Top Tier — Maryland Battery Sales Reference

BGE (Baltimore Gas & Electric) · Baltimore & Central Maryland

Sales reference for reps working BGE territory. This is the deep reference — how to sell it up top, full utility detail below. BGE (an Exelon company) serves Baltimore and central Maryland — about 1.3 million electric customers at roughly 21¢/kWh all-in, climbing on an approved multi-year rate plan. Maryland is a THREAT-DOCUMENTED market: the 2026 Utility RELIEF Act (Ch. 353) ended indefinite net metering — existing customers keep NEM only for a term the Commission will set (nobody knows how long yet), and new solar after July 1, 2027 never gets NEM at all. That's a real, citable threat — press it as hard as the facts support, with precision. And one discipline above all: a battery added the WRONG way could jeopardize the very grandfathering we're helping the customer protect. Maryland has a two-track configuration rule — export-capable when we're confident PTO and paperwork complete before July 1, 2027 (that bakes export capability, and the option to join a future VPP, into the customer's grandfathered baseline), non-export by default otherwise — and every rep follows it.

What kind of market this is

BGE is a threat-documented net-metering market with a documented rate climb — the battery is a hedge against an undetermined grandfathering term, a rate hedge, a backup, and a takeover, sold with a structuring discipline. Five defining facts:

1. Net metering's guaranteed era ended in May 2026 — the threat is real and citable. Maryland's Utility RELIEF Act (2026 Md. Laws Ch. 353, HB 1532) rewrote the rules: customers on NEM as of July 1, 2027 keep it "for a length of time determined by the Commission through regulations" — no statutory floor, no fixed number, genuinely undetermined. New solar interconnected after July 1, 2027 never gets NEM — it goes to a successor program the PSC is designing now. The PSC's stakeholder proceeding (PC 78) opened May 2026; its report on existing-customer terms is due December 15, 2026, the framework by February 1, 2027.
2. Nobody loses net metering today — precision matters. Existing customers keep full retail 1:1 right now, including the indefinite credit rollover election (2023 law — still true). What changed is the eligibility term: it used to be effectively indefinite; it's now finite with the length TBD. Don't say "Maryland is taking away net metering" — say "how long you keep it is no longer guaranteed; the Commission decides, and the proceeding is running right now."
3. THE MD CONFIGURATION RULE (two-track, non-negotiable): the law terminates grandfathered status on, among other things, "a new interconnection agreement" or an increase in "AC output capacity" — undefined terms the PSC hasn't interpreted, with the implementing rules due February 1, 2027. The statute's timing: grandfathering attaches to whoever is under a NEM contract on July 1, 2027, and the triggers read as events that end it afterward — so what's installed and papered before that date is simply the baseline the customer grandfathers with. Two tracks follow. Track A — export-capable: when PTO and all interconnection paperwork will complete comfortably before July 1, 2027, install export-capable — it bakes export capability into the grandfathered baseline and preserves the customer's option to join a future VPP without post-grandfathering reconfiguration (which is exactly the kind of change that could trip the undefined triggers later). Track B — non-export, no AC-output increase: the default whenever pre-deadline completion isn't confident, and for all installs after the ops cutover date or after July 1, 2027, until the PSC's rules say otherwise. The Track-A confidence bar is a hard ops call with buffer — a new interconnection agreement slipping past July 1, 2027 is a literal statutory trigger, and that timeline slip is the real risk.
4. The rate climb is approved and stepping. BGE's second multi-year plan (Case 9692) locked ~$408M of increases across 2024–26, with the Year-3 reconciliation adding more in December 2025. All-in is already ~21¢/kWh — among the highest in our Maryland territories.
5. Baltimore knows multi-day outages. The June 2012 derecho put ~430,000 BGE customers out at its peak — over 762,000 customer-outages across nine days of restoration. Grid-tied solar shuts off when the grid goes down.

