Top Tier — North Carolina Battery Sales Reference

Duke Energy Progress (NC) · Eastern North Carolina

Sales reference for reps working Duke Energy Progress in North Carolina. 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 Progress NC operates under the same net-metering framework as Duke Carolinas — a sunsetting grandfathered 1:1 cohort, net billing for new customers, and the same live battery VPP — but it's a separate utility serving eastern NC with its own rate case. Three things define it:

1. Legacy 1:1 net metering closed to new customers October 1, 2023. Customers who installed before then are grandfathered on legacy 1:1 — but that grandfathering sunsets in 2027, after which they step down to the Bridge Rate and eventually to the mandatory time-of-use RSC rate.
2. New solar customers are on net billing (Bridge Rate if enrolled before Dec 31, 2026; otherwise RSC), where exported surplus earns a low avoided-cost credit (~3.4¢) vs. ~12–14¢ retail — a wide spread a battery captures.
3. Duke runs a live battery VPP (EnergyWise Home Battery Control) paying $23–92/mo — a real, enrollable earning program.

Your lead is long-term rate protection. Duke Progress runs its own multi-year rate case (parallel to Duke Carolinas'), and rates climb on a documented schedule. The battery is how a customer stops riding that escalator. The wide export spread and the live VPP are strong supporting pillars, but the spine is 25 years of rate protection. (Note: DEP's precise per-step rate figures aren't pinned the way DEC's are — frame DEP's rate climb qualitatively and lean on the shared Duke precedent + the DEC published case as the illustrative anchor, rather than quoting DEP-specific step dollars you can't source.)

Default configuration: backup-capable — resilience leads alongside rate protection, especially in coastal/eastern-NC hurricane-exposed territory.

• 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 bill. You have solar, but on today's Duke rules your exported power earns you about three cents while you buy it back at twelve to fourteen. Every kWh you send out during the day and buy back at night, you lose that gap. Your panels are producing — you're just not capturing the value. A battery captures it.

Rep layer: This is the opener for a net-billing (RSC/Bridge) customer. Duke Progress NC: power used instantly offsets at the ~12–14¢ retail rate; RSC exports credit at the ~3.4¢ Net Excess Energy Credit — a wide ~9–10¢ gap. Sell low, buy high. Name it before they do. Rate plans to know: legacy 1:1 (grandfathered), Net Metering Bridge, Residential Solar Choice (mandatory TOU). For a legacy grandfathered customer this beat does NOT apply — they still get full retail on exports; lead the sunset-urgency, orphaned, inverter, and backup beats instead. Objection — "I get credits." Yes, at three cents, not the thirteen 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. Eastern NC context: this is hurricane and coastal-storm country — Atlantic tropical systems make landfall or track through, bringing wind, flooding, and multi-day outages (the region has a long history of hurricane strikes). Ice storms hit the inland areas too. Objection — "We don't get many outages." Respect it — but in coastal/eastern NC, storm outages are a lived reality most customers take seriously. Sell self-consumption honestly if they genuinely don't.

The Solution

The battery cuts your bill — or protects it. Stores daytime solar, uses it at night and during peak hours — the exact times Duke charges the most. Instead of selling low and buying high, you keep the value.

• Self-consumption: "Maximize the value of the solar you already own — use it during peak hours 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. NC's spread is WIDE (~9–10¢), so the self-consumption math is genuinely material here, unlike thin-spread markets. On RSC (mandatory TOU), the real model is peak-shift: discharge during on-peak/critical-peak to avoid the highest buy-back rate. For a legacy customer, reframe this beat as rate PROTECTION before the 2027 sunset, not a bill cut — they still have full retail today.

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 Progress runs multi-year rate cases and the trajectory only goes up; the whole Duke system carries grid-hardening and generation-transition costs. 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 3%, moderate 5%, aggressive 8%. For DEP, lean on the Duke precedent (courts upheld Duke moving solar customers off rates) and the documented DEC published case as the illustrative anchor — DEP's own per-step figures aren't pinned, so frame qualitatively. Objection — "Rates might not go up that much." Point at Duke's demonstrated, court-upheld behavior.

What you actually own. The savings hero — combined 25-year value: rate protection + the wide spread + resilience + EnergyWise income + 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: NC's combined 25-yr value is strong — wide spread + documented escalator + live VPP. Lead the combined story. No-backup disclosure fires ONLY for self-consumption config.

