¢ spread (secondary) + resilience. No VPP, no rebate, no state credit anywhere in Indiana. No-backup disclosure fires ONLY for self-consumption config.

Urgency

The clocks that make acting now better than waiting.

The grandfather clock (NM II customers). If you're on the old retail netting from installing between 2018 and mid-2022, it expires July 1, 2032 — then you move to EDG and start losing that ~7–9¢ spread on every exported kWh, on top of the rate increase everyone's already paying. A battery lets you lock in your energy independence before that transition.

Rep layer: This beat is strongest for the NM II cohort (retail netting until 7/1/2032). Honest — it's a real statutory date, not manufactured. For customers already on EDG, lead the spread instead. (NM I — pre-2018 — runs until 7/1/2047; rare.)

The rate clock. Duke's ~11% increase is already approved and phasing in — part hit in 2025, part in 2026. Every month you wait is a month deeper into the higher rates with no hedge.

Rep layer: This is the strongest honest rate-urgency of any IN utility — the increase is approved and on the bill, not forecast. Cause 46038. Lead with it.

System aging. Your inverter is aging toward its failure window. The longer you wait, the closer you get to an out-of-warranty replacement at $3,500–5,000 out of pocket — with no service relationship to handle it. Installing now means Top Tier covers the inverter coordination from day one.

Rep layer: Universal urgency beat.

The Close

1. Verify credit + confirm install date. Run the credit check. And confirm when the solar was installed/interconnected — it determines the SEA 309 cohort (NM I / NM II / EDG), which shapes the pitch (though at Duke the rate-increase lead applies to every cohort).
2. Customer reads and signs the service agreement. Walk through the key disclosures honestly — including the EDG buyback terms (exports credited at ~4.15¢, not retail), the 7/1/2032 grandfather cliff for NM II, and that there's no federal tax credit anymore.
3. Complete the Welcome Call. Finalizes the sale and sets expectations for installation.

Standing Rules (Do NOT Violate)

• ❌ NEVER coach reps to disqualify based on home tenure. Resale story is real — not "walk away."
• ❌ NEVER claim "all warranties transfer." Workmanship: with written consent. Align: non-transferable. Manufacturer: per OEM terms.
• ❌ NEVER fabricate inspection findings.
• ❌ NEVER quote a bill-reduction factor as a guarantee.
• ❌ NEVER quote a REP buyback rate as fixed/guaranteed — plan-dependent, confirm the customer's actual plan.
• ❌ 85+ confirmation call required. Customer confirms own finances, no POA, sound mind.
• ❌ Financing ends before age 91. 75 → 15-year max. 80 → 10-year max.
• ❌ Honest cancellation window. Overselling = free customer exit + $1K–$1.5K clawback.
• ❌ Certified before selling.

Go get the sale. A battery is a strong product — clean energy, independence, backup, long-term savings, and in Texas real VPP income. A customer who wants one for any honest reason is a good sale. We never walk away over price or low savings — that's the customer's call. Do right by the customer, protect the company, be honest.

PART B — The Deep Reference

1. Orientation

• Utility: Duke Energy Indiana — regulated by the IURC, MISO Zone 6. The largest electric utility in Indiana by customer count.
• Territory: Central and southern Indiana (a large swath of the state outside the metro-Indianapolis AES core).
• Market type: Post-net-metering under SEA 309 (EDG buyback), statutory grandfather cohorts, no battery VPP. Lowest EDG in Indiana → lead is the approved ~11% rate increase, not the spread.
• Default config: Backup-capable ($18,500 / $23,942 / ~$228). Self-consumption-only optional ($17,000 / $22,068 / ~$210).

2. Cohort Map — SEA 309's statutory cohorts (install-date based)

Three cohorts, set by install date under SEA 309 — statutory and uniform across all five Indiana IOUs. Ask the sorting question first.

THE SORTING QUESTION: "When did you install / interconnect your solar?" The SEA 309 cohort follows the install date, and it determines the netting terms.