Your lead is the honest threat + the rate climb. The NEM term threat is documented, current, and citable down to the docket and the dates — press it precisely. The rate climb is approved, not speculative. The battery is the hedge on both — structured right.

Default configuration: confirm per the two-track rule. Backup-capable remains the value default given the outage history — but in Maryland, configuration is set by the two-track rule first (Track A: export-capable, only on a confident pre-July-2027 PTO timeline; Track B: non-export, no AC-output increase, otherwise), then backup/self-consumption within it.

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

Confirm pricing, configuration, and the interconnection path in the tool before quoting.

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

The spine is multiple beats per section: 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

The rules under your solar just changed — and the biggest number is now blank. In May 2026, Maryland ended guaranteed net metering. If you're on net metering by July 1, 2027, you keep it — but only "for a length of time determined by the Commission." That length doesn't exist yet. The Public Service Commission is deciding it right now, with a report due this December. Your solar's economics rest on a term nobody — not BGE, not the state, not anyone — can tell you today.

Rep layer: The Maryland opener — the honest threat, precise. Citations: 2026 Md. Laws Ch. 353 (HB 1532, the Utility RELIEF Act, signed May 12, 2026); grandfathering language at §7-306(d)(5) as enacted; PSC proceeding PC 78 (convened May 14, 2026); PSC report on existing-customer terms due Dec 15, 2026; framework due Feb 1, 2027; successor program begins July 1, 2027. Precision guard: existing customers keep NEM today — the threat is the undetermined term, not imminent loss. Objection — "They'd never cut existing customers." Maybe — but that's now a bet on an open regulatory proceeding, not a guarantee. The term used to be indefinite; the legislature deliberately made it the Commission's call.

Your rates keep climbing on an approved plan. BGE's multi-year rate plan locked in increases through 2026 — roughly $408 million — and the reconciliation added more last December. You're already paying about 21 cents all-in. Your solar offsets your usage, but every kilowatt-hour you still buy rides the plan.

Rep layer: Rate-climb beat: MYP-2 (Case 9692, Order 90948, Dec 2023) ~$408M combined 2024–26 (+$4.08/mo electric in 2024); Year-3 reconciliation (Case 9748, Dec 22, 2025) granted $77.2M of the $152M sought (+72¢/mo). All-in ~21¢ (SOS ~12.5¢ + distribution ~4.9¢ + transmission ~2.3¢ + EmPOWER ~1.3¢; customer charge $10.00). Never claim a court threw out BGE's current plan — the live plan was approved and trimmed; the old first-MYP litigation is unresolved and not rep material. Objection — "My solar covers my bill." It offsets usage; it doesn't shield the price of what you still buy, and it's worth nothing in an outage.

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 at the end of 2025. If something goes wrong, there's no one accountable. You own the system and the risk.

Rep layer: Standard orphaned-system beat. Ask who installed it and whether they'd answer a service call. Objection — "My installer's still around." Would they answer 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: Standard inverter beat. SolarEdge ~12-yr warranty, real failure 8–15 yrs; Enphase 25-yr, real issues 10–20. 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 Baltimore has lived the nine-day outage. Your solar shuts off during an outage — anti-islanding, a safety cutoff. The 2012 derecho blacked out hundreds of thousands of BGE homes, some for most of nine days. A battery keeps your critical systems running — and with sun, it recharges through a multi-day outage.

Rep layer: Renders ONLY for backup config. BGE context: June 2012 derecho ~430,000 out at peak, >762,000 customer-outages across ~9 days of restoration (the marquee anchor); Feb 2025 wind >79K; Aug 2024 ~30K Baltimore. Objection — "We don't lose power that often." Nine days is the number this city remembers.

The Solution

A battery hedges the blank term and the climbing rate — structured so it never touches your grandfathering. Stores your daytime solar and uses it at night instead of buying at BGE's rate. Whatever term the Commission sets, a battery means more of your power never depends on the export rules at all — and we configure and paper the installation specifically so the addition doesn't disturb your net-metering status.

