Top Tier — Pennsylvania Battery Sales Reference

PECO · Philadelphia Metro

Sales reference for reps working PECO territory. This is the deep reference — how to sell it up top, full utility detail below. PECO (an Exelon company) serves the Philadelphia five-county metro — the biggest customer base in Pennsylvania. The PECO story is a documented rate climb (the supply price jumped 6.7% at the June 2026 reset, the 2024 rate case added ~$14/month in steps, and PECO filed for another $429 million in 2026 and only withdrew it under political pressure — pressure that doesn't make the costs go away) plus serious storm exposure (Sandy blacked out 850,000 PECO homes — the worst in company history) — with net metering fully intact and the cleanest regulatory picture in Pennsylvania: PECO has never filed to change it. The battery here is a rate hedge, a backup, and a takeover — not a cliff play.

What kind of market this is

PECO is a protected 1:1 net-metering market with a documented rate climb and heavy storm exposure — so the battery is a hedge, a backup, and a takeover, not a spread or cliff play. Four defining facts:

1. Net metering is intact — and PECO has the cleanest regulatory picture in Pennsylvania. PECO residential solar customers get full retail 1:1 net metering (52 Pa. Code §75.13), and unlike PPL and FirstEnergy, PECO has never filed to change it. If your customer read scary coverage about Pennsylvania net metering, the accurate answer is: those filings are other utilities', they target utility-scale generators (100 kW+) anyway, and PECO has nothing on file. Cleanest reassurance in the state.
2. The rate climb is real and documented. PECO's supply price (the "Price to Compare") jumped 6.7% at the June 2026 reset; the 2024 rate case added ~$354M — about $14/month on a typical bill, in steps through 2026; and PECO filed for another ~$429M in March 2026 and withdrew it three weeks later under affordability pressure. The pressure signal matters: the costs behind that filing didn't vanish — the ask will be back.
3. Philadelphia-area storms cause mass outages. Superstorm Sandy knocked out ~850,000 PECO customers — the worst in company history; the June 2020 derecho hit ~563,000; Isaias ~307,000; June 2025 storms ~327,000. Grid-tied solar shuts off when the grid goes down.
4. No battery program income. PECO has no enrollable residential battery program — a battery-lease pilot existed only inside the withdrawn 2026 rate case and died with it. The value is the hedge + resilience + takeover, not program income.

Your lead is the rate climb + storm resilience. The June 2026 PTC jump, the stepped 2024 case, and the withdrawn-but-returning 2026 ask are documented and concrete; Sandy-class storms are lived reality here. The net-metering story is pure reassurance — PECO never filed anything. There's no cliff; don't sell one.

Default configuration: backup-capable is the sensible default given the storm exposure.

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

Confirm pricing and configuration 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

Your rates keep stepping up — and PECO just showed you the pressure. The supply price jumped almost 7% at the June reset. The 2024 rate case added about $14 a month in steps. And this spring PECO asked for another $429 million — then pulled the request under public pressure. The costs behind that ask didn't disappear; the request will be back. Your solar offsets your usage — but every kilowatt-hour you still buy rides that escalator.

Rep layer: The PECO opener — the rate climb with named mechanisms: PTC 11.024¢→11.759¢ at the June 2026 reset (+6.67%; resets June 1/Dec 1); the 2024 case R-2024-3046931 (+$354M, 700 kWh bill $135.85→$149.43→$152.13 through 2026); the 2026 ~$429M filing withdrawn Apr 2026 under affordability pressure — the honest "pressure signal" framing is that withdrawal defers, it doesn't erase. All-in ~21.7¢. 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 PECO territory has the outage history to prove it. Your solar shuts off during an outage — anti-islanding, a safety cutoff. A battery keeps your critical systems running — and with sun, it recharges through a multi-day outage.

Rep layer: Renders ONLY for backup config. PECO context: Sandy Oct 2012 ~850,000 PECO out (worst in company history); June 2020 derecho ~563,000; Isaias Aug 2020 ~307,000; June 2025 storms ~327,000. Objection — "We don't lose power that often." Four mass-outage events since 2012, each in the hundreds of thousands — this is the most storm-tested territory in Pennsylvania.

The Solution

A battery hedges a rate escalator you can't otherwise control. Stores your daytime solar and uses it at night instead of buying at PECO's rising rate — so as the resets and the returning rate ask land, more of your power comes from your panels at a locked cost.

