Top Tier — Indiana Battery Sales Reference

NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Company) · Northern Indiana

Sales reference for reps working NIPSCO territory. 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), and NIPSCO has the widest retail-to-export spread in the state — the two facts that shape the NIPSCO pitch.

What kind of market this is

NIPSCO is a post-net-metering market under Indiana's SEA 309, and it has the widest retail-to-export spread of any Indiana utility — which makes the self-consumption case the strongest in the state. 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, which is 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. NIPSCO has the widest spread in Indiana — retail is about $0.205/kWh (flat) while the EDG credit is about 4.97¢/kWh. That ~15.5¢ gap is the biggest in the state, so every kWh a battery lets you self-consume instead of exporting is worth the most here. This is the strongest self-consumption bill math in Indiana.
3. NIPSCO is retiring its coal fleet and rebuilding generation — Schahfer is already retired, Michigan City is next (2026–2028), replaced by wind, solar, and storage. That transition is recovered through rates, so NIPSCO's rates are on a documented upward trajectory.
4. There's a rare legacy Feed-In Tariff cohort to screen for — NIPSCO's old Rate 665 FIT (closed to new applicants) pays grandfathered customers ~15.6¢/kWh on production. A FIT customer is in a completely different position than an EDG customer, so screening for it first matters.

Your lead is the spread + rate protection + resilience. EDG means exports earn far less than retail, so a battery that self-consumes captures the biggest spread in Indiana; NIPSCO's coal-transition rate climb makes rate protection concrete; the 2032 grandfather cliff is a real clock; and northern Indiana's wind and winter storms make backup a genuine need. NIPSCO is one of the strongest self-consumption markets in the state because the spread is so wide.

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 you still have a big bill — and why it depends on when you went solar. Under Indiana's SEA 309 rules, most solar customers now export their surplus for a fraction of what they pay to buy power back — you send power to the grid at about 5 cents and buy it back at about 20. 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: This opener splits by cohort (see Cohort Map). EDG customers: the ~15.5¢ spread ($0.205 retail vs 4.97¢ EDG) is the leak, and it's the widest in Indiana. Grandfathered netting customers (NM II): no current leak, but the 7/1/2032 cliff is coming — lead rate protection + resilience + "lock in before the cliff." Objection — "I get credits for my solar." At the EDG rate, which is about a quarter of what you pay to buy it back — not full retail. That gap is what the battery closes, and at NIPSCO it's the biggest gap in the state.

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 northern Indiana knows storms. 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. Northern IN context: the May 16, 2025 wind storm knocked out ~84,600 NIPSCO customers; northern Indiana also gets hard winters, lake-effect snow, and ice that bring down lines. Objection — "We don't get many outages." Northern Indiana gets wind, ice, and winter storms every year — the 2025 wind event alone took out 84,000 NIPSCO homes.

The Solution

A battery keeps your power instead of selling it back cheap. Stores your daytime solar and uses it at night and during peak instead of buying at full retail — capturing the widest retail-to-export spread in Indiana.

• Self-consumption: "Use your stored solar in the evening instead of buying it back at four times what NIPSCO paid you for it."
• Backup: "Keeps your home running when the grid goes down AND captures that spread the rest of the time."

Monthly Cost Chart and Net Bill Breakdown render here.

Rep layer: First cure beat. The NIPSCO mechanism: retail ~$0.205 vs EDG ~4.97¢ = ~15.5¢ captured per self-consumed kWh, the widest in Indiana. No VPP at NIPSCO (or anywhere in IN) — the value is the spread, and NIPSCO's is the best. Screen for a legacy Rate 665 FIT customer first (see Market-Specific Plays) — their math is different.

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. NIPSCO rates are climbing as the utility retires coal and rebuilds generation — Schahfer's already gone, Michigan City is next, replaced by wind, solar, and storage, all recovered 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 that.

Rate Justification + Own vs Rent render here.

