Top Tier — Kentucky Battery Sales Reference

Duke Energy Kentucky · Northern Kentucky (Cincinnati border)

Sales reference for reps working Duke Energy Kentucky. This is the deep reference — how to sell it up top, full utility detail below. The tool generates the customer proposal; this makes you the expert who can field any question.

What kind of market this is

Duke Energy Kentucky is a net-billing market with a live grandfathered 1:1 cohort. Customers who went solar before January 1, 2025 are locked into full-retail net metering (NM I) through roughly 2050. Customers who went solar on or after January 1, 2025 are on Net Metering II (NM II), where exports earn a lower avoided-cost credit.

Your lead in every KY conversation is long-term rate protection. Duke KY raised residential rates 9.61% effective October 2025 — one increase, on the record, that a customer can see on their own bills. Rates climb; the battery is how a customer stops renting their power at whatever the utility charges next and starts owning it. Short-term bill savings are real but moderate here; the 25-year rate-protection story is the spine.

Default configuration: backup-capable.

• Backup-capable: $18,500 cash / $23,942 financed / ~$228/mo (15-yr, 7.95%)
• 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 bill. You have solar, but if you went in recently, Duke credits the surplus you export at about 6 cents while you buy power back at 12 to 15. Every kWh you send out during the day and buy back at night, you lose that spread. Your panels are producing — you're just not capturing the full value. A battery captures it.

Rep layer: This is the opener for an NM II customer. Duke KY net billing: power used instantly offsets at the ~13–15¢ all-in retail rate; power exported is credited at 6.29¢ avoided cost. Sell low, buy high — that gap is the leak. Name it before they do. For an NM I grandfathered customer this beat does NOT apply — they get full retail on exports, so lead with the orphaned/inverter/backup beats and rate protection instead. Objection — "I get credits." Yes, at 6 cents, not the 13–15 you pay to buy it back.

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 and whether they've heard from them lately. Most haven't. This 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. You'll pick this up fully in the System Rescue section. 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. Your solar shuts off during an outage — it's an automatic safety cutoff so it doesn't backfeed the lines. A battery keeps your critical systems running, and with sun it recharges through a multi-day outage.

Rep layer: Renders ONLY for backup config. Kentucky context: Ohio Valley derechos and severe thunderstorms, winter ice storms (some of the longest-duration outages), the Dec 2021 tornado outbreak, mature tree canopy over aging distribution. Objection — "We don't get many outages." Respect it — if they genuinely don't value backup, sell self-consumption honestly. But in ice-storm country, most do.

The Solution

The battery cuts your bill — or protects it. Stores daytime solar, uses it at night. Instead of selling low and buying high, you keep the value.

• Self-consumption: "Maximize the value of the solar you already own — use it at night instead of buying it back at retail."
• Backup: "Does everything self-consumption does AND keeps your home running when the grid goes down."

Monthly Cost Chart and Net Bill Breakdown render here.

Rep layer: First cure beat — answers the bill-leak problem directly. Walk every line of the chart. In KY the spread is moderate (~7–8¢ all-in), so be honest: the bill savings are real but modest today, and grow as rates climb. For an NM I customer, reframe this beat as rate PROTECTION, not bill cut — they already have full retail.

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. Never say "everything transfers."

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 that isn't on the headline savings line."

The long game. Duke raised rates 9.61% this October, and the drivers behind it — fuel costs, the generation transition, grid investment — restart every rate case. A battery locks in the cost of your own energy against 25 years of that.

Rate Justification + Own vs Rent render here.

Rep layer: 25-year case: conservative 5%, moderate 7%, aggressive 9.6% (matching the actual Oct 2025 increase). All show real protection. Objection — "Rates might not go up that much." Point at the documented 9.61% — that already happened, it's on their bill.

What you actually own. The savings hero — combined 25-year value: rate protection + resilience + the takeover bundle.

• Self-consumption: "Maximizes your bill savings and rate protection. 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: KY net 25-yr value is moderate on spread (see the worked tables) — lead the combined story (protection + resilience + resale), not spread alone. No-backup disclosure fires ONLY for self-consumption config.

Urgency

Three clocks make acting now better than waiting.

