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Interested in installing battery storage at your home? There’s a new type of offer in ComEd territory that aims to make backup home batteries more affordable by bundling them with an alternative retail electric supply (ARES) plan.

Right now, there are two companies offering this to Illinois homeowners: Base Power and Energywell. While these programs have the potential to save money and improve reliability for the right customer, they come with important trade-offs worth understanding before signing up.

Note:  The offerings we describe below just arrived in the Illinois market in summer 2026, and CUB hasn’t yet heard from consumers who’ve gone through the process or been able to evaluate how these plans perform in practice. If you sign up, we’d love to hear about your experience. Your feedback helps us inform and protect other consumers.

How do these offers work? 

Both offers share the same basic structure: The company installs a whole-home battery at your home and enrolls you in its alternative supplier plan.

Two current offers (ComEd territory only)

1.  Base Power Company: Based in Austin, Texas, Base Power produces its own batteries and provides them to customers in exchange for a one-time fee and enrollment in its alternative retail electric supply plan. This offer is not yet available in every community–for example Base says it’s not yet available in Chicago. Determine if your household is eligible by entering your address into Base Power’s eligibility tool. 

The alternative supplier plan:

• Customers must enroll in the Base supplier offer, which is a time-of-use plan with a two-year term that guarantees savings over ComEd’s “price to compare.” (You can check ComEd’s price to compare on the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Illinois.gov electricity choice website.)
  • On-Peak Rate (7 a .m. -11 p.m., Monday-Friday): 7.799 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). (Note: This price is about 25 percent lower than ComEd’s price of 10.399 cents per kWh, as of June 2026.)
  • Off-Peak Rate (All other times and days): 7.591 cents per kWh (Note: This price is about 27 percent lower than ComEd’s price as of June 2026.)
• The company guarantees that customers enrolled in the Base alternative supplier plan will pay a price that’s at least 25 percent lower than ComEd’s price over the course of the two-year offer.
• After the initial two-year term, your energy supply plan will automatically renew. At that point, Base guarantees that the new price will meet or beat ComEd’s “price to compare” but we won’t know by how much until it is actually time to renew.

The home battery:

• Customers must have a whole-home battery installed by Base on the outside of their home.
• You’ll pay a one-time fee for this installation. For their first 2,000 customers in Illinois, Base is offering a discounted fee of $95; otherwise the fee is $295. (In Texas, where Base has operated since 2023, the standard battery installation fee is even higher: $695.)
• When you sign up, you’re agreeing to host the battery for 12 years. The battery itself is owned and operated by Base Power. If the battery experiences issues or stops working earlier than expected, Base Power will cover the costs to repair or replace it.
• Customers who wish to terminate the agreement earlier than 12 years must pay a $500 termination fee. If you’re moving, you may transfer the agreement to the new home owner, but if the new homeowner does not want the Base offer, you’re on the hook for the termination fee.

2. Energywell

Energywell, based in Connecticut, is affiliated with Think Energy, an alternative electricity supplier that operates in Illinois and more than a dozen other states. The Energywell battery offer is currently being marketed through the Think+ Energy Advisor sales network. Like Base Power, Energywell’s offer couples home battery storage with a time-variant electric supply plan, and is currently only available in select neighborhoods in ComEd territory.  Determine if your household is eligible by entering your address into Energywell’s eligibility tool.

The alternative supplier plan:

• Customers must enroll in Energywell’s supplier offer, which is a time-of-use plan with a five-year term that guarantees savings over ComEd’s “price to compare.”(You can check ComEd’s price to compare on the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Illinois.gov electricity choice website.)
  • On-Peak Rate (5 a .m. -10.59 p.m., Monday through Sunday): 7.8 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). (Note: This price is about 25 percent lower than ComEd’s price of 10.399 cents per kWh, as of June 2026.)
  • Off-Peak Rate (All other times): 7.49 cents per kWh (Note: This price is about 28 percent lower than ComEd’s price, as of June 2026)
• Five-year initial term, with a “Lowest Rate Guarantee” at every renewal for the 15-year battery services agreement. The company claims: “At each renewal, your new Energywell rate is guaranteed to beat ComEd’s Price to Compare. If you find a lower comparable rate from another licensed Illinois retail provider, let us know. We’ll match it, beat it, or let you cancel your Battery Services Agreement without any fees or penalties. Your rate is not guaranteed to be the lowest available for the full duration of your contract, but your renewal rate will always beat ComEd’s Price to Compare.”

 The home battery:

• There’s no upfront installation cost, but Energywell charges a $99 deposit, which the company says it will refund after the battery is installed and the first energy bill is paid.
• The battery, an EcoFlow OCEAN Pro, will be owned and operated by Energywell for the term of your 15-year agreement.
• CUB has contacted Energywell to learn if their battery needs to be installed outside, but have received no reply yet.
• Energywell will operate the battery as part of its “Connected Energy Community” (a virtual power plant).