Rep layer: 25-year case: conservative 3%, moderate 5%, aggressive 7%. NIPSCO drivers: the coal-to-renewables transition (capital recovery) + the confirmed Rate 611 increase. For NM II customers, the 7/1/2032 cliff is the concrete rate-protection anchor. Note the statewide affordability backdrop (Gov. Braun / IURC pushback) tempers but doesn't reverse the trajectory. Objection — "Rates might not go up that much." NIPSCO is rebuilding its entire generation fleet — that's billions recovered through rates.

What you actually own. The savings hero — combined value: the widest-in-Indiana spread capture (or protected retail netting) + resilience + the takeover bundle.

• Self-consumption: "Maximizes bill savings by capturing Indiana's widest 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: NIPSCO combined value = the widest spread in IN + rate protection + resilience. No VPP, no rebate, no state credit anywhere in Indiana — the spread is the story, and NIPSCO's is the best. 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 ~15.5¢ spread on every exported kWh. 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. NIPSCO is rebuilding its whole generation fleet and rates are climbing to pay for it. Every month you wait is a month closer to higher rates with no hedge.

Rep layer: The coal transition is the documented driver. Don't manufacture a deadline — the rate climb is the honest urgency.

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) and whether they're a legacy Rate 665 FIT customer, which changes the pitch.
2. Customer reads and signs the service agreement. Walk through the key disclosures honestly — including the EDG buyback terms (exports credited at ~4.97¢, 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: NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Company) — regulated by the IURC, MISO Zone 6.
• Territory: Northern Indiana — the northern third of the state (Gary, Hammond, South Bend area, and northern counties).
• Market type: Post-net-metering under SEA 309 (EDG buyback), statutory grandfather cohorts, no battery VPP. Widest retail-to-export spread in Indiana.
• 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 (far below retail). Battery value: capture the spread (widest in IN at NIPSCO) + resilience + rate protection.

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 spread is the whole story (and NIPSCO's is the best): you export at ~4.97¢ but buy back at ~$0.205 — a ~15.5¢ gap, the widest of any Indiana utility. Every kWh the battery lets you self-consume instead of export is worth that spread. The EDG rate updates annually (NIPSCO files ~March 1, effective ~July 1 via Rider 689), computed as 1.25× the utility's average marginal price (IC 8-1-40-17) — so quote it as "about 5 cents, updated yearly."

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

1. The coal-to-renewables transition — NIPSCO retired the R.M. Schahfer coal units (done by 2023) and is retiring Michigan City Unit 12 (2026–2028 window), replacing them with ~906 MW wind, ~2,430 MW solar, and ~165 MW storage (2021 IRP). The capital cost of that rebuild is recovered through rates. This is the big driver.
2. The Rate 611 increase — the current residential rate ($0.205/kWh + $14/mo) reflects recent increases.
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 has cut utility rate-case asks (AES ~63%, Duke ~28%→~14%). This tempers the rate trajectory but doesn't reverse it — NIPSCO still has billions in generation rebuild to recover. Don't overclaim doom; do point to the documented transition.

Documented vs. speculation (say this right):

• ✅ "NIPSCO is retiring coal and rebuilding with wind, solar, and storage, recovered through rates" (documented)
• ✅ "NIPSCO has the widest retail-to-export spread in Indiana" (documented from tariffs)
• ✅ "OUCC data shows NIPSCO has the highest average residential bill in Indiana" (documented — use "highest average bill," not "highest rate")
• ❌ "Your bill will be $X by 2032" (speculation)

4. Bill Anatomy — Reading a NIPSCO Bill

Why an EDG customer still has a big bill even with solar. An EDG (post-2022) NIPSCO bill has:

1. The $14/mo customer charge — every month, solar or not.
2. Energy bought from NIPSCO at the ~$0.205/kWh flat retail rate — nighttime, cloudy, and evening hours when solar is fading.
3. An EDG export credit at ~4.97¢/kWh — your exported surplus credited at about a quarter of retail, netted instantaneously (not monthly).