The rate clock. Duke just raised rates 9.61%, and the freeze that some utilities have doesn't apply here — Duke files recurring cases. Every month you wait is a month closer to the next increase with no hedge. A battery installed now locks in today's cost of your own power.

Rep layer: KY has NO live battery incentive or VPP to create a program-deadline urgency (unlike GA's storage pilot or MD's grant). The honest urgency here is the rate trajectory itself — documented, recent, recurring. Do not manufacture a fake deadline.

The grandfather clock (NM I customers only). If you're on the pre-2025 grandfathered 1:1 rate, that's locked through about 2050 — and it transfers to a buyer when you sell. A battery protects and extends that advantage, and makes it a resale asset.

Rep layer: This beat applies ONLY to NM I grandfathered customers. For them the urgency is protecting/leveraging the locked-in rate (resilience + resale), not a bill cut. Don't run this beat for NM II customers — they never had 1:1.

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 — ties the Problem's inverter beat to a "why now." The takeover starts the day the battery goes in.

The Close

1. Verify credit. Run the credit check before moving to paperwork.
2. Customer reads and signs the service agreement. Walk through the key disclosures — don't skip or minimize. The year-1 cost handling needs the most care: "In Kentucky the spread is moderate, so your total monthly cost may be roughly flat or slightly up in the early years. The math improves as Duke raises rates, and dramatically after the loan is paid off. You're trading a roughly break-even start for long-term protection plus backup plus a new warranty."
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.
• ❌ 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. 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 Kentucky
• Territory: Northern Kentucky, the Cincinnati border counties (Boone, Kenton, Campbell and surrounding). Many of these reps also work Duke Energy Ohio across the river — Duke KY and Duke OH are different utilities under different state commissions with different rules. Do not carry Ohio's numbers across the river.
• Market type: Net-billing (NM II) with a live grandfathered 1:1 cohort (NM I).
• Default config: Backup-capable ($18,500 / $23,942 / ~$228). Self-consumption-only optional ($17,000 / $22,068 / ~$210).

2. Cohort Map — the most important section

There are two kinds of Duke KY solar customer, and you must know which one you're talking to before you pitch. Ask the sorting question first.

THE SORTING QUESTION: "When did you go solar — before or after January 2025?"

If they bought the home rather than installing the solar themselves, also ask "do you know roughly when the system was installed?" — because the grandfathering follows the system's install date, not the owner.

Cohort 1 — NM I Grandfathered (installed before January 1, 2025)

• What they have: Full-retail 1:1 net metering. Every kWh they export offsets a kWh they import, at the full retail rate. They keep this through ~January 1, 2050 (25 years from NM II's effective date — a common end date, not rolling from their install).
• What the battery does for them on the bill: Very little in direct spread savings — they're already getting full retail credit for exports, so there's no export gap to capture. Do not pitch big bill savings to an NM I customer. That would be dishonest and they'll know it.
• What to pitch: (a) Resilience — backup power through outages, which 1:1 net metering does nothing for. (b) Rate hedge they already own, protected — their 1:1 is a locked-in hedge against Duke's rate climb; the battery extends and protects that value. (c) The resale play (see §7) — their grandfathering transfers to a buyer, making the home more valuable.
• NEVER SAY to an NM I customer: "You're going to save a lot on your bill with a battery" (they won't — they already have full retail). "You might lose your net metering soon" (they're locked to ~2050 — don't manufacture a false cliff).

Cohort 2 — NM II Recent Install (installed on or after January 1, 2025)

• What they have: Net billing. They consume solar in real time at retail value, but exported surplus earns the avoided-cost credit of 6.29¢/kWh, well below the ~12–15¢ they pay to buy power back.
• What the battery does for them on the bill: Captures the spread — instead of exporting surplus at 6.29¢ and rebuying at retail, they store it and use it, keeping the difference. This is real but moderate (see Rate Reality — KY's spread is thinner than Indiana's because Duke KY's export credit is unusually generous).
• What to pitch: Long-term rate protection (the spine) + resilience co-equal + the self-consumption spread as the honest mechanical savings today, growing as rates climb.
• NEVER SAY to an NM II customer: "You might lose your net metering" (they never had 1:1 — there's nothing to lose; they're already on net billing). Don't use grandfathered-customer loss-framing on them.