How do the two offers compare?

The table below summarizes the key differences between the two offers as of June 2026. Details may change — always review the current contract before signing up.

What are the potential benefits of these offers?

While not right for everyone, these programs offer potential benefits for the right customer:

• Lower electricity supply costs: Unlike most alternative retail supply plans — which have not typically saved residential customers money — both of these plans guarantee savings compared to ComEd’s price. Both offers feature time-of-use plans, instead of a standard fixed rate, because such plans are conducive to stabilizing the power grid during high-demand times. Time-of-use pricing encourages battery charging at times when the market price for electricity is lower, and battery discharging when the grid needs it most–when prices run high and the grid is strained.  
• Backup electricity (through the home battery): These offers include a home battery, which can help keep the lights on in case of power outages–with no solar panels or large upfront purchase required. (Note: The backup power under these offers is not 100 percent guaranteed. See below, under “What’s the catch?”)  
• Support for grid reliability: Both companies are compensated through Illinois’ Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act, which provides incentives for bringing more battery storage to the state’s power grid. Thus, your battery helps the broader grid manage supply and demand, which can help bring down costs and increase reliability for  all consumers over time.

Will the battery affect my electricity bill in other ways?

The battery will be charging and discharging throughout the day to provide electricity to the grid and help make it more resilient. Under these offers, the battery charging from the grid could show up as a distribution cost for your household. To counteract this and make the customer whole, both companies keep track of the added distribution costs, and provide a credit under the supply portion of the bill to offset them, (Note: As of June 2026, Base Power’s credit amount was 3.48 cents per kWh. We have not been able to confirm the amount of Energywell’s credit.) The companies detail this part of the agreement in a document called the “Net Metering Addendum,” for Base Power, and the “Battery Participation Credit Addendum,” for Energywell.

What’s the catch?

Here are the trade-offs to consider:

• Long-term commitment: Both offers tie you to a supply plan and a physical battery for more than a decade. If new rate plans, technologies, or programs become available, you may not be able to participate without triggering an early termination fee.
• Backup power is not guaranteed: Both companies install batteries that can provide backup during outages, but neither guarantees the battery will always have enough charge for longer outages. That depends on the battery’s state of charge at the time the outage begins. 
• Renters can’t participate: These programs require homeownership and a single-family home. Renters, condo owners, and apartment residents are generally not eligible.
• ComEd territory only: As of June 2026, both offers are available only to ComEd customers, in select neighborhoods. Neither is available in the Ameren Illinois or MidAmerican service territories.
• Solar incompatibility: If you have solar panels or want to install them, these offers may not be the best fit for you: 
  •  Energywell says in its Battery Service Agreement: “Customers with solar panels or any distributed generation installed at their service address at any time during the 15-year term of this Agreement are not eligible for this product (or will become disqualified from this product), absent written agreement from [Energywell].”
  • Base says: “If you have — or plan to add — solar panels, switching to Base may cost you more than using ComEd as your supplier. ComEd offers hourly pricing and net metering, which credits solar members at better rates than Base’s flat solar buyback rate.” 

How do these companies make money?

Illinois’ Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act creates a framework that compensates battery companies for helping balance the grid. These companies charge their customers’ batteries when electricity prices are low and can supply stored energy back to the grid during peak demand periods. That grid service earns them revenue, which allows them to offer discounted rates and free or low-cost battery installations. Batteries are a more cost-effective tool for grid stability than building new power plants, and they can help bring down wholesale power prices, which is why CRGA incentivizes this kind of investment.

Who is this right for?

This offer may be a good fit if:

• You are a ComEd customer who owns your home and plans to stay long-term (at least 12–15 years, or are comfortable with an early termination fee).
• You do not have rooftop solar and are not planning to get it.
• You want backup power during outages without purchasing a battery outright.
• You are comfortable enrolling in a time-of-use electricity plan and committing to a specific supplier for an extended period.

This offer is NOT the right fit if:

• You are an Ameren Illinois or MidAmerican Energy customer (not currently available in those territories).
• You rent your home, live in an apartment or condo, or plan to move in the near future.
• You have rooftop solar or are interested in getting it.
• You want flexibility to switch electricity plans or take advantage of new energy technologies as they emerge.
• You rely on consistent backup power, since neither company guarantees the battery will always be fully charged during outages.

How do I get more information?

• Base Power: BasePowerCompany.com/Illinois (You can find more documents connected to Base Power’s offer under “Relevant Documents” here.)
• Energywell: Energywell.com  (You can find more documents connected to Energywell’s offer under “Illinois Documents” here.)
• To compare current ARES offers vs. ComEd’s price: PlugIn.Illinois.gov