Urgency

Multiple clocks make acting now better than waiting — use the right one per cohort.

The rate clock. Duke Progress files multi-year rate cases and the trajectory only rises; the whole Duke system carries grid-hardening and generation costs. Every month you wait is a month closer to the next increase with no hedge.

Rep layer: Applies to everyone. Lean on the Duke precedent + the DEC published case as the anchor; frame DEP's own steps qualitatively (not pinned).

The 2027 sunset + Bridge deadline (cohort-specific). If you're on the legacy grandfathered 1:1 rate, that protection sunsets in 2027 — after which you step down to Bridge, then to the mandatory TOU rate. If you're a new customer, the Bridge rate closes to enrollment December 31, 2026. Two clocks, two customers.

Rep layer: This is NC's dated urgency. Legacy customers → the 2027 sunset (they step DOWN to Bridge/RSC, not to nothing — don't overstate). New customers → the Dec 31, 2026 Bridge enrollment deadline. Use the right clock per cohort; never run sunset-loss framing on a customer who never had 1:1. Reinforce with the Duke precedent (see Market-Specific Plays) — the sunset is Duke's demonstrated, court-upheld behavior, not speculation.

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 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. Handle the year-1 cost honestly: "Your total monthly cost may go up slightly in the early years. The math improves as Duke's published increases hit, and dramatically after the loan is paid off. You're trading a small early bump for long-term protection, the wide export-spread capture, EnergyWise income, backup, and 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 Progress (NC)
• Territory: Eastern North Carolina (Raleigh's eastern reaches, the coastal plain, the Outer Banks region). Duke Carolinas covers western/central NC — different rate-case figures, same net-metering framework.
• Grid: SERC / Carolinas region (not PJM) — relevant for outage/resilience framing, especially coastal hurricane exposure and storm-hardening.
• Market type: Net-billing (Bridge/RSC) with a sunsetting legacy 1:1 cohort + a live battery VPP.
• 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

Three customer situations. Ask the sorting question before you pitch.

THE SORTING QUESTION: "When did you go solar — before or after October 2023?" If they bought the home with the solar already on it, ask "do you know roughly when it was installed?" — grandfathering follows the system's install date, not the owner.

Cohort 1 — Legacy Grandfathered (installed before October 1, 2023)

• What they have: Legacy 1:1 net metering — full retail credit on exports. But it sunsets in 2027, after which they roll to the Bridge Rate (15 years) and eventually to the mandatory TOU-based RSC rate.
• Battery value on the bill today: Modest — they're still getting full retail credit, so there's limited export gap to capture right now. The value is protecting the position before the sunset.
• What to pitch: (a) The 2027 sunset is real, dated urgency — "your favorable rate ends in 2027; a battery positions you for the step-down before it hits." (b) Resilience (post-Helene, this leads). (c) The Duke precedent (see §7) — Duke has already moved NC solar customers off their rates and the courts upheld it, so the sunset is not speculative, it's Duke's demonstrated behavior.
• NEVER SAY: "You'll lose everything in 2027" (they step down to Bridge/RSC, not to nothing — don't overstate). "Your rate is permanent" (it sunsets — don't undersell the urgency either).

Cohort 2 — Recent Install, Bridge Rate (installed Oct 2023–Dec 2026, enrolled in Bridge)

• What they have: The Net Metering Bridge rate — a fixed export credit ~10% below retail, locked for 15 years. Better than RSC but below the old 1:1.
• Battery value: Real spread capture (retail ~12–14¢ vs. below-retail Bridge export) + rate protection + VPP income.
• What to pitch: Rate protection spine + the export spread + EnergyWise VPP. No loss-framing (they never had 1:1).

Cohort 3 — New Install, RSC (post-Dec 2026, or any recent install not on Bridge)

• What they have: Residential Solar Choice — mandatory time-of-use, exported surplus at the ~3.4¢ Net Excess Energy Credit vs. ~12–14¢ retail. The widest gap of the three cohorts.
• Battery value: Strongest here — the ~9–10¢ spread plus TOU peak-shifting (store off-peak solar, use during on-peak). This is where the battery math is most compelling.
• What to pitch: Rate protection + the wide spread + TOU peak-shift + VPP. The mandatory-TOU structure is the battery argument — solar produces off-peak, they consume on-peak, the battery bridges it.
• NEVER SAY: "You might lose net metering" (they're already on the new rate — nothing to lose).