• Self-consumption: "Whatever the Commission decides your term is, your stored solar is yours — no export rules involved."
• Backup: "Does all of that, and keeps your home running when the grid goes down."

Monthly Cost Chart and Net Bill Breakdown render here.

Rep layer: First cure beat — the two-sided hedge: (1) rate hedge against the approved MYP climb; (2) term hedge — self-consumed energy is independent of whatever NEM term the PSC sets. THE MD CONFIGURATION RULE renders here in practice: Track A (export-capable) when PTO + paperwork confidently complete before July 1, 2027 — export capability and VPP optionality baked into the grandfathered baseline (BGE's pilot is pending at the PSC right now); Track B (non-export, no AC-output increase, written BGE interconnection-desk confirmation of how the add is papered) otherwise and after the ops cutover. DC-coupled additions remain the cleanest hardware profile on Track B; AC-coupled works on either track per configuration. NEVER say the battery "locks in" or "protects" grandfathering unconditionally — say "properly structured, it doesn't jeopardize it, and it hedges the term."

(BACKUP ONLY) It keeps your home running when the grid goes down. Powers your essentials — heat, fridge, sump pump, medical devices — through an outage, and with daytime sun, recharges to carry you through a multi-day event.

Rep layer: The resilience cure beat. Size expectations honestly (essentials, not necessarily whole-home indefinite).

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. 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."

And Maryland still helps you pay for it — if we file first. Maryland's storage grant (RCES) covers 30% of the battery cost up to $5,000 — but it's a reserve-first program: we secure your Reservation Certificate from the Maryland Energy Administration before any work begins, or you can't qualify. The current funding year is closed; the next opens with the new fiscal year — we get you in the queue.

Rate Justification + Own vs Rent render here.

Rep layer: RCES (MEA Residential & Commercial Energy Storage Grant): 30% capped $5,000 residential. TWO-STEP, RESERVATION FIRST — Reservation Certificate BEFORE install (no work may begin first), Completion Certificate within 180 days. FY26 CLOSED (~76% reserved by May 2026); FY27 anticipated summer 2026 — exact date/budget unconfirmed; frame as "we get you positioned for the next window," never promise the grant. The old "post-install reimbursement" framing was WRONG — a customer who installs without a reservation may not qualify. State storage tax credit is DEAD (ended TY2024, repealed 7/1/2025) — never quote it. Federal ITC expired 12/31/2025 — never quote it. Solar sales-tax and property-tax exemptions are active but the statutes don't name batteries — don't promise battery tax treatment.

What you actually own. The savings hero — combined value: the term hedge + the rate hedge + resilience + the takeover bundle.

• Self-consumption: "Hedges the undetermined term and BGE's climb, maximizes what your solar is worth. Does not provide backup — ask about the upgrade."
• Backup: "Does all of that, plus keeps your critical loads running in an outage."

Rep layer: BGE combined value = term hedge + rate hedge + resilience + takeover + RCES positioning. BGE's VPP pilot (Case 9761, DRIVE Act) is PENDING — positioning only ("BGE has a battery VPP pilot in front of the Commission — owning the hardware positions you"), never quote income. No-backup disclosure fires ONLY for self-consumption config.

Urgency

The clocks here are real, statutory, and citable — press them precisely.

The July 1, 2027 line. If you're on net metering by July 1, 2027, you're grandfathered for whatever term the Commission sets. After that date, new solar never gets net metering at all. And for adding a battery to existing solar, the cleanest window is before that date too — the law's termination triggers read as events that end grandfathered status after it begins, so an addition completed and papered before July 1, 2027 leaves you cleanly on net metering on the qualifying date — with your battery's full configuration baked into the baseline you keep.