Cohort 1 — NM I (installed on/before 12/31/2017). Retail "Monthly Netting" grandfathered until July 1, 2047 (IC 8-1-40-14). Rare — few systems this old. Battery value: spread hedge (post-cliff) + resilience + rate protection.

Cohort 2 — NM II (installed 1/1/2018 through 6/30/2022). Retail Monthly Netting until July 1, 2032 (IC 8-1-40-13), then moves to EDG. This is the headline cohort with the live grandfather + a concrete cliff — the "lock in before 7/1/2032" pitch. Battery value: protect the netting position + resilience + hedge the cliff.

Cohort 3 — EDG (installed on/after 7/1/2022). On the EDG tariff from interconnection — instantaneous netting, imports at retail, exports credited at the EDG rate (the lowest in Indiana, ~4.15¢). Battery value: rate protection against the ~11% increase (the lead) + the ~7–9¢ spread (secondary) + resilience.

Why this matters — and the framing to get right: SEA 309 closed net metering to new customers on July 1, 2022 by statutory sunset date (IC 8-1-40-11(b)) — NOT because the 1.5%-of-peak aggregate cap "filled" (it generally didn't). Don't tell a customer "the cap ran out." The correct framing: the law set a hard date, and after 6/30/2022 net-metering tariffs expired for new applicants. The cohort dates (7/1/2032 for NM II, 7/1/2047 for NM I) are statutory and firm.

3. Rate Reality + Why Rates Climb

The rate increase is the story (not the spread): Duke's EDG credit (~4.15¢) is the lowest in Indiana, so its retail-to-export spread (~7–9¢) is real but smaller than NIPSCO's or CenterPoint's. What makes the Duke case is the approved ~11% rate increase (Cause 46038, ~$295.7M) phasing in on a published schedule — about 8% effective 2/27/2025 and another ~3% in early 2026. Lead with the rate increase; treat the spread as the secondary bonus. The EDG rate updates annually (Duke files ~March 1, effective ~July 1 via Rider 54), computed as 1.25× the utility's average marginal price (IC 8-1-40-17) — so quote it as "about 4 cents, updated yearly."

What's driving Duke's rate increases (named forward drivers):

1. The approved ~11% rate case (Cause 46038) — the IURC approved ~$295.7M of a ~$491.5M request (order 1/29/2025): ~8% effective 2/27/2025 and ~3% in early 2026. This is already on customers' bills — the strongest documented rate-increase story of any Indiana utility.
2. The generation transition — Duke is moving off coal toward gas and renewables; that capital is recovered through rates and keeps them climbing beyond the current case.
3. Grid modernization — reliability and distribution investment recovered through rates.

The affordability backdrop (say this honestly): Indiana has an active affordability push — Gov. Mike Braun (R) campaigned on it, there was a March 2026 IURC affordability hearing, and the IURC cut Duke's ask (from ~28% to ~14% in an earlier proceeding). This tempers the trajectory but doesn't reverse it — the ~11% is approved and phasing in. Don't overclaim doom.

Documented vs. speculation (say this right):

• ✅ "Duke has an approved ~11% rate increase phasing in — 8% in 2025, 3% in 2026" (documented, Cause 46038)
• ✅ "Duke is moving off coal, recovered through rates" (documented)
• ✅ "Duke's export credit is the lowest in Indiana" (documented from tariffs)
• ❌ "Your bill will be $X by 2032" (speculation)
• ⚠️ Duke's exact retail rate and customer charge are secondary figures — verify before quoting hard numbers.

4. Bill Anatomy — Reading a Duke Bill

Why your Duke bill keeps climbing even with solar. A Duke bill has:

1. The ~$9.40/mo customer charge (secondary figure — verify) — every month, solar or not.
2. Energy bought from Duke at the ~11–13.40¢/kWh retail rate (secondary — verify) — and that rate is rising ~11% on the approved schedule. Nighttime, cloudy, and evening hours when solar is fading.
3. An EDG export credit at ~4.15¢/kWh (for post-2022 EDG customers) — your exported surplus credited at well under half of retail, netted instantaneously (not monthly). This is the lowest EDG credit in Indiana.