Why this matters: the December 31, 2026 Bridge enrollment deadline and the ~2027 legacy sunset are two different clocks for two different customers. A new customer racing the Bridge deadline is a different conversation than a legacy customer facing the sunset. Sort first.

3. Rate Reality + Why Rates Keep Climbing

Figures primary-source confirmed except where flagged — see provenance note.

The spread is wide — unlike thinner markets, NC's ~9–10¢ RSC spread genuinely supports a self-consumption savings story. But RSC is mandatory time-of-use, so the honest model is peak-shift: the battery discharges during on-peak/critical-peak windows to avoid buying at the highest rate, not just flat spread capture. Frame the flat spread as the floor and the TOU peak-shift as the real value.

Documented rate climb — Duke Progress runs its own multi-year rate cases. DEP's precise per-step figures aren't pinned to a primary source the way Duke Carolinas' are, so frame DEP's climb qualitatively and use the sister-utility DEC published case (typical bill ~$130 → ~$148.62 across a filed 3-year case, 2024–2026) as the illustrative anchor for what a Duke NC multi-year case looks like. The rate-climb thesis for DEP rests on: Duke's system-wide cost drivers (below), and the Duke precedent (courts upheld Duke moving NC solar customers off their rates). Do NOT quote DEP-specific step dollars you can't source.

What's driving Duke Progress' increases (named forward drivers — system-wide Duke NC drivers):

1. Storm-hardening and recovery — eastern NC's hurricane exposure means recurring storm-restoration and coastal grid-hardening costs; system-wide, Helene (Sept 2024) added major rebuild capital to Duke's NC operations.
2. Generation transition — Duke is retiring coal and adding gas + renewables + (long-term) nuclear; capital recovery flows to rates.
3. Grid modernization — self-healing grid, transmission, and distribution investment recovered through base rates.
4. Fuel cost pass-through — Duke's gas exposure passes volatile fuel costs to the bill through the fuel rider.
5. Load growth — the Carolinas are a fast-growing region; new capacity to serve growth is recovered from ratepayers.

Documented vs. speculation (say this right):

• ✅ "Duke moved NC solar customers off their rates and the courts upheld it" (documented — NC Court of Appeals, Sept 2024)
• ✅ "Duke's sister utility filed a case taking the typical bill from ~$130 to ~$148.62 across 2024–2026" (documented DEC case, as the illustrative anchor)
• ⚠️ For DEP specifically, don't quote per-step dollars — frame the climb qualitatively
• ❌ "Your bill will be $X by 2030" (speculation)
• ❌ "Rates will definitely double" (overstated)

4. Bill Anatomy — Reading a Duke Progress Bill

Why an RSC customer still has a bill even with solar. A recent (RSC) Duke Progress customer's bill has these moving parts:

1. The fixed monthly customer/basic facilities charge — every month, solar or not.
2. Energy bought from Duke at the retail rate (~12–14¢/kWh), on a mandatory time-of-use structure — on-peak power costs the most, off-peak the least. Their solar produces mid-day (largely off-peak); their heaviest use is evening (on-peak).
3. A credit for exported surplus at the ~3.4¢ Net Excess Energy Credit — far below retail.

The leak is doubled here: (a) every kWh exported at 3.4¢ and bought back at retail loses the ~9–10¢ spread, and (b) the TOU structure means the buy-back happens at on-peak rates in the evening when solar's done. The battery fixes both — it stores mid-day/off-peak solar and discharges during the expensive on-peak evening window.

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

• Legacy grandfathered: exports credited at the full retail rate (1:1) — export credit ¢ matches retail energy ¢.
• Bridge: exports credited at a fixed rate ~10% below retail — close to but under retail.
• RSC: exports credited at the ~3.4¢ Net Excess Energy Credit, distinctly low, AND the bill shows time-of-use periods (on-peak / off-peak / sometimes critical-peak). If you see TOU periods + a ~3.4¢ export line, they're RSC.
• The sorting question confirms it — but the bill tells you too. Cross-check.

Seasonal shape (eastern NC): Eastern North Carolina has hot, humid summers (heavy AC load) and moderate winters. A solar customer's bill is lowest in spring/fall and highest in summer (AC into the on-peak evening). On RSC's TOU structure, the summer on-peak evening is the most expensive window — exactly where the battery earns its keep. Hurricane season (summer/fall) also overlaps peak-load months, reinforcing the backup case.