Rep layer: The statutory clock — real, citable (Ch. 353; §7-306(d)(5); successor program begins 7/1/2027). Two audiences: (a) NEW solar+battery prospects — hard cutoff, on NEM by 7/1/2027 or never; (b) EXISTING-solar retrofits — the pre-7/1/2027 window is when configuration freedom is greatest: complete and paper the addition before the date and it's the baseline the customer grandfathers with, export capability included (Track A — VPP optionality). After the window or on tight timelines, Track B until the PSC rules say otherwise. The timing reading is ours, not yet the PSC's — the Feb 1, 2027 framework is the mandatory checkpoint.

The Commission's calendar. The PSC's report on how long existing customers keep net metering is due December 15, 2026, and the full framework by February 1, 2027. Once those land, the uncertainty resolves — in whatever direction it resolves. A battery installed now is hedged before the answer comes.

Rep layer: The regulatory clock: PC 78 working-group draft Oct 27, 2026 → PSC report Dec 15, 2026 → framework Feb 1, 2027. Honest framing: we don't know if the term will be generous or tight — that's exactly the point; the battery hedges the not-knowing.

The RCES window. The state's $5,000 storage grant works on a reserve-first queue, and the last funding year hit capacity. When the next window opens, reserved customers get funded; everyone else waits another year.

Rep layer: Real program clock — FY26 closed at ~76% reserved by May; FY27 anticipated summer 2026. Position, don't promise.

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 with no service relationship to handle it.

Rep layer: Universal urgency beat.

The Close

1. Verify credit + confirm the configuration track. Run the credit check; confirm Track A (export-capable — only if ops confirms PTO confidently beats July 1, 2027) or Track B (non-export, no AC-output increase), and the BGE interconnection path.
2. Customer reads and signs the service agreement. Walk through the disclosures honestly — including that their NEM term is undetermined (not lost), the structuring discipline, the RCES reservation-first process, and that there's no state credit or federal ITC anymore.
3. Complete the Welcome Call. Finalizes the sale and sets expectations for installation — including the interconnection-desk confirmation before work begins.

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: Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) — an Exelon company, Maryland's largest utility. Regulated by the Maryland PSC.
• Territory: Baltimore City plus Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Carroll, and Harford counties, with parts of Prince George's, Montgomery, and Calvert. Roughly 1.3 million electric customers. PJM BGE zone.
• Market type: THREAT-DOCUMENTED net metering (2026 law made the grandfathering term Commission-determined; July 1, 2027 statutory cutoff for new NEM) + approved multi-year rate climb + structuring-rule discipline on every battery add.
• Default config: two-track rule first (Track A export-capable on confident pre-July-2027 PTO; Track B non-export, no AC-output increase, written interconnection confirmation), then backup ($18,500 / $23,942 / ~$228) or self-consumption ($17,000 / $22,068 / ~$210) within it.

2. How the BGE Bill Works

1. Supply: most residential customers take BGE Standard Offer Service (SOS) — currently ~12.5¢/kWh — or shop competitively.
2. Delivery: customer charge $10.00/mo, distribution ~4.9¢/kWh, transmission ~2.3¢, EmPOWER Maryland surcharge ~1.3¢. All-in: roughly 21¢/kWh.
3. Net metering today: full retail 1:1 monthly netting. At the annual true-up (end of April), leftover excess is cashed out at the generation/commodity rate (not retail) — or residential customers may elect indefinite credit rollover instead (the 2023 Net Metering Flexibility Act). That rollover election is still true and still valuable — it is about crediting, and it is not the same thing as the eligibility term the 2026 law made finite.

Why this matters for the pitch: every kWh the battery self-supplies avoids ~21¢ — and is independent of whatever the Commission decides about the NEM term. The rollover/term distinction is the precision that keeps the pitch honest.

3. Net Energy Metering — The Documented Threat (and the discipline that comes with it)

Maryland ended guaranteed net metering in May 2026. The threat is real, current, and citable — and it comes with a structuring discipline for every battery we add.