The leak: you export surplus at ~5¢ but buy back at ~20¢ — losing ~15.5¢ on every kWh, the widest gap in Indiana. The battery fixes this by storing surplus for self-use (worth the full ~$0.205 avoided) instead of exporting it at ~5¢. For grandfathered NM II customers (until 7/1/2032): no current leak — the battery's value is resilience + protecting the netting position before the cliff.

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.
• Check for legacy Rate 665 FIT — if they're an old Feed-In Tariff customer earning ~15.6¢ on production, that's a completely different (and valuable) position — screen for it (see Plays).
• Note the flat rate — NIPSCO residential is flat (no TOU), so the battery's job is spread capture, not time arbitrage.

Seasonal shape (northern IN): hot, humid summers (AC load) and cold winters (heating, lake-effect snow, short daylight). A solar customer's production is lowest in the dark winter months when heating load is highest — so winter is when the grid-purchase exposure is worst. The battery's self-consumption value runs year-round (flat rate), and its resilience value concentrates in the summer-storm and winter-ice seasons.

5. The Savings Story — Worked 25-Year Analysis

The savings story is spread capture — and NIPSCO's ~15.5¢ spread is the widest in Indiana, so the self-consumption case is the strongest in the state.

Representative EDG customer: ~1,100 kWh/mo, ~$0.205 retail, ~4.97¢ EDG exports.

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

With battery — annual net cost (spread self-consumption; 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 — the savings are pure spread capture, but NIPSCO's ~15.5¢ spread makes them the strongest in the state. Rates flagged; the tool computes the customer's actual figure.

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

The Year-1 honesty script (NIPSCO version):

"Here's the honest math. Under Indiana's rules, you export your extra solar at about 5 cents but buy it back at about 20 — that's the widest gap of any utility in the state, and a battery that keeps your power instead of selling it back saves you that whole spread. Indiana doesn't have the battery credit programs some states do, so this is straight bill savings — but at NIPSCO's rates it's the best spread in Indiana. Your total with the loan may be roughly flat the first year, then pulls ahead fast as NIPSCO's rates climb to pay for all this new generation — plus you've got backup after that 2025 wind storm."

6. Pitch Framework — Archetypes

Archetype A — EDG customer (installed after mid-2022).

• On EDG, feeling the ~15.5¢ export-vs-retail spread.
• Fit: strongest in Indiana — the spread is the widest here.
• Opening: "You're exporting your extra solar at about 5 cents and buying it back at 20 — the biggest gap of any utility in Indiana. A battery keeps that power instead, and here it's worth more than anywhere else in the state."

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-2025 wind storm).

• Lived through the May 2025 wind storm or northern IN winters; values backup.
• Fit: strong.
• Opening: "That 2025 wind storm knocked out 84,000 NIPSCO homes, and northern Indiana winters do it every year. A battery keeps your essentials running through the next one."

7. Market-Specific Plays — the NIPSCO edge

PLAY 1 — The widest spread in Indiana (the NIPSCO differentiator). NIPSCO's ~15.5¢ retail-to-EDG spread ($0.205 retail vs 4.97¢ export) is the biggest of any Indiana utility. Every self-consumed kWh is worth more here than anywhere else in the state. Frame it: "Your export rate is a quarter of what you pay to buy power back — the biggest gap in Indiana — so keeping your own power is worth more here than in any other utility territory." This is the core NIPSCO sale.

PLAY 2 — Screen for the legacy Rate 665 FIT customer (before anything else). NIPSCO's old Feed-In Tariff (Rate 665, closed to new applicants) pays grandfathered customers ~15.6¢/kWh on their production (micro-solar, 5–10 kW). A FIT customer is earning far more than an EDG customer and is in a completely different economic position — so screen for it first. Ask: "Are you on an old feed-in tariff where NIPSCO pays you for everything you produce?" If yes, the battery pitch changes (they're not losing a spread the same way) — lead resilience + rate protection, not spread capture. Don't pitch a FIT customer as if they're on EDG.