The real issue at Duke isn't the spread — it's the climbing rate. Yes, EDG customers lose the ~7–9¢ spread on exports, but the bigger story is that the price of everything you buy from Duke is going up ~11% on a published schedule. The battery helps by letting you self-consume your solar (insulated from the rate increase) instead of buying more at the rising rate. For grandfathered NM II customers (until 7/1/2032): no export leak — the battery's value is rate protection + resilience.

How to read the customer's bill (the page-2 skill):

• Confirm the cohort — install date sets it; check whether they're on retail netting (grandfathered) or EDG.
• Point to the rate increase — Duke customers have seen bills rise; tie it to the approved ~11% case. That's the emotional hook here, not the export rate.
• Verify the retail figures — Duke's exact retail rate and customer charge are secondary in our data; confirm before quoting hard numbers.

Seasonal shape (central/southern IN): hot, humid summers (AC load, highest bills) and cold winters. The battery's rate-protection value runs year-round; its resilience value concentrates in the spring/summer derecho and tornado season.

5. The Savings Story — Worked 25-Year Analysis

The savings story is rate protection — Duke's approved ~11% increase is the documented driver, with the ~7–9¢ spread as a secondary bonus. This is a rate-protection sale, not a spread sale.

Representative EDG customer: ~1,100 kWh/mo, ~11–13.40¢ retail (verify), ~4.15¢ EDG exports, on the ~11% phased increase.

Without battery — annual bill, three rate-growth scenarios:

With battery — annual net cost (rate protection + spread; no VPP income in Indiana):

Cumulative 25-year comparison (bill only; no VPP or rebates in Indiana):

Indiana has no VPP income, no battery rebate, and no state tax credit. Duke's savings are rate protection against the approved ~11% increase plus the ~7–9¢ spread. Retail figures are secondary/flagged — the tool computes the customer's actual figure.

Break-even calendar (approximate; the wide spread accelerates it):

The Year-1 honesty script (Duke version):

"Here's the honest math. Duke has an approved 11% rate increase phasing in right now — about 8% already hit and another 3% this year. A battery lets you lean on your own stored solar instead of buying more from Duke at that rising rate. You also export at about 4 cents and buy back at 12 or so, so there's a spread too, but the real story here is your rates are going up on a published schedule and this locks in your own power cost. Indiana doesn't have battery credit programs, so it's straight bill savings — roughly flat the first year, then pulling ahead as Duke's rates climb. Plus backup after that 2023 derecho took out 80,000 Duke homes."

6. Pitch Framework — Archetypes

Archetype A — Rate-increase-aware customer (any cohort).

• Has seen their Duke bill climb with the approved ~11% increase.
• Fit: strongest at Duke — rate protection is the lead.
• Opening: "Duke's rates are going up 11% on an approved schedule — you've probably felt it. A battery lets you lean on your own stored solar instead of buying more at that rising rate. It locks in your power cost."

Archetype B — NM II grandfathered (installed 2018–mid-2022).

• On retail netting until 7/1/2032, worried about the coming transition.
• Fit: strong — protect + hedge the cliff.
• Opening: "You've got the old retail netting, but it expires July 1, 2032 — then you're on the same 5-cent export rate everyone else fights. A battery lets you lock in your independence before that, plus backup now."

Archetype C — Reliability-motivated (post-2023 derecho).

• Central/southern IN; lived through the 2023 derecho or the 2025 tornado outbreak; values backup.
• Fit: strong.
• Opening: "That 2023 derecho knocked out around 80,000 Duke homes, and a 2025 tornado outbreak killed two people in the state. A battery keeps your essentials running through the next one."

7. Market-Specific Plays — the Duke edge

PLAY 1 — The approved 11% rate increase (the Duke differentiator). Duke has an IURC-approved ~11% rate increase (Cause 46038, ~$295.7M) phasing in on a published schedule — ~8% effective February 2025 and ~3% in early 2026. This is the strongest documented rate-increase story of any Indiana utility, and it's already on customers' bills. Lead with it: "Your rates are going up 11% on an approved schedule — not a forecast, it's on your bill. A battery lets you lock in your own power cost against that." This is the core Duke sale — not the spread.