What the law did (2026 Md. Laws Ch. 353, the Utility RELIEF Act):

• Customers under a NEM contract on July 1, 2027 remain eligible "for a length of time determined by the Commission through regulations" (§7-306(d)(5) as enacted). No statutory floor. No fixed number. Genuinely undetermined.
• New solar interconnected after July 1, 2027 never gets NEM — it goes to a successor program the PSC is designing (framework due Feb 1, 2027; program begins July 1, 2027).
• The PSC's proceeding is live: PC 78 (convened May 14, 2026); working-group draft due Oct 27, 2026; PSC report on existing-customer terms due Dec 15, 2026.

What grandfathered status can be terminated by (the statute's own list): decommissioning; adding PV modules that increase net power injection; increasing "AC output capacity" above original; entering "a new interconnection agreement"; or repowering (>80% of PV modules replaced). The bolded two are undefined and uninterpreted — and they are why the configuration rule exists.

THE MD CONFIGURATION RULE (every MD battery add — two-track):

1. The timing principle: the statute grandfathers whoever is under a NEM contract on July 1, 2027 — unconditionally — and its termination triggers read as events that end grandfathered status after it begins. What's installed and papered before that date is the baseline the customer grandfathers with. (The PSC's implementing rules land February 1, 2027 — five months before the qualification date — so the final answer arrives with time to adjust.)
2. Track A — export-capable (when timing is confident): if PTO and any new interconnection agreement will complete comfortably before July 1, 2027, install export-capable. Why: export capability papered into the pre-deadline baseline preserves the customer's option to join a future battery VPP (BGE's pilot is pending at the PSC right now) without post-grandfathering reconfiguration — reconfiguring later is exactly the kind of new-paperwork event that could trip the undefined triggers at the worst time.
3. Track B — non-export, no AC-output increase (the default otherwise): when pre-deadline completion isn't confident, or for any install after the ops cutover date or after July 1, 2027 (until the PSC's rules say otherwise): non-export configuration, no increase in AC output capacity versus the original interconnection, and written confirmation from BGE's interconnection desk on how the addition is papered. This configuration trips none of the statute's named triggers under any reading.
4. The checkpoint: when the PSC framework publishes (due February 1, 2027), ops reassesses every in-flight install. If the rules turn hostile to export additions, in-flight Track-A installs reconfigure to non-export before July 1 — reducing export is not an "increase" under any trigger.
5. The real Track-A risk is the calendar: a new interconnection agreement that slips past July 1, 2027 is a literal statutory trigger. The confidence bar is a hard ops call with buffer set from BGE's actual interconnection queue times — never a sales hope. (Whether VPP enrollment will require export-configured interconnection versus program-side handling is on the PC 78 watch list — until known, Track A's pitch is optionality, never VPP income.)

The rep move — the honest two-sided pitch:

• The threat, precisely: "Nobody's taking your net metering today. What the 2026 law took was the guarantee — how long you keep it is now the Commission's call, and they're deciding right now, with a report due in December."
• The battery, precisely: "A properly-structured battery doesn't touch your grandfathering — we configure it non-export and confirm the paperwork with BGE before work begins — and it hedges the term: whatever the Commission decides, your stored solar is yours."
• Never: "Maryland is taking away net metering" (false today) / "the battery locks in your grandfathering" (overclaim — structuring-dependent) / any promise about what term the PSC will set.
• See the "Net Metering & Grandfathering Status" section for the cited cohort detail; the flag for BGE is THREAT-DOCUMENTED.

4. Rate Reality + Why Rates Climb

What's driving BGE rates up (named forward drivers):

1. The approved multi-year plan. MYP-2 (Case 9692) locked increases through 2026; the December 2025 reconciliation added $77.2M more. This is approved, stepping, and on bills.
2. PJM capacity costs. Regional capacity prices flow into SOS supply at every procurement.
3. Distribution/gas infrastructure spend. Cumulative BGE distribution increases since 2020 run roughly +30% (per the Office of People's Counsel — advocacy source, direction solid; use the direction, not a precise figure).