• Self-consumption: "As the supply price steps up every reset, your battery leans on your own stored solar instead of buying more at the higher rate."
• Backup: "Hedges the climb the same way, and keeps your home running when the grid goes down."

Monthly Cost Chart and Net Bill Breakdown render here.

Rep layer: First cure beat. Because PECO residential is full 1:1, the mechanism is "maximize self-supply against a rising rate," NOT "capture a spread." The documented engine: the June 2026 PTC jump + the stepped 2024 case + the withdrawn-but-returning 2026 ask. No PECO battery program — the value is the hedge + resilience, not income.

(BACKUP ONLY) It keeps your home running when the grid goes down. Powers your essentials — heat, fridge, well 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 your net metering stays exactly what it is — the cleanest in the state. Your 1:1 net metering is intact, and PECO has never filed to change it. The filings you may have read about are other utilities' — and even those target utility-scale generators, not homes. A battery maximizes the value of the net metering you have and keeps you independent no matter what the rules ever do.

Rate Justification + Own vs Rent render here.

Rep layer: Ties to the grandfathering section. PECO residential = full retail 1:1 (52 Pa. Code §75.13), PROTECTED — no filing exists. If the customer heard about "Pennsylvania ending net metering": those are PPL/FirstEnergy filings, they target ≥100 kW utility-scale generators anyway, and PECO has nothing on file. Cleanest correction in the state — use it. 25-yr rate case: conservative 5%, moderate 7%, aggressive 9%. Objection — "Rates might not climb." The supply price jumped 6.7% at the last reset, the 2024 case is still stepping in, and PECO just showed its hand with a $429M ask — that's documented, not speculation.

What you actually own. The savings hero — combined value: the rate hedge + resilience + the protected net-metering position + the takeover bundle.

• Self-consumption: "Hedges PECO's rate climb and maximizes your net metering. Does not provide backup — ask about the upgrade."
• Backup: "Does all of that, plus keeps your critical loads running in an outage."

Rep layer: PECO combined value = rate hedge (the lead) + storm resilience + protected net metering + takeover. No VPP income to promise. No-backup disclosure fires ONLY for self-consumption config.

Urgency

The clocks that make acting now better than waiting.

The rate clock. The supply price resets twice a year and just jumped 6.7%; the 2024 rate case is still stepping onto bills; and the withdrawn $429M ask will be back — withdrawal defers, it doesn't erase. Every month you wait is a month deeper into the climb with no hedge.

Rep layer: The honest PECO urgency — the escalator is on the calendar (resets June 1/Dec 1) and the pressure signal (the withdrawn 2026 ask) is documented. Don't manufacture a net-metering deadline (there isn't one — PECO never filed).

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 storm clock. Storm season doesn't wait — this territory has taken four mass-outage events since 2012, from Sandy to last June's storms. Installing now means you're protected before the next one, not scrambling after it.

Rep layer: Resilience urgency — honest given the documented history (Sandy ~850K; 2020 derecho ~563K; Isaias ~307K; June 2025 ~327K).

The Close

1. Verify credit + confirm configuration. Run the credit check and confirm the backup/self-consumption configuration.
2. Customer reads and signs the service agreement. Walk through the disclosures honestly — including that their net metering is intact and protected (no cliff), that the rate climb is the documented driver, and that there's no federal tax credit anymore.
3. Complete the Welcome Call. Finalizes the sale and sets expectations for installation.

Standing Rules (Do NOT Violate)

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

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

PART B — The Deep Reference

1. Orientation

• Utility: PECO Energy — an Exelon company, the largest electric utility in Pennsylvania. Regulated by the PA PUC.
• Territory: The Philadelphia metro five-county region — Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia (plus parts of York). Roughly 1.7 million electric customers.
• Market type: Protected 1:1 net metering (52 Pa. Code §75.13). Restructured state — customers can shop for supply or take default service at the Price to Compare (PTC). Documented rate climb. No residential battery VPP. Winter/storm resilience market.
• Default config: Backup-capable ($18,500 / $23,942 / ~$228); self-consumption ($17,000 / $22,068 / ~$210).

2. How the PECO Bill Works — Restructured Supply + Distribution

Pennsylvania is a restructured state: the bill splits into supply (generation) and distribution (delivery).