Why this matters: an NM I customer and an NM II customer look identical until you ask when they went solar. Pitch the NM I customer big spread savings and you're wrong and they'll catch it. Pitch the NM II customer a "you're about to lose 1:1" scare and you're wrong the other direction. The sorting question is not optional.

3. Rate Reality + Why Rates Keep Climbing

All figures primary-source confirmed from the Duke KY tariff and KY PSC order — see the provenance note at the end.

The honest framing on the spread: it's moderate, not strong. KY's retail rate is normal (similar to Indiana), but Duke KY's export credit (6.29¢) is unusually generous — about 50% higher than Indiana's ~4.15¢. That's good for the customer but it means the self-consumption spread is thinner (~6–8¢ vs Indiana's ~8.85¢). So lead resilience and long-term rate protection co-equal with the spread. Note that self-consumption displaces the all-in rate (~13–15¢), not just the 12.24¢ base.

Documented rate history — why the rate-climb thesis is fact, not speculation:

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

1. Generation fleet transition — Duke KY is retiring older coal capacity and adding/contracting replacement generation; capital recovery flows to rates.
2. Grid modernization / infrastructure recovery — distribution investment recovered through base rates and riders.
3. Fuel-cost pass-through (FAC) — Duke KY's generation carries natural-gas exposure; fuel costs pass through the Fuel Adjustment Clause, so volatile gas prices show up on the bill.
4. Environmental compliance (ESM) — environmental surcharge recovers compliance capital.
5. Recurring rate cases — Duke KY files periodically; the 9.61% Oct 2025 case is the most recent, not the last.

Documented vs. speculation (say this right):

• ✅ "Duke raised rates 9.61% effective October 2025" (documented fact)
• ✅ "Duke's fuel costs pass through to your bill through the FAC" (documented mechanism)
• ❌ "Your bill will be $X by 2030" (speculation)
• ❌ "Rates will definitely double in 10 years" (overstated)

Stick to the documented 9.61% and the named drivers; let the customer draw the trajectory.

4. Bill Anatomy — Reading a Duke KY Bill

Why an NM II customer still has a bill even with solar. A recent (NM II) Duke KY customer's bill has three moving parts:

1. The $14.75 customer charge — fixed, every month, solar or not.
2. Energy they buy from Duke at the all-in rate (~13–15¢/kWh) — nighttime, cloudy days, any time their solar isn't covering the load in real time.
3. A credit for exported surplus at 6.29¢/kWh — the avoided-cost NM II rate.

The leak is in the gap between #2 and #3: every kWh they export at 6.29¢ and later buy back at ~13–15¢ costs them the ~7–8¢ difference. That's the money the battery keeps — instead of exporting at 6.29¢ and rebuying at retail, the battery stores it for the customer to use at retail value.

How to identify the cohort from the bill (the page-2 skill):

• NM I grandfathered: the bill shows exports credited at the full retail rate (1:1) — the export credit ¢ matches the retail energy ¢. If exports offset imports one-for-one, they're NM I.
• NM II recent: exports credited at the 6.29¢ avoided-cost rate, distinctly lower than the retail energy charge. If you see a separate low export-credit line (~6.29¢) against a ~12.24¢ energy charge, they're NM II.
• The sorting question confirms it — but the bill tells you too. Cross-check.

Seasonal shape (KY): Kentucky has real winter heating and summer cooling loads. A solar customer's bill is lowest in spring/fall (solar covers most load, mild temperatures) and highest in winter (short days, low solar, heating load overnight when solar produces nothing) and summer (AC load into the evening). The battery's value concentrates in those high-load shoulders — winter evenings especially, when solar has quit and heating runs.

5. The Savings Story — Worked 25-Year Analysis

The 25-year rate-protection table is the centerpiece of the KY pitch. A moderate spread today compounds into real money over 25 years of rising rates. Here is the worked math.

Representative NM II customer: ~1,000 kWh/mo, moderate solar export, ~$137/mo base bill today (before riders).