Documented vs. speculation (say this right):

• ✅ "Your grandfathering term is now the Commission's call — the report is due December 15" (documented, cited)
• ✅ "July 1, 2027 is the statutory cutoff — new solar after that never gets net metering" (documented)
• ✅ "BGE's rate plan is approved through 2026 and the reconciliation added more" (documented)
• ❌ "Maryland is taking away your net metering" (false today — the term is undetermined, not revoked)
• ❌ "The Commission will cut you to X years" (nobody knows — that's the point)
• ❌ "The battery guarantees your grandfathering" (structuring-dependent — never unconditional)

5. Incentives & Programs

• RCES storage grant (MEA): 30% of cost, capped $5,000 residential. Reserve-first, two-step: Reservation Certificate BEFORE any work begins, Completion Certificate within 180 days. FY26 closed (~76% reserved by May 2026); FY27 anticipated summer 2026 (date/budget unconfirmed). Position customers for the window; never promise the grant; never start work before the reservation.
• SRECs: Maryland solar earns SRECs; systems placed in service July 1, 2024 – Jan 1, 2028 on rooftops/canopies/brownfields earn Certified SRECs at 1.5× compliance value (Brighter Tomorrow Act 2024, §7-709.1) — recent prices ~$40 standard / ~$57.50 certified, with the compliance-price schedule stepping down through 2028, so don't project current prices forward. (Program endpoint has a Jan-vs-July 2028 ambiguity in PSC materials — verify for any 2028 install.)
• State storage tax credit: DEAD (ended TY2024; repealed July 1, 2025). Never quote it.
• Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025. Never quote 30%.
• Tax treatment: solar sales-tax and property-tax exemptions are active (§11-230; §7-242) but neither statute names batteries — don't promise battery tax treatment. County solar property credits exist in places (Anne Arundel $2,500; PG $5,000 FCFS; Baltimore County waitlisted years out) — solar-named, funds-permitting; never guarantee.
• BGE VPP pilot (Case 9761, DRIVE Act): PENDING — not enrollable. Positioning only: "BGE has a battery VPP pilot in front of the Commission — owning the hardware positions you if it's approved." Never quote income. (PeakRewards is thermostat/AC demand response — not a battery program.)
• EmPOWER Maryland: an efficiency surcharge on every bill (~1.3¢) — a rate-pressure line item, not a battery program.

6. 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.

7. Outage Reality — Resilience in BGE Territory

Why outages happen here. Baltimore's marquee event is the one the whole region remembers:

• The June 2012 derecho: ~430,000 BGE customers out at the peak — more than 762,000 customer-outages across roughly nine days of restoration.
• February 2025 wind: >79,000 out. August 2024: ~30,000 in the Baltimore area.
• Dense tree canopy, aging urban-suburban distribution, and summer convective storms.

What a battery does — and the honest mechanism. Grid-tied solar shuts off automatically in an outage (anti-islanding), so a solar-only customer has no power even in daylight. A battery with backup keeps essential loads — refrigerator, heat circulation, sump pump, medical devices, connectivity — running, and recharges from solar through a multi-day event.

How to pitch it honestly: don't promise whole-home indefinite backup unless sized for it. "A battery keeps your essentials running through an outage, and with your solar it carries you through a multi-day event — and this city has done nine days in the dark inside recent memory."

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

• What you rent: grid power on an approved climbing plan (~21¢ and stepping), export economics whose term is now an open regulatory question — and no protection when the grid fails.
• What you own (with the battery): your production, stored and used on your side of the meter — independent of the rate plan and of whatever term the Commission sets; backup for the storms; and the full value of the net metering you keep, structured so the addition never disturbs it.
• Hidden costs avoided: the $11K takeover bundle + exposure to the approved climb + the cost of every multi-day outage (spoiled food, sump-pump failure, hotel nights).