5. The Savings Story — Worked 25-Year Analysis

The 25-year rate-protection table is the centerpiece — and NC is unusually strong on both axes: a wide current spread (savings today) AND a documented escalator (protection over time).

Representative RSC customer: ~1,000 kWh/mo, ~$148/mo current bill, wide spread + TOU peak-shift.

Without battery — annual bill, three rate-growth scenarios (DEP retail is similar to DEC; scenarios illustrative — DEP's own step figures aren't pinned, so these use standard 3/5/8% growth anchored to the sister-utility DEC case pattern):

With battery — annual bill (wide-spread capture + TOU peak-shift + rate hedge):

Cumulative 25-year comparison:

NC's wide spread + documented escalator produce strong net-savings figures — materially better than thin-spread markets like KY or Santee. Don't inflate beyond the tool's actual customer computation, but NC genuinely supports a strong savings story alongside the rate-protection spine. EnergyWise VPP income ($23–92/mo) is on top of these and not included in the table.

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

The Year-1 honesty script:

"Here's the year-1 math, straight. Your Duke bill drops a lot — NC's spread is wide, so the self-consumption savings are real from day one, and on the TOU rate the battery covers your expensive evening peak. Your loan payment means your total monthly outflow might be roughly flat or slightly up at first, but less so than in thin-spread markets. Where it really pays off is the trajectory: Duke published its increases, and every one makes your stored power worth more. Add the EnergyWise income Duke pays you monthly, and you're trading a small early bump for [tool's 25-yr figure] in long-term value — plus backup, plus a new 10-year warranty."

6. Pitch Framework — Archetypes

Archetype A — Legacy grandfathered owner (pre-Oct 2023).

• On 1:1 but facing the 2027 sunset; still gets full retail today.
• Values what they have; in storm country, thinks about resilience.
• Aware Duke has changed solar rates before.
• Fit: strong resilience + sunset-urgency + Duke-precedent pitch, NOT a big-savings pitch.
• Opening: "You've got the best solar rate in the state right now — but Duke has it sunsetting in 2027, and they've already proven in court they'll move customers off favorable rates. Let's protect your position before the step-down, and keep your lights on through the next hurricane."

Archetype B — RSC / recent net-billing owner.

• On the wide-spread net-billing rate, watching the published rate climb.
• Feels the export-vs-buyback gap and the TOU evening peak.
• Rate-conscious, responds to the documented case.
• Fit: strongest savings + rate-protection pitch.
• Opening: "You're selling your surplus for about three cents and buying it back for thirteen — and on your time-of-use rate that buy-back is at the most expensive evening rate. Duke already published where that goes. Let me show you what keeping your own power looks like over 25 years."

Archetype C — Prospective / racing the Bridge deadline.

• Considering solar+battery before Dec 31, 2026.
• Wants to lock the best available terms.
• Fit: strong — the Bridge lock plus battery.
• Opening: "If you get in before the end of 2026 you can lock the Bridge rate for 15 years — and pairing it with a battery is how you protect against everything that comes after."

7. Market-Specific Plays — the NC edge

PLAY 1 — The Duke precedent (the strongest NC urgency lever). Duke moved North Carolina's rooftop solar customers to reduced net-metering rates, and when clean-energy groups sued, the NC Court of Appeals unanimously upheld it in September 2024 — and the NC Public Staff found the new rates roughly doubled solar customers' monthly bills. This is not speculation. For a grandfathered customer facing the 2027 sunset: "Duke already did this — moved solar customers off their rates, and the courts backed them. Your 2027 sunset isn't a maybe. A battery protects you regardless of what Duke does next." Honest, court-verified, and it makes the sunset concrete.

PLAY 2 — The published rate escalator as illustrative proof. Most markets you argue rates will rise. Duke's NC operations file multi-year rate cases with published schedules — the sister Duke Carolinas case ran ~$130 → ~$148.62 across a named 3-year case as the pattern. For DEP, use this as the illustrative anchor for what a Duke NC multi-year case looks like (DEP's own per-step figures aren't pinned, so don't quote DEP-specific step dollars).

PLAY 3 — EnergyWise VPP is real income, live now. Duke's EnergyWise Home Battery Control pays $23–92/mo for letting Duke dispatch the battery ~30–36 times a year. This is a live, enrollable battery earning program (category 1) — a rare "the utility pays you" pillar. Name it as real income, not future upside. Confirm battery eligibility for the dispatch program.

