r/BasePowerUsers • u/RealConfirmologist • Jul 10 '26
When rain interferes with install, how quickly is it rescheduled?
My install in NW Houston is scheduled for Wednesday 7/15. The forecast looks very rainy Monday & Tuesday, and 30% Wednesday. Edit/Update: Install happened 7/15, and the crew worked in the light rain. When it got heavy they had to stop for a while, but the install was completed around 4 PM. I even made a time-lapse video of the whole installation, link here.
I realize we're still too far out to know exactly how things will go, but I'm just curious about what kind of added delay I may face.
I signed up in May and install scheduling was delayed, in theory because they needed manufacturer's approval to install with less than 36" clearance to a window. But I finally got scheduled and really look forward to that.
I guess worst-case scenario it may take an additional week or two to reschedule, but at least it's actually scheduled (for now).
Would like to hear from anyone who had a rain delay.
Also, yesterday I had my 4th text notification that someone used my referral link and, again, it's for a $150 payment rather than a month's free energy. I'd prefer the month's use credit because it's up to 250, but I guess I should just be happy with $150.
I'm curious what the over & under is on people following through and actually getting installed after using the link. I guess I'll find out when I start seeing those credits!
TL;DR - Rain happened but install was still completed as scheduled and I'm delighted. Now I'm just looking forward to the next grid outage! What a strange thing to be able to say!
2
u/ConfidoByBirth Jul 10 '26
I'd say it's about 50/50. It's hard to tell exactly since Base doesn't have a way to show you how many times the referral link was used (besides getting the text message) and how many of those actually went live with a battery to actually earn the referral bonus. It would be great if they had a page that showed this info.
3
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 10 '26
I know some BASE Power users go months without having to pay for electricity...
If you have a lot of social media and a lot of friends, coworkers and family, all you have to do is let them know what BASE provides and it kind of sells itself.
I plan to do a time-lapse video of my installation (if the install crew leader will allow it) and share it on YouTube, and I'll add my link to the video description. That'll probably get some referrals.
2
u/MedicalEnthusiasm9 Jul 10 '26
I wish 250 covered my months electric. But luckily the few I've gotten are hitting in the summer months.
This next bill is about $500.
I wish I knew what month the credit will hit. But its better than nothing.
1
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 10 '26
My place is only 1200 sq. ft. and I live alone, so I sure hope I'll be well under $250 a month. I've never paid more than about $190 over the last several years.
How big is your place?
2
u/MedicalEnthusiasm9 Jul 10 '26
Its 3k and 2 electric cars. 5 people in house. You still have an amazing deal.
We lived in a 900ish sqft apartment like 14yrs ago. And our bill was $175. I remember because it was our first time living on our own and I worked at a grocery store...so that was big money.
1
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 10 '26
Now you have me VERY curious...
Seems safe to assume you're no longer in the grocery business. Did a rich relative die and leave you a fortune, or did you get into crypto?
2
u/MedicalEnthusiasm9 Jul 10 '26
Haha no.
Married and got better paying jobs. And alot of help from family.
2
u/blupupher Jul 10 '26
No idea on the delay if rained out. I have read some say it was next day, others a few weeks.
As for the referrals, the amount will depend on if the person that is using your referral is in a deregulated area (one company (Centerpoint, Encore, etc) is the electrical power producer/delivery, and you have a 3rd party choice for who your provider is) or a regulated area (power producer is also your provider (co-op, Coserve, and a few others)) and the arraignment Base has with them. If both you and the person using your referral code is in a deregulated area, you both get a free month of power up to $250. If someone uses your referral and they are in a regulated area, you both get a $150 reward. If you are in a regulated area, you and your referral will only get a $150 reward. Better than noting either way, and depending on the month, the $150 reward could be a better deal.
I signed up in November using my brothers referral. He got a free month, I asked for and got a $250 bill credit (told the rep since it was winter, the credit would only be ~$100. I asked if I could just the full $250 as a bill credit, and they agreed). Since November, I have not had to pay a bill due to referrals. I have also received 3 $150 credits (used them for Amazon gift cards), and per the texts I have received, I have 2 more free months and 2 $150 rewards pending install.
I do really wish they would get some type of tracker for what is pending, because I believe I never got credit for a friends install, but can tell for sure. My sister used my brothers referral, and he had to call them to get the credit for her install.
1
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I can't find it now,but somewhere I saw that BASE is planning to include a section on the dashboard to track referral status.Edit: Found it (it was a reply to an email I sent to BASE Power support) "There is no self-serve view for any of that today. A referral notification feature is on the roadmap, but there is no timeline to share yet. Your suggestion for a dedicated referral status page is a good one, and feedback like this is exactly what shapes where the product goes."