9. Battery Products

• The two-track rule first (Maryland-specific): on Track A (confident pre-July-2027 PTO), any catalog battery installs export-capable — the configuration grandfathers with the customer. On Track B, DC-coupled additions (SolarEdge Home Battery or Nexis behind an existing compatible inverter) are the cleanest profile — no new AC capacity; AC-coupled units (Tesla Powerwall 3, FranklinWH aPower 2, Enphase IQ 5P) run certified non-export/limited-export controls with no AC-output increase at the point of common coupling — plus the written interconnection confirmation.

• Backup config: Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh; Redline: $20,500), FranklinWH aPower 2 (15 kWh; Redline: $20,500) — configured per the rule. Not compatible with HDM.

• Self-consumption config: Enphase IQ 5P (10 kWh; Redline: $15,500 SC / $17,600 BU), SolarEdge Home Battery (9.7 kWh usable; Redline: $14,500 SC / $16,000 BU), SolarEdge Nexis (self-consumption only pending crew backup training; Redline: $15,500 SC).

• BGE takeaway: hardware choice in Maryland is a compliance decision before a preference decision. Confirm config and the interconnection path in the tool.

• Financing terms vary by lender — price deals through the proposal tool.

10. Objection Handling

Universal objections (swap in BGE figures) + Maryland-specific objections.

"I heard Maryland is ending net metering — is my solar worthless now?" (MD-specific — the precise-threat answer)

"No — and let's be precise, because precision matters here. Nobody is taking your net metering today; you have full retail 1:1 right now. What the 2026 law changed is the guarantee: how long you keep it used to be indefinite, and now it's a term the Public Service Commission will set — they're deciding right now, with a report due in December. Nobody can tell you that number today. That's exactly why a battery makes sense: whatever they decide, the power you store and use yourself doesn't depend on their answer."

"If the rules are this uncertain, shouldn't I wait until the Commission decides?" (MD-specific — the hedge logic)

"Waiting means staying fully exposed while the answer gets written. The report lands December 15 and the framework February 1 — and once it's decided, it's decided, in whatever direction. A battery installed now is hedged before the answer comes. And there's a practical window: additions completed before July 1, 2027 sit cleanest under the law's timing, and the state's $5,000 storage grant works on a reserve-first queue we'd want you in when it opens."

"Will adding a battery mess up my grandfathering?" (MD-specific — the structuring answer; expect this from informed customers)

"That's exactly the right question, and here's the straight answer. The law lists things that end grandfathered status, and two of them are vague — so configuration and timing matter, and we've engineered the install around both. Done before July 2027, whatever we install and paper is simply the system you qualify with on the date that counts — and when we're confident of that timing, we set your battery up export-capable, so you keep the option to join a utility battery program later without touching your status. If the timing's tight, we configure non-export instead, so the addition trips nothing on the law's list under any reading. And the Commission's final rules land in February — months before the deadline — so if anything changes, we adjust before it matters. I won't call it guaranteed; nobody honestly can until those rules publish. But I'll tell you this: nobody else selling batteries in Maryland has thought about your grandfathering this carefully."

"Does the battery earn me money through a program?" (MD-specific — honest pending-VPP)

"Not today — and I won't quote you a check that doesn't exist. BGE has a battery VPP pilot in front of the Commission right now; if it's approved, owning the hardware is what positions you for it. What's real today: the state's storage grant — 30% up to $5,000 — if we reserve your spot before installing, which is exactly how we do it."

"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. The state storage credit ended and the federal credit expired — what's live is the RCES grant if we reserve before install, plus the SREC income your solar already earns."

"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. Top Tier's 10-year workmanship warranty transfers with written consent; the Align contract is non-transferable. One Maryland note: grandfathered net-metering status follows the system, not you — which makes a properly-papered system a cleaner asset at sale."

