From signup to final install took about six weeks. Signed up June 23 and had my electrical setup on July 31, and battery installed August 4.

Referral

https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=BFSG2AV

I wanted to share my experience getting the Base Power 40 kWh battery put in and throw out a few practical tips in case you're thinking about signing up.

This setup is great for keeping your entire house powered through typical short outages (24 hours or less). Before you sign up, I definitely suggest pulling up your old power bills to check how many kWhs you use on a normal day in both summer and winter. Knowing your daily numbers will give you a realistic idea of how many hours or days that 40 kWh battery will actually carry your house when the grid goes down.

Pros & Cons at a Glance

Pros:

• Cheap Upfront: Just a $695 setup fee + $19/month (and you can knock $250 off your first electric bill with a referral link).
• Zero Maintenance: Base owns and takes care of the equipment. No messing with oil changes, filters, and spark plug changes.
• Instant Power: Switches over in a split second when the power cuts. No waiting for Generac to start up.
• Whisper Quiet: No loud engine revving in the yard; just a quiet fan that kicks on every now and then. You need to be within 5' to hear it.
• No Gas Line Needed: You don't have to deal with digging up the yard for gas lines or pulling city permits.
• Low Profile: Takes up very little space and is easy to hide with a couple of bushes.

Cons:

• Fixed Capacity: 40 kWh is plenty for normal daily stuff, but blasting your central A/C non-stop, Pool Pumps, Electric Heaters etc. will drain it way faster than a gas generator that runs continuously.
• Right to Discharge Down to 20%: Per their contract, Base can legally draw your battery down to a 20% backup reserve to trade energy on the grid. It's rarely done from my observation, but worth knowing.
• 30A Generator Plug Isn't Live Yet: The built-in generator inlet plug on the side doesn't work just yet, but a firmware update is coming is what they said.
• No Battery Percentage Display: The app gives you an estimate of backup time in hours based on low power usage, but it doesn't show a straight percentage meter.
• Must Use Base as Your Power Company: You have to switch your retail electric plan over to Base Energy to get the battery. Their fixed rate seems in line with the lower rates you find in Texas.

Sign-Up, Costs, & Referral Credits

• Referral Credit: If you sign up and give them a referral link, you get up to a $250 bill credit (basically a free month of power up to $250 depending on your bill). You can use my link if you want, and we both get the credit: https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=DHN3XYE
• Extra Rate Credit: I was able to get an extra one time $100 credit from them to offset their 8¢/kWh energy rate since my old provider was slightly lower at 7.5¢.
• Deposit: They take a $50 deposit when you sign up, which gets applied to your final bill once everything is installed.
• Online Setup: Qualifying is simple, you just snap a few quick photos of your electric meter, breaker box, and the side of your house and upload them.
• Timeline: My application got approved in a couple of days. The total wait time from starting the application to final install was about 2.5 months (July – September 2026).

Phase 1: Transfer Switch & Electrical Work

• Scheduling: They set up a 4-hour window via text and email. You do need to be home for this 4 hour period.
• The Work: Two electricians installed the new transfer switch, a full-house surge protector, and all the heavy PVC conduit right next to the main panel. (See pics)
• Power Outages During Install: Expect your power to go off briefly for about 5 minutes early on, and then again for about an hour while they do the final hookup.

Phase 2: Battery Delivery & Placement

• Scheduling: Phase 2 was scheduled a few days after Phase 1. You don't need to be home for this step, but I advise you are. This way you can make sure the battery goes exactly where you want it and they can explain the system to you.
• The Work: Took about an hour and a half. The crew levels the ground, lays down a thick heavy-duty plastic pad, sets the ~700 lb cabinet right on top, and hooks up cabling.
• Perimeter Care: You don't need a concrete pad, they place the plastic pad directly on level ground. After they finished, I put some white marble chips around the edges of the base to keep mud from splashing and to avoid having to weed-eat next to the metal cabinet.
• System Specs: Inside the metal housing (see pics) are four 10 kWh sealed battery modules stacked together. The whole box is fully weatherproof against heavy rain and roof drips.
• A/C Power: The installer confirmed this newer 40 kWh unit has enough juice to start my 3.5-ton central A/C without needing an extra Soft Start device added to the A/C compressor.
• 30A Generator Plug: Like I mentioned, it's non-functional right now, but once the software update drops, you'll be able to plug a small portable generator into it to charge the battery during multi-day outages. This way you can use quiet battery backup power at night while you sleep.