PLAY 2 — Lead rate protection, treat the spread as secondary. Duke's EDG credit (~4.15¢) is the lowest in Indiana, so its spread (~7–9¢) is real but smaller than NIPSCO's or CenterPoint's. Don't lead with a spread number that undersells the case — lead with the rate increase (Play 1) and mention the spread as a bonus. This is the Santee-style discipline: sell the utility's actual strongest angle, not a template spread.

PLAY 3 — The 2032 grandfather cliff (for NM II). NM II customers keep retail netting until 7/1/2032, then drop to EDG. That's the concrete "lock in before the cliff" anchor — a real statutory date — and it stacks on top of the rate-increase story.

PLAY 4 — The generation transition. Duke is moving off coal toward gas and renewables, recovered through rates — the reason the ~11% increase exists and the reason rates keep climbing beyond it. Frame it as the durable driver behind rate protection.

Verify note: Duke's exact retail rate (~11–13.40¢) and customer charge (~$9.40/mo) are secondary figures in our data — confirm before quoting hard numbers. The rate-increase story (Cause 46038) is the confirmed anchor.

8. Incentives & Programs

• Battery VPP — none (Category 3): Duke Indiana has no residential battery VPP or storage incentive (nor does any Indiana utility). (Note: Duke runs battery/EE programs in other states, but not a residential battery VPP in Indiana.) The value is rate protection + spread + resilience — no VPP income to promise. Frame honestly.
• No Indiana state tax credit and no utility battery rebate anywhere in Indiana.
• Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025. Do not quote 30%.

9. System Rescue Value — The System Takeover

This applies to any customer with existing solar — and it's identical across every Top Tier market. These are takeover facts, not TX-specific.

The Orphaned Solar Customer Problem. Many Texas solar customers installed during the 2019–2024 growth years and now face:

• An original installer that's gone out of business, been acquired, or stopped servicing residential (especially common after the federal tax credit expired Dec 2025)
• A 10-year workmanship warranty that's unenforceable (installer is gone)
• An inverter approaching or past typical failure windows
• No service relationship, and most companies refuse to service systems they didn't install

The Inverter Failure Reality. Inverters are the weakest link. Panels last 25–30 years; the inverter fails much sooner.

• SolarEdge string inverters: 8–15 years (12-yr standard warranty)
• Enphase microinverters: 10–20 years (25-yr warranty)
• Industry-wide: 70–90% of systems experience inverter failure within the panel lifespan
• When it fails on an orphaned system: production stops, bills jump to full retail, most providers won't quote it, out-of-pocket replacement is $3,500–5,000, and the customer is down 4–8 weeks.

What Top Tier's takeover provides (formalized through a Service Warranty Agreement with a brand-new 10-year Limited Workmanship and Roof Penetration Warranty):

• A new 10-year Top Tier workmanship warranty (regardless of system age)
• Manufacturer warranty claim handling (Top Tier chases the claim + labor, not the customer)
• Inverter replacement coverage when it fails within manufacturer warranty (customer pays nothing for the work)
• Single point of contact; monitoring setup help; performance verification at inspection

The $11K System Takeover Bundle (the exact 5-tile bundle on the proposal):

How to use it: "On top of the bill math, you're picking up over $11K of bundled services that aren't sold separately. If your inverter fails in year 12, the warranty handling alone is worth a few hundred; the replacement coordination saves $3–5K; the Align contract is $1,500 you'd otherwise pay. It adds up."

Align Solar Protection — the terms (get these right):

• 5-year term, $0 deductible, insurance-backed by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, non-transferable to subsequent owners.
• Covers: mechanical breakdown of existing PV (panels, inverters/optimizers, racking) — parts, labor, service calls.
• Does NOT cover: the new battery (own warranty), wear-and-tear, weather/hail, pre-existing conditions, roof issues.
• Age limits: panels/microinverters under 15 years; string/central inverters under 7 years. Not every system fully qualifies — disclose at inspection.
• It's ONE of three layers: (1) equipment manufacturer warranties, (2) Top Tier's 10-yr workmanship, (3) the 5-yr Align contract. Never call it "full coverage."
• NEVER say: "Everything's covered" / "never worry again" / "Align is your full coverage" / "you can extend beyond 5 years" / "Align transfers when you sell."