11. DO SAY / NEVER SAY

12. Required Disclosures

1. ☐ Savings are estimates; BGE rates change through PSC proceedings (approved multi-year plan in effect) — verify against current rates.
2. ☐ Net-metering eligibility today is full retail 1:1; under 2026 Md. Laws Ch. 353, the grandfathering term for customers on NEM as of July 1, 2027 will be set by the PSC through regulations and is currently undetermined (PSC report due Dec 15, 2026). New systems interconnected after July 1, 2027 are not eligible for NEM.
3. ☐ The battery configuration follows the Maryland two-track rule: export-capable only where PTO and interconnection paperwork are confidently completed before July 1, 2027; otherwise non-export with no increase in AC output capacity, with the interconnection treatment confirmed in writing with BGE before work begins. Grandfathering treatment of storage additions has not been interpreted by the PSC and cannot be guaranteed; guidance is reassessed when the PSC framework publishes (due Feb 1, 2027).
4. ☐ The RCES grant requires a Reservation Certificate from MEA BEFORE installation begins; funding windows are limited and the grant is not guaranteed.
5. ☐ BGE's battery VPP pilot is pending before the PSC and is not enrollable; no program income is quoted or included in projections.
6. ☐ Maryland's storage tax credit ended (TY2024) and the federal ITC expired 12/31/2025; neither is included. Solar tax exemptions do not expressly cover batteries.
7. ☐ Align Solar Protection is non-transferable; workmanship warranty transfer requires written consent; manufacturer warranties transfer per OEM terms. Align coverage is contingent on inspection + age limits (panels <15 yr, inverters <7 yr).
8. ☐ Backup duration depends on system sizing and load; whole-home indefinite backup is not implied. Pricing confirmed in the tool before commitment.

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

• NEM today: full retail 1:1; annual true-up end-April at commodity rate, or indefinite rollover election (2023 law)
• The threat: term Commission-determined, undetermined (2026 Md. Laws Ch. 353; §7-306(d)(5)); July 1, 2027 statutory cutoff for new NEM
• PSC calendar: PC 78 draft Oct 27, 2026 → report Dec 15, 2026 → framework Feb 1, 2027 → successor program July 1, 2027
• MD configuration rule: two-track — Track A export-capable (confident PTO < July 1, 2027; VPP optionality); Track B non-export + no-AC-increase + written BGE confirmation otherwise; ops cutover from queue times; Feb 1, 2027 framework = reassessment checkpoint
• SOS supply: ~12.5¢; customer charge $10.00/mo; all-in ~21¢/kWh
• Rate plan: MYP-2 ~$408M (2024–26) + Y3 reconciliation +$77.2M (Case 9692/9748)
• RCES: 30% / $5,000 cap — RESERVE FIRST; FY26 closed; FY27 ~summer 2026
• SRECs: ~$40 standard / ~$57.50 Certified (1.5×, §7-709.1); compliance prices step down through 2028
• State storage credit: DEAD | Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025
• BGE VPP pilot: pending (Case 9761) — no income
• Inverter replacement out-of-pocket: $3,500–5,000 | Takeover bundle: ~$11,800
• Default config: two-track rule first; backup $18,500 / self-consumption $17,000
• Customers: ~1.3M | Storm anchor: June 2012 derecho — ~430K peak / 762K+ over ~9 days

14. Sell Hard, Sell Honest — the standing rules

• Press the real threat precisely — the undetermined term and the July 1, 2027 line are documented and citable; "Maryland is taking away net metering" is not. The precise version is scarier because it's true: the biggest number in the customer's solar economics is currently blank.
• The two-track configuration rule is non-negotiable — Track A only on a confident pre-July-2027 timeline (that's how we preserve the customer's VPP optionality); Track B otherwise. The one genuinely dangerous act is new interconnection paperwork landing after July 1, 2027 — the ops cutover exists so that never happens.
• Never promise the term, the grant, the pilot, or battery tax treatment — the term is the Commission's, the grant is reserve-first and finite, the pilot is pending, and the statutes don't name batteries.
• Keep the rollover/term distinction straight — indefinite rollover (crediting) survives; the eligibility term is what the 2026 law made finite.
• Never quote the dead state credit or the expired federal ITC.