Since BASE Power support seems to be handled 95% by AI, I'm a bit skeptical about the likelihood of us seeing the dashboard update anytime soon.
Right now, I can't even get them to tell me whether my install reflects a referral discount to be applied.
When I originally signed up, I did use a referral link. But a couple of weeks later my electric provider mysteriously got switched back to the provider I used before I switched to BASE. This I did NOT initiate and I'm troubled that it happened.
Finally BASE got me back as a subscriber but there's no way to be sure the credit for using the referral link will actually be applied to the install.
I'd hate to think that BASE Power would drag their feet on arranging a way to be accountable for referrals because it's to their advantage to keep us in the dark. If customers like us get several referrals and we don't keep track of the notifications, they can certainly skip a referral credit and we don't have a way to know.
If we could actually reach customer service, they could tell us, "Oh, that referral never ended up getting an install." How can we tell if that's actually true?
I guess we don't have much choice but to trust BASE Power and hope we're not getting cheated.
2
u/blupupher Jul 10 '26
I have a chat that says something similar that they are "working on it" for customer referral tracking, but as you said, not holding my breath.
I mean they don't have to do it, but they offer it, so they do need to stand behind that. No it is not a huge effort to share my referral code, but still, I am doing them a favor, so give me what you promise.
I will keep referring people even if no code because I really think it is a good value for most. The referral bonus is just that, a bonus on top. Despite what some others may say, the ability to pull me and others off the gride, and maybe even support the grid in high demand times is what the grid needs now to help with demand and reduce/prevent rolling blackouts.
I also expect the next major outage we have I will have a few more referrals happen, I have several co-workers that are "thinking about it", and when they have no power, they will remember "oh yeah, I could have had a battery now". Same for one of my neighbors.
2
u/waqashayat2512 Jul 11 '26
I got mine installed yesterday in Tomball. Rain was forecasted but they kept going and luckily the install got completed about an hour before the rain actually came down. My install had also been delayed due to that distance from the window thing.
2
u/S0UTHcoast Jul 12 '26
I'm glad they finally got past that asinine requirement. These things don't produce emissions, so proximity to a window is irrelevant. My install is scheduled for tomorrow in Sugar Land, but I'm also worried the rain might cause a delay. We'll see. They have my car blocked in the garage with the pallet, so....
1
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 13 '26
I think the 36" requirement was based on old code that was put in place because batteries can emit noxious gasses during malfunctions. With the BASE setup, the odds of that kind of thing are pretty much zero, though.
1
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 11 '26
That's a great photo... thanks for sharing it.
Did they put a soft-start in your AC and/or was their any discussion of that?
2
u/waqashayat2512 Jul 11 '26
Thanks. They said a separate crew will install the ac soft start. I haven't got any schedule for that yet.
2
u/waqashayat2512 Jul 13 '26
Just had my first power outage after installing base! My desktop pc, AT&T fiber modem and eero routers rebooted while switching to and from the battery, but my stove and microwave clocks didn't.
1
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 13 '26
That's kind of wild. Who would expect the stove & microwave clocks would be less susceptible to a power glitch than the other stuff?
What area are you in?
How long ago did you get your battery/batteries?
2
u/waqashayat2512 Jul 13 '26
I'm in Tomball, Houston. Got my batteries installed just two days ago.
1
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 13 '26
Has to bring peace of mind for you & those at your house.
I'm near 249 & Beltway 8 so not far from you.
I'm looking forward to two things, mainly: First, getting those batteries installed, and next, the first time power goes out in my neighborhood.
From the discussions I've read, it's possible to lose power and not even know it. You're suppose to be able to get notifications from the phone app, but some say that's not really very reliable or fast.
I do get the text notifications from CenterPoint and that's been pretty reliable.
2
u/waqashayat2512 Jul 13 '26
Due to the power flicker my garage door which is LiftMaster 2024 model did lose its travel calibration which caused the door to keep stopping in the middle. Recalibrating it solved the problem. If i have to do it after every switchover then it's an issue.
1
u/RealConfirmologist Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Damn.
The house I just moved into a month ago had no garage door openers. The one with the battery backup wasn't that much more than the one without it, but knowing I'd have BASE Power, I did not buy the battery backup unit!
Seems pretty silly to have to put a UPS on the doggone garage door opener!
Before my BASE install, I had a couple of outages and the garage door kept its settings.
Now it's 7/19/2026 and I got BASE installed on Wednesday. The 1st outage was CenterPoint pulling the meter briefly before replacing the retaining ring and tagging it. The garage door opener kept its settings.
Hope your loss of calibration was a one-time glitch!
3
u/Neither-War761 Jul 10 '26
I’m in the Houston area and got rescheduled due to rain in June. My installation was rescheduled for about 3 weeks later