PLAY 4 — The wide spread. Unlike thin-spread markets, NC's ~9–10¢ RSC spread means self-consumption savings are genuinely material today. Reps can lean on the "today" savings here more than in KY or Santee — while still leading the 25-year protection story.

PLAY 5 — Coastal hurricane resilience. Eastern NC is hurricane country — Atlantic tropical systems bring wind, flooding, and multi-day outages, and the region has a long history of major strikes. Backup power is not a hypothetical here; customers have lived through storm outages. Resilience leads harder here than in most markets; the default config is backup for good reason. (System-wide, Helene Sept 2024 also underscored Duke NC's storm exposure.)

8. Incentives & Programs

• PowerPair (Duke's $9K battery rebate) — FULLY SUBSCRIBED, forward-frame only. As of mid-2026, Duke Carolinas PowerPair is waitlisted at 0% remaining capacity (the 30 MW cap was reached), and Duke Progress is closed. Do NOT pitch PowerPair as an available rebate. Honest frame: "The $9,000 PowerPair rebate is fully subscribed right now — the program hit its cap. Top Tier tracks any NCUC-approved reopen, and if it comes back we'll move fast, but we don't build it into your numbers today." Never quote it as available money.
• EnergyWise Home Battery Control VPP — LIVE (category 1): $23–92/mo for battery dispatch ~30–36×/yr. Real, enrollable income. (A VPP, distinct from the PowerPair rebate.)
• Federal ITC: Expired December 31, 2025. No federal credit for systems placed in service after. Do not quote 30%.
• NC state tax credit: None. The 35% NC credit expired in 2015 and was never renewed. (Property-tax and sales-tax treatment exist, but no income-tax credit.)
• VPP status — Category 1 (live): EnergyWise is the live battery program. This is one of the few markets with real utility battery income today.

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 NC-specific.

The Orphaned Solar Customer Problem. Many North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Why outages happen here — and why eastern NC leads resilience harder than most. Eastern and coastal North Carolina faces:

• Hurricanes and tropical systems — this is hurricane country. Atlantic storms make landfall or track through eastern NC, bringing destructive wind, storm surge, inland flooding, and outages lasting days. The region has a long history of major hurricane strikes. (System-wide, Helene in Sept 2024 devastated the western part of the state and underscored Duke NC's storm exposure.)
• Coastal flooding and storm surge — low-lying coastal plain terrain floods, complicating and prolonging restoration.
• Ice storms — inland eastern NC gets winter ice that loads lines and trees.
• Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes — spring/summer convective storms bring wind and lightning faults.
• Flat, tree-lined, sometimes remote distribution — long runs through tree cover and flood-prone areas mean storms reliably cause faults and slower restoration.

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 — well pump, refrigerator, heat/cooling, 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. In hurricane country, you know exactly what that's worth." In storm-exposed eastern NC, this is among the most concrete resilience pitches of any market — the customer has lived the risk.

(For a legacy grandfathered customer, who gets limited bill benefit today, resilience + the sunset-protection play are the PRIMARY reasons to buy.)

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

• What you rent: grid power on Duke's published escalator — $130 → $148 and climbing, on a mandatory TOU structure that charges most when you use most.
• What you own (with the battery): your production, stored and used on your schedule at today's locked cost, growing in value every year rates rise — plus EnergyWise income Duke pays you.
• Hidden costs avoided: the $11K takeover bundle (diagnostics, warranty coordination, inverter-replacement path, monitoring) that would otherwise be out-of-pocket, plus exposure to the documented rate climb on the power you'd otherwise keep buying.

12. Battery Products

• Backup config (NC default — resilience + rate protection, post-Helene relevance): Tesla Powerwall 3 (11.5 kW) or FranklinWH aPower 2 (10 kW).
• Self-consumption config (savings-focused RSC customer): SolarEdge Home Battery (9.7 kWh usable), Enphase IQ 5P (10 kWh), SolarEdge Nexis (self-consumption only pending crew backup training).
• Config rule: matched to inverter/config in the tool — the picker prevents mismatches. Confirm in the tool.
• VPP note: for a customer who wants EnergyWise income, confirm battery eligibility for Duke's dispatch program.

13. Objection Handling

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

"Will my monthly cost actually drop?"