1. Supply: the customer either shops with a competitive supplier or takes default service at the Price to Compare (PTC) — which resets every June 1 and December 1. PECO's residential PTC is ~11.76¢/kWh (June–Nov 2026 period — up 6.67% at the June reset).
2. Distribution: PECO's delivery charges — a customer charge plus per-kWh distribution (the 2024 case raised the fixed charge by $0.75; exact current figure — confirm in the tool). All-in, a PECO residential customer pays roughly 21.7¢/kWh effective — the highest all-in in Pennsylvania among our territories.
3. Net metering: full retail 1:1 — exports offset usage at the full rate, monthly carryover, with annual true-up of excess each May 31 at the PTC.

Why this matters for the pitch: the PTC reset schedule makes the rate climb visible and calendar-dated — the customer's supply price literally changes twice a year, and the June 2026 reset was +6.67%. Layer the stepped 2024 case and the returning 2026 ask on top, and PECO has the most concrete near-term rate story in the state. The battery's job is to reduce how much they buy at the climbing rate; their 1:1 net metering already values their exports at retail.

3. Net Energy Metering — Intact and Protected (and the cliff that isn't)

PECO residential solar customers have full retail 1:1 net metering, PECO has never filed to change it, and this was primary-source verified.

• What residential customers have: full retail 1:1 under 52 Pa. Code §75.13 — monthly carryover, annual true-up May 31 at the PTC. Unchanged, and no filing exists.
• What customers may have heard about: PPL and FirstEnergy have filed to move some solar generators to hourly market pricing — but (a) those are other utilities, and (b) even those filings apply only to generators with demand or peak load of 100 kW or more: utility-scale projects, not rooftops. PECO has nothing on file at all.
• The rep move when a customer raises it: "That coverage is about other Pennsylvania utilities' filings — and even those reprice utility-scale solar farms, 100 kilowatts and up. PECO hasn't filed anything. Your net metering is unchanged, full stop." Cleanest reassurance in the state — use it as a trust-builder.
• See the "Net Metering & Grandfathering Status" section for the cited detail; the flag for PECO is PROTECTED.

4. Rate Reality + Why Rates Climb

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

1. PJM capacity costs. Regional capacity auction prices exploded, flowing into default-service supply prices across PJM utilities — the engine behind the +6.67% June 2026 reset.
2. The stepped 2024 rate case. R-2024-3046931 (settled Dec 12, 2024) added ~$354M — a typical 700 kWh bill went $135.85 → $149.43 (Jan 2025) → $152.13 (2026). Already landing.
3. The withdrawn-but-returning 2026 ask. PECO filed for ~$429M more in March 2026 and withdrew it three weeks later under affordability pressure. The honest framing: withdrawal defers the ask; the costs behind it remain, and the request will return.

Documented vs. speculation (say this right):

• ✅ "Your supply price jumped 6.7% at the June reset, and it resets twice a year" (documented)
• ✅ "The 2024 rate case added about $14/month in steps" (documented — R-2024-3046931)
• ✅ "PECO asked for $429M more this spring and pulled it under pressure — that ask will be back" (documented filing + withdrawal; frame as deferral, not disappearance)
• ❌ "Your bill will be $X by 2030" (speculation)
• ❌ "You're about to lose net metering" (false — PECO never filed; other utilities' filings are ≥100 kW only)

5. Incentives & Programs

• Battery VPP — none enrollable: PECO's only residential battery concept was a battery-lease peak-shaving pilot inside the withdrawn 2026 rate case — it died with the withdrawal. Residential demand response is thermostat-only (third-party). No program income to promise.
• Pennsylvania state credit / rebate: none for solar or storage.
• Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025. Do not quote 30%.

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 PECO Territory

Why outages happen here. The Philadelphia metro has the deepest documented outage history of any territory we serve in Pennsylvania:

• Superstorm Sandy (October 2012): ~850,000 PECO customers out — the worst outage event in company history.
• The June 2020 derecho: ~563,000 out. Isaias (August 2020): ~307,000. June 2025 storms: ~327,000.
• Dense tree canopy + aging suburban distribution = every major storm system produces mass outages.

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, well 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 territory has had four mass outages in the hundreds of thousands since 2012, starting with Sandy's 850,000."

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

• What you rent: grid power on a supply price that just jumped 6.7% and resets twice a year, with a withdrawn $429M ask waiting to return — and no protection when the grid fails.
• What you own (with the battery): your production, stored and used against the climbing rate; backup for the storms; and full-retail value on everything you export under protected 1:1 net metering.
• Hidden costs avoided: the $11K takeover bundle + exposure to the documented climb + the cost of every multi-day outage (spoiled food, frozen pipes, hotel nights).