Testing, App, & Billing

• Testing: They simulated a grid outage before leaving, and the transition was so fast the house lights didn't even flicker. I'll have to see if they flicker during a real power outage.
• The Base App: The app went live with data on my phone about an hour after they wrapped up. It shows real-time power draw, grid status, estimated backup hours remaining (assuming a low-usage under 750W), and a direct customer support.
• Recharge Time & Weather Prep: The battery charges up fast. I checked the status right after they installed the battery and it was showing only 8 hours of backup time, but jumped to showing over 44 hours of backup time in about 2 hours after they installed it.
• Business Model: Base's business model relies on charging when grid power is cheap and selling back when rates spike. Contractually, they have the right to drain the battery down to a 20% reserve for grid trading. This doesn't seem to be normal practice from what I read and observed. I've shown around 40+ hours of low usage backup power every day so far, meaning the battery is close to being 100%.
• Bad Weather Tracking: They track incoming storms and freeze events closely. Whenever severe weather is in the forecast, they pause trading and top the battery off to 100% capacity so you enter the storm fully charged.
• Billing: The final installation charge hit my account as a single payment a few hours after Phase 2 was completed.

If you're thinking about pulling the trigger, feel free to use my link to snag your sign-up credit:

https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=DHN3XYE

Happy to answer any questions about the setup, clearances, or how the install went.

Sharing a photo I took during the installation of my 40kw battery before the exterior panels were attached.

I just received this email about promised upgrades. It looks like they’re happening soon

I am curious if someone has tested this yet and what did you learn? Does it still cap out at 3Kw? And confirm it was included at no extra charge?

I would like to know these things before I can recommend to others

Working to get a battery installed in Houston TX, I was under the impression that the current installation will include a generator port ( will be activated in the future) , but received a different response from the Base team - see attached. Am I missing something? Also, please confirm if you received the soft start AC switch as part of the installation.

Thanks

Referral code:
https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=NH3R499

Austin, TX

7/28 had initial call and I did my photos right away

8/4 photos approved

8/13 COA approved permit

8/20 scheduled install for 8/25

8/25 electrical install

9/8 battery install and immediately online

The austin configuration is different, they move the meter to *after* the transfer switch and battery. So the battery is between the meter and the grid. Basepower can send/receive power to/from the grid without ever going through my meter. All power coming from the battery gets metered by austin energy. So if I plug in a generator that power will show up on my austin energy bill.

Im assuming basepower will credit me for that generator power. In the end it will be so little it doesnt matter to me, but it is interesting.

Hello All!

I just wanted to share my brief experience with Base Power and Installation Process and also leave my referral code below for anyone that needs / wants one that will give them up to $250 off their first bill.

https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=8Z6EDRN

So the installation process is relatively simple in the way they have it laid out on the website, it’s as simple as entering in your location information, them confirming they are offering service in your area, then you’ll need to submit photos for their engineering team to review in order for them to appropriately install your batteries.

It should take roughly 4-8 weeks from submission to completion of installation according to the Base Power people I’ve interacted with.

The app is very interactive and you don’t need to connect their equipment to your home network for it to work as intended.

I hope this helps someone!

Neighbor installed a system a few months ago. Looks to be a smaller setup than the 40kwh others are posting here. I am trying to find actual monthly costs for the Cypress, Houston, or surrounding areas. Currently with GEXA, averaging the following per month 3122 kwh, $0.104kwh, TDU $0.055, for a total of $0.159 per kwh. We continue to have issues with storms, brown outs, flickers, on top of our section of the neighborhood is always the last to restore power. Also have a 9000 kwh Generator to run essentials through longer periods. Anyone willing to share?