"In North Carolina, yes — more than in most states, because the spread here is wide. You're getting about three cents for exports and paying thirteen-plus to buy back, and on the time-of-use rate that buy-back is at the expensive evening peak. The battery covers that. Add the EnergyWise income Duke pays you monthly. Your total might be roughly flat the first year with the loan, then it pulls ahead fast as rates climb."

"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."

"Rates aren't that high in NC."

"They were lower two years ago. Duke's own filing took the typical bill from about $130 to nearly $150 in three years, and that's just this case — the post-Helene rebuild drives the next one. The battery locks in today's cost of your own power against every increase from here."

"What about the PowerPair rebate?"

"It's fully subscribed right now — the program hit its cap in both Duke territories. I won't build money into your numbers that isn't available. We track any reopen, but the real value here is rate protection, resilience, and the EnergyWise program that actually pays you monthly."

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

"That's a reason to do it, not skip it. Your closing equity pays off the loan, and the new owner inherits a fully-owned system with backup — which sells well in storm-exposed eastern NC. 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."

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

"You've got the best rate in the state and I won't tell you a battery beats it on the bill today — it doesn't. But Duke has your rate sunsetting in 2027, and they've already moved solar customers off their rates once and won in court. A battery protects your position before the step-down, keeps your lights on through the next hurricane, and makes your home more valuable when you sell. That's the pitch for you — protection and resilience, not a bill cut."

"Is the 2027 sunset really going to happen?" (NC-specific)

"It's Duke's filed plan, and here's why I'd take it seriously: Duke already moved NC solar customers off their rates once, clean-energy groups sued, and the Court of Appeals unanimously backed Duke in September 2024. This isn't a maybe — it's Duke's demonstrated, court-upheld behavior. A battery protects you regardless of what they do next."

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 NCUC rate cases.
3. ☐ No federal ITC for systems placed in service after 12/31/2025.
4. ☐ No North Carolina state solar tax credit.
5. ☐ PowerPair rebate is fully subscribed/closed; not included in savings projections.
6. ☐ Legacy 1:1 net metering sunsets in 2027; customers step to Bridge then RSC. New installs are on Bridge (through 12/31/2026 enrollment) or RSC.
7. ☐ RSC is a mandatory time-of-use rate; savings depend on usage patterns.
8. ☐ EnergyWise VPP enrollment and credits are subject to Duke program terms and battery eligibility.
9. ☐ Align Solar Protection is non-transferable; workmanship warranty transfer requires written consent; manufacturer warranties transfer per OEM terms.
10. ☐ Align coverage is contingent on inspection + age limits (panels <15 yr, inverters <7 yr); one of three coverage layers, not full coverage.
11. ☐ Backup duration depends on system sizing and load; whole-home indefinite backup is not implied.
12. ☐ Pricing confirmed in the tool before commitment.

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

• Retail: ~12–14¢/kWh
• RSC export credit: ~3.4¢/kWh
• RSC spread: ~8.6–10.6¢/kWh (wide)
• Typical bill: rising on filed rate cases (DEP per-step $ not pinned — frame qualitatively)
• Rate anchor: use sister-utility DEC case (~$130 → ~$148.62, 2024–2026) as the illustrative Duke-NC pattern
• Legacy closed to new: Oct 1, 2023
• Bridge enrollment deadline: Dec 31, 2026
• Legacy sunset: 2027 (exact day being confirmed against the filed order)
• PowerPair: fully subscribed / closed (forward-frame only)
• EnergyWise VPP: $23–92/mo (live)
• Inverter replacement out-of-pocket: $3,500–5,000
• System takeover bundle: ~$11,800
• Rescue value: $4,000–7,500+
• Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025
• NC state credit: none
• 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 and the buyer inherits a fully-owned system. Moving is a reason to buy, not skip.
• Never claim all warranties transfer. Align is non-transferable; workmanship needs written consent; manufacturer per OEM terms.
• Never quote PowerPair as available. It's capped/closed — forward-frame only, never in the numbers.
• Never overstate the 2027 sunset. Legacy customers step down to Bridge/RSC, not to nothing. The urgency is real without exaggeration.
• Never quote the federal ITC. Expired end of 2025.
• Never oversell backup. Match the resilience claim to the system sizing — though post-Helene, the need is genuine.
• Always ask the sorting question. Pre- or post-October 2023? The whole pitch depends on it.