Without battery — annual bill, three rate-growth scenarios (anchored to the 9.61% Oct 2025 increase; conservative below it, aggressive matching it):

With battery — annual bill (self-consumption spread capture + rate hedge; modest today, growing as rates climb):

Cumulative 25-year comparison:

Note: KY's moderate spread makes these net-savings figures smaller than a wide-spread market like NIPSCO or CenterPoint — that's honest. The KY value case leans more on rate protection + resilience + the grandfather/resale plays than on raw spread. Don't inflate these numbers; the tool computes the customer's actual figure.

Break-even calendar (approximate, scenario-dependent):

The Year-1 honesty script:

"Here's the year-1 math, straight. Your Duke bill drops, but not to zero — with a moderate spread here, the savings are real but modest in the early years. Your loan payment means your total monthly outflow might be roughly flat or slightly up at first. Where this pays off is the trajectory: Duke just raised rates 9.6%, and every increase from here makes your stored power worth more while your neighbors pay the higher rate. Around the middle years your costs cross over, and after the loan's paid off you're saving while rates keep climbing. You're trading roughly break-even early years for [tool's 25-yr figure] in long-term protection — plus a brand-new 10-year workmanship warranty on a system that may have none, plus backup power."

This is the honest KY pitch — moderate today, protection over time. Do not oversell the early-year savings.

6. Pitch Framework — Archetypes

Archetype A — Recent solar owner (NM II), savings-curious.

• Went solar in 2025+, on net billing, watching the 9.61% increase land.
• Feels the export-vs-buyback gap; may not understand why their bill isn't lower.
• Rate-conscious, responds to the documented increase.
• Fit: strong. Lead the rate-protection trajectory, show the 25-year table, spread as honest mechanical savings, resilience co-equal.
• Opening: "You went solar to get off Duke's rate treadmill — but on your current setup you're still riding it every night and every cloudy day. Duke just raised rates almost 10%. Let me show you what owning your power looks like over the next 25 years."

Archetype B — Grandfathered NM I owner (pre-2025), resilience/legacy-minded.

• Locked into 1:1 through ~2050 — the best solar rate in the state.
• Already gets full retail; not motivated by bill savings.
• Values what they have; thinks about resilience and resale.
• Fit: strong, but a resilience + resale + protect-what-you-have pitch, NOT bill savings.
• Opening: "You're in the best position of any solar customer in Kentucky — you're locked into full-retail net metering through 2050. What you don't have is protection when the grid goes down, and a way to make that locked-in advantage a selling point if you ever move."

Archetype C — Home-buyer who inherited solar.

• Bought a house that already had solar; may not know the install date or rate class.
• The sorting question is critical — grandfathering follows the system's install date.
• Fit: depends on install date.
• Opening (if pre-2025): "Good news — the previous owner's net metering came with the house, and it's some of the best in the state. Let me show you how to protect it and add backup."

7. Market-Specific Plays — the KY edge

PLAY 1 — The grandfathering is a resale asset (the standout KY play). Duke KY's NM I grandfathering transfers with the home — it follows the system's install date, not the owner (confirmed in the KY PSC order: legacy rights apply regardless of whether the premises are sold or conveyed). For an NM I customer: "Your grandfathered 1:1 net metering is locked in through 2050 — and it stays with the house when you sell. A buyer inherits it. That makes your home more attractive than a comparable solar home stuck on the new net-billing rate. Add a fully-owned battery and you're selling a home with backup power and a locked-in rate hedge — that's a premium package." This is honest (the grandfathering genuinely transfers) and it turns "I might move" from an objection into a value-add.

PLAY 2 — The 9.61% increase as live proof. You rarely get a rate increase this fresh and specific. Duke KY raised residential rates 9.61% in October 2025. Don't speak in generalities about "rising rates" — name the number. It makes the rate-protection thesis concrete and recent.

PLAY 3 — Don't conflate the Peak Time Rebate. Duke KY has a Residential Peak Time Rebate (PTR) pilot — a demand-response bill credit for cutting usage during peak events. It is not a battery purchase incentive and there is no battery rebate in Kentucky (PowerPair is a North Carolina program only). If a customer mentions "the Duke rebate," clarify: PTR is a usage-reduction credit, not money toward a battery.