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, honestly framed.

PLAY 4 — The coal-transition rate climb. NIPSCO is rebuilding its entire generation fleet (Schahfer retired, Michigan City next, replaced by wind/solar/storage), and that capital cost flows through rates. It's the documented driver behind NIPSCO having the highest average residential bill in Indiana — and the reason rate protection is concrete here.

8. Incentives & Programs

• Battery VPP — none (Category 3): NIPSCO has no residential battery VPP or storage incentive (nor does any Indiana utility). The value is spread capture + 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%.
• Legacy Rate 665 FIT: closed to new applicants — cannot be sold as available, only screened for on existing customers (see Plays).

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 Northern Indiana

Why outages happen here. Northern Indiana's grid faces:

• The May 16, 2025 wind storm — knocked out ~84,600 NIPSCO customers; the recent, concrete resilience anchor.
• Winter storms + lake-effect snow + ice — northern Indiana gets hard winters off Lake Michigan; ice loads lines and causes multi-day outages, and short winter daylight means solar-only customers have no power in an outage even during the day.
• Severe thunderstorms + derechos — Indiana sits in the derecho and severe-storm belt; summer wind events bring down lines.
• Tornadoes — Indiana gets tornadoes, including in the north.

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 2025 wind storm took out 84,000 homes up here, you know that's not hypothetical." Winter is the key framing in northern Indiana — an ice storm outage in January, with short daylight and heating load, is exactly when a solar-only system leaves you dark.

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

• What you rent: grid power on NIPSCO's climbing rates (coal-transition capital recovery), with exports credited at ~4.97¢ (a quarter of retail), and no protection when the grid fails.
• What you own (with the battery): your production, stored and used at today's locked cost, capturing the widest spread in Indiana — plus backup, plus (grandfathered) your protected retail netting until the cliff.
• Hidden costs avoided: the $11K takeover bundle + exposure to the rate climb + the ~15.5¢ spread on every kWh you'd otherwise keep exporting cheap.

12. Battery Products

• Backup config (NIPSCO default — resilience + self-consumption): 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 NIPSCO figures) + Indiana-specific objections.

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

"It depends when you went solar. If you installed after mid-2022, you're on EDG — exporting at about 5 cents, buying back at 20, and that's the widest gap in Indiana. A battery keeps that power instead. If you're on the old netting from before mid-2022, it expires July 1, 2032, so a battery locks in your independence before that. Either way you get backup after that 2025 wind storm."

"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. Your savings come from using your own stored power instead of buying it back at four times the price. At NIPSCO that spread is the biggest in the state, so the straight bill savings here are the best in Indiana — 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; NIPSCO rates + the EDG credit should be verified against current tariffs (EDG updates annually ~July 1).
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 (~4.97¢ vs ~$0.205 retail at NIPSCO), netted instantaneously, updated annually.
5. ☐ Indiana has no residential battery VPP, no utility battery rebate, and no state tax credit. No federal ITC after 12/31/2025.
6. ☐ Legacy Rate 665 Feed-In Tariff is closed to new applicants; existing FIT customers have different economics.
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)
• EDG export credit: ~4.97¢/kWh (Rider 689, eff 4/1/26, updated annually)
• Retail rate: ~$0.205/kWh flat + $14/mo (Rate 611)
• Retail−EDG spread: ~15.5¢ (widest in Indiana)
• Battery VPP: none (Cat 3); state credit: none; utility rebate: none
• Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025
• Legacy Rate 665 FIT: ~15.6¢/kWh production, 5–10 kW, closed (screen for it)
• 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 the spread + resilience.
• Never pitch a legacy Rate 665 FIT customer as if they're on EDG — screen for it; their math is different.
• Never quote the federal ITC (expired).
• Always confirm the install date — it sets the SEA 309 cohort and the pitch.