9. Battery Products

• Backup config (default — storm resilience): Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh; Redline: $20,500), FranklinWH aPower 2 (15 kWh; Redline: $20,500). 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).

• PECO takeaway: backup is the natural default given the storm history. Confirm config in the tool.

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

10. Objection Handling

Universal objections (swap in PECO figures) + PA-specific objections.

"I read Pennsylvania is ending net metering — shouldn't I wait and see?" (PA-specific — the trust-building correction)

"I'm glad you asked, because there's a lot of scary coverage out there. Here's the reality: those filings are from other Pennsylvania utilities — PPL and FirstEnergy — and even those only move utility-scale solar farms, 100 kilowatts and up, to market pricing. PECO hasn't filed anything at all. Your net metering is unchanged, full stop. What IS changing is the price of the power you still buy — it jumped almost 7% at the June reset — and that's what the battery hedges."

"My solar already covers my bill — why add a battery?" (PA-specific — the escalator reframe)

"It offsets your usage, and you should keep that. But it doesn't shield you from the supply price resetting up every June and December — it just jumped 6.7% — or the rate case steps still landing, or the $429 million ask PECO withdrew this spring that will be back. A battery leans on your own stored power instead, and it keeps you running when the grid goes down. Your panels alone do neither."

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

"Not at PECO — the only battery pilot they proposed was inside a rate case they withdrew, so there's nothing to enroll in. Your value is the rate hedge, backup for the storms, and getting the most out of your net metering. I'm not going to quote you a monthly check that doesn't exist."

"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. Pennsylvania has no state credit or battery rebate, so the value is the rate hedge, the resilience, and the takeover — not a discount."

"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."

11. DO SAY / NEVER SAY

12. Required Disclosures

1. ☐ Savings are estimates; supply prices (PTC) reset June 1/Dec 1 and distribution rates change through PUC proceedings — verify against current rates.
2. ☐ Residential net metering is full retail 1:1 (52 Pa. Code §75.13) and unchanged; PECO has no filing to change it. Other PA utilities' filings (PPL R-2025-3057164; FE P-2026-3060298) reprice only ≥100 kW generators.
3. ☐ PECO has no enrollable residential battery VPP, rebate, or program income (the only pilot was inside the withdrawn 2026 rate case).
4. ☐ Pennsylvania has no state solar/storage tax credit or rebate. No federal ITC after 12/31/2025.
5. ☐ Align Solar Protection is non-transferable; workmanship warranty transfer requires written consent; manufacturer warranties transfer per OEM terms.
6. ☐ Align coverage is contingent on inspection + age limits (panels <15 yr, inverters <7 yr); one of three coverage layers, not full coverage.
7. ☐ Backup duration depends on system sizing and load; whole-home indefinite backup is not implied.
8. ☐ Pricing confirmed in the tool before commitment.

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

• Net metering (residential): full retail 1:1, no filing exists (52 Pa. Code §75.13; true-up May 31 at PTC)
• Residential PTC: ~11.76¢/kWh (+6.67% June 2026; resets June 1 / Dec 1); all-in ~21.7¢
• Rate case: R-2024-3046931 (+$354M; bill $135.85→$149.43→$152.13); 2026 ~$429M ask withdrawn 4/16/2026 — will return
• Other PA filings (context): PPL + FE reprice ≥100 kW generators only — PECO has nothing on file
• Battery VPP: none; state credit: none; Federal ITC: expired 12/31/2025
• Inverter replacement out-of-pocket: $3,500–5,000
• System takeover bundle: ~$11,800
• Default config: backup $18,500 / self-consumption $17,000
• Customers: ~1.7M (largest in PA) | Storm anchors: Sandy ~850K (worst in PECO history); 2020 derecho ~563K; Isaias ~307K; June 2025 ~327K

14. Sell Hard, Sell Honest — the standing rules

• Never sell the cliff — PECO never filed anything; other utilities' filings target ≥100 kW generators. Correcting a customer's fear with the facts builds more trust than exploiting it.
• Never manufacture a net-metering deadline — the honest urgency is the rate escalator (the +6.7% reset, the stepping 2024 case, the returning $429M ask) and the storm clock.
• Never sell a spread — residential is 1:1; there isn't one. The value is the hedge + resilience + takeover.
• Never imply PECO pays battery income — no enrollable program exists.
• Never quote the federal ITC (expired).