Quantifying the rescue value:

This is independent of bill savings — the rescue alone can be worth $4,000–7,500.

10. Outage Reality — Resilience in Central & Southern Indiana

Why outages happen here. Central and southern Indiana's grid faces:

• The June 29, 2023 derecho — knocked out ~77,000–82,000 Duke customers (part of ~200,000 statewide); the recent, concrete resilience anchor.
• The March 30, 2025 tornado/wind outbreak — ~114,000 out statewide with 2 deaths; central and southern Indiana sit in the tornado and derecho belt.
• Severe thunderstorms + straight-line wind — summer wind events bring down lines across Duke's large service area.
• Ice + winter storms — occasional but real; short winter daylight means solar-only customers have no power in a daytime outage.

What a battery does — and the honest mechanism. When the grid goes down, grid-tied solar shuts off automatically (anti-islanding — a safety requirement). So a solar-only customer has no power in an outage even in daylight. A battery with backup keeps essential loads — heat/furnace fan, refrigerator, well pump, medical devices, connectivity — running, and with solar recharges through a multi-day event.

How to pitch it honestly: don't promise whole-home indefinite backup unless sized for it. The honest pitch: "A battery keeps your essentials running through an outage, and with your solar it can carry you through a multi-day event. After that 2023 derecho took out around 80,000 Duke homes, you know that's not hypothetical." Derecho and tornado season is the key framing in central and southern Indiana — the 2023 derecho and the 2025 tornado outbreak are both recent, concrete events.

11. Hidden Costs Avoided / What You Own vs What You Rent

• What you rent: grid power on Duke's approved, climbing rates (the ~11% increase + generation transition), with exports credited at ~4.15¢ (the lowest in Indiana), and no protection when the grid fails.
• What you own (with the battery): your production, stored and used at today's locked cost — insulated from the ~11% increase — plus backup, plus (grandfathered) your protected retail netting until the cliff.
• Hidden costs avoided: the $11K takeover bundle + exposure to the approved 11% rate climb + the ~7–9¢ spread on exports.

12. Battery Products

• Backup config (Duke default — resilience + rate protection): Tesla Powerwall 3 (11.5 kW), FranklinWH aPower 2 (10 kW).
• Self-consumption config: Enphase IQ 5P (10 kWh), SolarEdge Home Battery (9.7 kWh usable), SolarEdge Nexis (self-consumption only pending crew backup training).
• No VPP eligibility to match — Indiana has no battery VPP, so config choice is about backup + self-consumption capacity, not program enrollment. Confirm config in the tool.

13. Objection Handling

Universal objections (swap in Duke figures) + Indiana-specific objections.

"I have net metering — why would I add a battery?" (IN-specific — cohort-dependent)

"The bigger reason at Duke is your rates. Duke has an approved 11% increase phasing in — a battery lets you lean on your own stored solar instead of buying more at that rising rate. If you installed after mid-2022 you're also on EDG, exporting at about 4 cents and buying back at 12, so there's a spread too. And if you're on the old netting from before mid-2022, it expires July 1, 2032. Either way you get backup after that 2023 derecho."

"Does the battery earn me money through a program?" (IN-specific — honest no-VPP)

"Not through a utility program — Indiana doesn't have the battery credit programs some states do. At Duke the real value is rate protection: your rates are going up 11% on an approved schedule, and a battery lets you use your own power instead of buying more at the higher rate. There's also a smaller export spread. But I'm not going to tell you there's a monthly check that isn't there."

"Why is the loan more than the system price?"

"The cash price is $17,000–18,500 depending on config. Service Finance adds dealer fees bringing the financed amount to about $22,068–23,942. Cash or a HELOC is cheaper if that's an option — Indiana doesn't have a state credit or rebate to offset it, so the savings come from the spread and the rate protection."