8. Incentives & Programs

• Battery rebate: None. Confirmed — Duke KY's tariff has no battery/storage rebate rider. PowerPair is North Carolina-only. Never imply one exists in KY.
• Peak Time Rebate (PTR) pilot: a demand-response bill credit for reducing usage during peak events — not a battery incentive (see Play 3).
• Federal ITC: Expired December 31, 2025. No federal credit for systems placed in service after. Do not quote 30%.
• Kentucky state tax credit: none for residential solar/storage.
• VPP status — Category 3 (not yet, but the trend is real): Duke KY has no battery virtual power plant program a customer can enroll in today. There's a thermostat demand-response program, but nothing battery-based. Honest framing: "There's no battery grid-earning program in Kentucky yet — but utility battery programs are expanding across the country, and a market like this is exactly where one could show up. Nothing to promise today, but a battery keeps you ready if it does." Never imply a KY battery VPP exists or is imminent.

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 KY-specific.

The Orphaned Solar Customer Problem. Many Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Why outages happen here. Northern Kentucky sits in the Ohio Valley, exposed to:

• Severe thunderstorms and derechos — high winds bring down lines through spring and summer; the region has seen widespread multi-day outages from wind events.
• Winter ice storms — the Ohio Valley gets ice, which loads lines and trees and causes some of the longest-duration outages (ice storms have historically knocked out Kentucky power for days).
• Tornado exposure — Kentucky is on the eastern edge of tornado activity; the Dec 2021 tornado outbreak caused catastrophic, prolonged outages in parts of the state.
• Aging distribution + tree cover — mature tree canopy over distribution lines means wind and ice reliably cause faults.

What a battery does — and the honest mechanism. When the grid goes down, grid-tied solar shuts off automatically (anti-islanding — it's a safety requirement so solar doesn't backfeed lines crews are working on). So a solar-only customer has no power in an outage even in daylight. A battery with backup capability keeps essential loads running — heat (critical in a KY winter ice storm), well pump, refrigerator, medical devices — and with solar, recharges through a multi-day outage.

How to pitch it honestly: don't promise whole-home indefinite backup unless the system is sized for it. The honest pitch: "A battery keeps your essentials — heat, fridge, water — running through an outage, and with your solar it can carry you through a multi-day event. In an ice storm that's the difference between staying in your home and leaving it."

(For an NM I grandfathered customer, resilience is the PRIMARY battery value — they get no bill-spread benefit, so the outage protection is the reason to buy.)

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

• What you rent: grid power at whatever rate Duke charges next — a cost that has only ever gone up, most recently 9.61%.
• What you own (with the battery): your production, stored and used on your schedule, at today's locked-in cost — value that grows every year rates climb.
• Hidden costs avoided: the $11K takeover bundle (diagnostics, warranty coordination, inverter-replacement path, monitoring) that would otherwise be out-of-pocket, plus exposure to future rate increases on the power you'd otherwise keep buying.

12. Battery Products

• Backup config (KY default — resilience + rate protection lead): Tesla Powerwall 3 (11.5 kW output) or FranklinWH aPower 2 (10 kW).
• Self-consumption config (lower-cost option for a savings-focused NM II customer): SolarEdge Home Battery (9.7 kWh usable), Enphase IQ 5P (10 kWh), SolarEdge Nexis (9.7 kWh usable, self-consumption only pending crew backup training).
• Config rule: batteries are matched to the customer's inverter and config in the tool — the picker prevents mismatches. Confirm the fit in the tool.

13. Objection Handling

Universal objections (swap in KY figures) + KY-specific objections.

"Will my monthly cost actually drop?"

"In Kentucky, honestly, it drops moderately in the early years — Duke's export credit here is actually pretty generous, which makes the buy-back gap smaller than in some states. Where it pays off is the trajectory: Duke just raised rates 9.6%, and every increase makes your stored power worth more. Plus you get backup and a new 10-year warranty on your system. I'd rather be straight with you than oversell the early savings."

"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 that bring the financed amount up to about $22,068–23,942. If you can pay cash or use a HELOC, those are cheaper."

"What if rates don't keep going up?"