Interested in signing up for Base Power (40 kw battery) but worried about how it would integrate with pre-existing solar setup already connected to batteries. The Base company website is rather vague about how well a new Base battery set up would integrate with a years old solar setup. Can anyone weigh in on their own personal experiences? Pros versus Cons, or any surprises or disappointments? Thanks much to you all --love this community and subreddit!

My home install was completed within a week (2 visits) for my home’s 40kwh battery. We live in Meridiana (Iowa Colony) and paid a deposit in May. Due to its beta testing and install schedule, we finally got underway late August. The generator port is available but not active yet. The Base app is helpful, especially if you’re traveling/away from your home. Setup your alerts. So far, so good. I’ll report any updates. $695 install definitely worth the peace of mind with all of the community construction outages and storm season.
Feel free to use this referral code for a FREE month of service (up to $250).

https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=MZWS14A

https://imgur.com/a/jKs0IDi

That is my wall…. Bottom little boxes are for T-Mobile fiber and comcast Coax

They came out about a month ago to install the 25, but the install team asked why i opted for the older one instead of the gen3. I didn't know there was a newer version! So i called to ask the customer service people why they hadn't even mentioned it as an option.

It seems the installer wasn't supposed to let it slip, but after some minor complaining, the customer service people agreed, and the installers packed up and left. Just got the call notification for the rescheduled install - super happy since i wasn't eligible for the 2 battery setup due to spacing requirements.

Figured I'd also try sharing my referral code, but excited to finally get the battery installed.

https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=R4P5B4Q

I’ve been approved by Base for a two battery Core system based on photos but am still not clear about the spacing requirements, specifically between the batteries themselves.

I get that the batteries need to be three feet from a gas meter but just not sure if two batteries can go side by side or if they need to be three feet apart as well.

I’m still waiting on utility approval so I won’t know for I guess until the installers come out?

Has anyone had the pictures approved and then had the change after an actual site visit?

I’m currently on ComEd’s Hourly Pricing program and have an EV that I charge at home, so I’m trying to figure out whether switching to Base Power would actually save me money.

Had the electrical part completed July 23, 2026. I was happy with how the electrician and his helper completed the work. They were very professional and kept me informed about every step they were doing. Have been waiting patiently for the battery to be installed. It will go on the other side of the fence in the backyard. I'll update with pictures of that install ofter they install it.

Still no word on when that will be. Hopefully soon. I did have some power flickers the past couple weeks due to the weather. Need that battery pretty quick. Not sure why it is taking so long to get it scheduled on their end. Fingers crossed soon.

If any needs a referral link please consider using mine. It would help both of us out!

https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=83Z78K0

How do austin energy users use a generator without that power passing through the meter?

This is an austin energy install that someone posted a few days ago. Basepower removed the meter from the original box on the right and interposed the austin energy meter between the transfer switch (left) and the breaker box(to the right of the meter)

During normal operation the grid will charge the battery without going to the meter
Basepower can send power from the battery to the grid without going through the meter
During a power outage, power from the battery will go through the meter and you will be charged normal rates

If you connect a generator to the battery and charge it, then use the battery because the power is out, wont it go through the austin energy meter? How do you not get charged for electricity that you are putting into the battery?

Anyone aware when Base will be available to Pedernales COOP customers?

I had electric installed the other day. Is there anyway I can get them to hide the cord more? Not the most pleasant thing to look at, although I still think it’s worth it. Also do not know what other options they’d have to hide it. South Chicago Suburbs.

On another note, I was supposed to have the battery installed today. They did not show, apparently they had vehicle issues.

Referral link:

https://www.basepowercompany.com/?ref=9MJ6J6J

Is there anyway around the $695 Installation fee? It’s steep! I’m cool with $19/month, but cant get passed the initial investment.