"What if I sell the house?"

"Resale asset — your closing equity pays off the loan, and the new owner inherits a fully-owned system with backup. Your netting cohort stays with the system, so a grandfathered NM II position can transfer. Top Tier's 10-year workmanship warranty transfers with written consent; the Align contract is non-transferable."

"What if my inverter fails after you install the battery?"

"If it fails within its manufacturer warranty, we handle the claim and the labor — you pay nothing for the work. If it's out of warranty, you'd pay for equipment, but we still handle the labor under our 10-year workmanship coverage. Either way you're not scrambling."

14. DO SAY / NEVER SAY

15. Reading the Bill — cohort → pitch

16. Required Disclosures

1. ☐ Savings are estimates; Duke rates + the EDG credit should be verified against current tariffs (EDG updates annually ~July 1; the ~11% increase is phasing in per Cause 46038).
2. ☐ 25-year projections are scenarios, not guarantees; depend on IURC rate cases.
3. ☐ Indiana net metering closed to new customers 7/1/2022 by statute (SEA 309); retail netting is grandfathered by cohort (NM I until 7/1/2047; NM II until 7/1/2032), then moves to EDG.
4. ☐ EDG credits exports below retail (~4.15¢ — lowest in IN — vs ~11–13.40¢ retail at Duke), netted instantaneously, updated annually. Duke retail figures are secondary; verify.
5. ☐ Indiana has no residential battery VPP, no utility battery rebate, and no state tax credit. No federal ITC after 12/31/2025.
6. ☐ Duke's approved ~11% rate increase (Cause 46038) is phasing in (~8% eff 2/27/2025, ~3% early 2026); the exact retail rate and customer charge should be verified against the current tariff.
7. ☐ Align Solar Protection is non-transferable; workmanship warranty transfer requires written consent; manufacturer warranties transfer per OEM terms; netting cohort transfers with the system.
8. ☐ Align coverage is contingent on inspection + age limits (panels <15 yr, inverters <7 yr); one of three coverage layers, not full coverage.
9. ☐ Backup duration depends on system sizing and load; whole-home indefinite backup is not implied.
10. ☐ Pricing confirmed in the tool before commitment.

17. Quick-Reference Numbers (dated — confirm before quoting)

• Net metering: closed 7/1/2022 (SEA 309, EDG for new installs)
• Grandfather cohorts: NM I → 7/1/2047; NM II → 7/1/2032 (statutory)
• Approved rate increase: ~11% phased (Cause 46038: ~8% eff 2/27/25 + ~3% early 2026) — the lead
• EDG export credit: ~4.15¢/kWh (Rider 54, lowest in IN, updated annually)
• Retail rate: ~11–13.40¢/kWh + ~$9.40/mo (secondary — verify)
• Retail−EDG spread: ~7–9¢ (secondary to the rate story)
• Battery VPP: none (Cat 3); state credit: none; utility rebate: none
• Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025
• Inverter replacement out-of-pocket: $3,500–5,000
• System takeover bundle: ~$11,800
• Default config: backup $18,500 / self-consumption $17,000

18. Sell Hard, Sell Honest — the standing rules

• Never coach tenure disqualification. The battery is a resale value-add; on sale the loan pays off, the buyer inherits a fully-owned system, and the netting cohort transfers with the system.
• Never claim all warranties transfer. Align is non-transferable; workmanship needs written consent; manufacturer per OEM terms.
• Never say "the net-metering cap filled" — Indiana closed it by statutory date (7/1/2022), not because a cap ran out.
• Never imply Indiana has a battery VPP or rebate — there's none; the value is rate protection + spread + resilience.
• Never lead Duke with the spread — its EDG is the lowest in Indiana; lead with the approved ~11% rate increase.
• Never quote Duke's retail rate or customer charge as hard verified numbers — they're secondary in our data; confirm first.
• Never quote the federal ITC (expired).
• Always confirm the install date — it sets the SEA 309 cohort and the pitch.