"Duke just raised them 9.6% this October, and the drivers behind it — fuel costs, the generation transition, grid investment — aren't going away. Even if increases slow, you're protected. And the battery's other value — backup, the warranty takeover — doesn't depend on rates at all."

"What if I sell the house before the loan is paid off?"

"That's actually a reason to do it here. Your closing equity pays off the loan, and the new owner inherits a fully-owned system. And if you're on the grandfathered 1:1 rate, that transfers with the house — the buyer gets the best solar rate in the state. Top Tier's 10-year workmanship warranty transfers with written consent; the Align contract is non-transferable, but the seller got its benefit. You get a higher sale price."

"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 to find someone to service it."

"Can't I get someone else to service my old system?"

"Try — most won't quote an orphaned system, and the ones who will charge premium rates for inheriting liability. We do it because we're already integrating the battery, and we issue a new 10-year workmanship warranty after inspection. That's coverage you can't get elsewhere."

"Is there a rebate?" (KY-specific)

"Not in Kentucky, and I won't pretend there is. Duke's Peak Time Rebate is a usage-reduction credit, not money toward a battery, and PowerPair is a North Carolina program. The value here is long-term rate protection and resilience — both real."

"I have grandfathered 1:1 — why would I add a battery?" (KY-specific)

"You've got the best rate in the state and I won't tell you a battery beats it on the bill — it doesn't. What it does is two things your 1:1 can't: keep your lights on in an ice storm, and make your home more valuable when you sell, because your grandfathered rate transfers to the buyer. That's the pitch for you — resilience and resale, not bill savings."

"Why should I trust the rate-increase story?" (KY-specific)

"You don't have to trust me — look at your own bill. Duke raised the base rate from 11.16 to 12.24 cents this October, that's 9.61%, and it's on the public record. I'm not predicting a number; I'm showing you what already happened and letting you decide where it goes."

14. DO SAY / NEVER SAY

15. Reading the Bill — cohort → pitch

16. Required Disclosures

1. ☐ Savings are estimates based on the customer's usage and system; actual results vary.
2. ☐ 25-year projections are scenarios, not guarantees; depend on future rate cases.
3. ☐ No federal ITC for systems placed in service after 12/31/2025.
4. ☐ No battery rebate exists in Kentucky.
5. ☐ NM I grandfathering runs to ~1/1/2050 (25 years from NM II effective date); NM II is the current rate for new installs.
6. ☐ Export credit (NM II) is 6.29¢/kWh, subject to change at future rate cases.
7. ☐ Align Solar Protection is non-transferable; workmanship warranty transfer requires written consent; manufacturer warranties transfer per OEM terms.
8. ☐ Align coverage is contingent on inspection + age limits (panels <15 yr, inverters <7 yr); it is 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. ☐ Financed amount exceeds cash price due to dealer fees; break-even is scenario-dependent.
11. ☐ Pricing confirmed in the tool before commitment.

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

• Retail (base): 12.24¢/kWh (eff. 10/2/2025)
• All-in retail: ~13–15¢/kWh
• NM II export credit: 6.29¢/kWh
• Spread: ~5.95¢ base / ~7–8¢ all-in (moderate)
• Customer charge / min bill: $14.75/mo
• Recent rate increase: 9.61% (Oct 2025)
• NM I → NM II boundary: Jan 1, 2025
• NM I grandfather end: ~Jan 1, 2050
• Battery rebate: none
• Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025
• Inverter replacement out-of-pocket: $3,500–5,000
• System takeover bundle: ~$11,800
• Rescue value: $4,000–7,500+
• 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 is paid off and the buyer inherits a fully-owned system. In KY the grandfathering transfers too — moving is a reason to buy, not a reason to skip.
• Never claim all warranties transfer. Align is non-transferable; workmanship needs written consent; manufacturer per OEM terms.
• Never quote upside that isn't earned. No battery rebate in KY. No federal ITC after 2025. No battery VPP yet. Don't invent any of them.
• Never oversell the spread. KY's spread is moderate. Lead resilience and rate protection co-equal; the spread is the honest mechanical layer, not a big-savings headline.
• Never oversell backup. Match the resilience claim to the system sizing.
• Always ask the sorting question. When did they go solar — before or after January 2025? The whole pitch depends on it.