National Grid offers free home batteries to 125 income-eligible Fall River area households
Haven Energy will install the batteries and own, operate and maintain them for 10 years, and each household gets $150 a year for five years. The first phase focuses on customers enrolled in or eligible for the R-2 discount rate on targeted circuits, and every household must be served by the Bates Street substation.
FALL RIVER Up to 125 income-eligible National Grid customers in the Fall River area can get a home battery system at no cost under a pilot program the utility announced Friday.
The program, called BackupBattery+, is run with Haven Energy, a battery storage company that will own, operate and maintain the systems for 10 years, National Grid said in its Friday news release, which the Fall River Reporter published that morning. The Herald News also reported the offer on Tuesday. Each system holds up to 45 kilowatt-hours and can provide at least four hours of backup power during an outage, the utility said.
National Grid said it picked Fall River for the pilot because of "identified local reliability and capacity needs," and its program page says the pilot supports the power substation on Bates Street. Haven's program page says discharging the batteries lets National Grid avoid expensive and time-consuming upgrades to that substation. For the households that sign up, it means backup power in an outage without paying for the equipment.
Who can sign up
Under the rules on National Grid's program page, a household must be a National Grid electric customer served by the Bates Street substation and be on a National Grid discount rate or meet the program's income limits. Those limits, based on pre-tax yearly household income, are $53,585 for one person, $70,073 for two, $86,561 for three and $103,049 for four, rising to $142,207 for a household of eight. Haven's page says a household must live at an address served by the power lines running from the Bates substation, and its online eligibility check starts by asking for the home's address. Homes with solar panels cannot take part, because joining would mean giving up the credits they earn for sending extra solar power to the grid.
National Grid said the first phase will focus on customers who are enrolled in or eligible for the R-2 discount rate and are on targeted local circuits, and that potential participants will be contacted directly over the coming weeks through an outreach campaign that includes Citizens for Citizens, a local nonprofit. Enrollment stays open until the spots are filled, with the first installations targeted to begin in spring 2027, the utility said. Once a customer signs an agreement, most systems are installed and working within 10 to 16 weeks, depending on approvals, the program page says.
Households unsure whether they qualify for the discount rate can read our Nov. 1 story on National Grid's income discount tiers, which explains the tiers that began this month.
What it costs and what it pays
Participants pay nothing for the equipment or its upkeep, National Grid said. The utility's program page says each household also gets $150 a year for the first five years it takes part, a total of $750, and that if a home is sold, the battery and any remaining yearly payments stay with the house.
Customers who join sign an energy service agreement with Haven, which installs, owns, monitors and maintains the battery for a 10-year term, according to Haven's program page. When the term ends, the page says, the customer chooses between taking over ownership of the system and having Haven remove it at no cost, with no automatic commitment past 10 years. The battery's fair market value at year 10 reflects the depreciated value of the equipment and is typically a small fraction of the original cost, Haven says, though the page lists no price.
In exchange, the batteries work as a group, so when electricity use is high or the local grid is under stress, they will be discharged together to cut demand on the targeted circuits, then recharge when demand drops while keeping backup power in reserve, National Grid said. The program page says these events typically last two to three hours, that customers are reimbursed on their National Grid accounts for any energy the battery sends to the grid, and that a battery always keeps at least four hours of reserve for the home, rising to its full capacity in severe weather.
What the partners said
Steve Caldwell, National Grid's vice president of energy efficiency and clean programs, said the pilot gives Fall River area customers "no-cost access to backup power and battery storage technologies that have traditionally been out of reach for many households." It will also test "how coordinated home batteries can address local grid needs," he said in the release.
"Reliable backup power should be within reach for families who could not otherwise afford it," said Sherri Bence, the city of Fall River's municipal energy manager. She said the program would help participating households "keep essential appliances running during outages."
Liz Berube, executive director of Citizens for Citizens, said that for families facing energy affordability challenges, reliable backup power "can provide added peace of mind during severe weather." She said the agency would connect eligible residents with information about the program.
What happens next
The pilot is paid for through National Grid's Electric Sector Modernization Plan, which the utility describes as an effort to meet the state's clean energy goals while driving affordability and reliability. National Grid said it will study enrollment, customer satisfaction, outreach, battery performance and cost-effectiveness to decide whether coordinated home batteries can work beside traditional grid investments and whether access to the batteries could expand to other Massachusetts communities.
National Grid also runs ConnectedSolutions, a statewide battery program that the utility says is open to all customers and includes thousands of home batteries.
Customers who think they may qualify can check their eligibility through National Grid's BackupBattery+ page or Haven Energy's program page, or call Haven at 617-468-5246, the number the company lists. South Coast 360 has asked National Grid how many homes the Bates Street substation serves and in which neighborhoods, whether renters can take part, what energy use data the batteries share, whether a customer can leave before 10 years and how many households have signed up, and will add the answers when they come.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The program details, the dates and the quotes come from National Grid's Nov. 6 news release, read on National Grid's own site on Nov. 7; the Fall River Reporter also published it Friday morning, and we credit the Reporter once. The income limits, the $150 yearly payment and $750 total, the Bates Street substation, the solar rule, the event length, the bill credits, the reserve, the 10 to 16 week install time and the home sale rule come from National Grid's BackupBattery+ program page, read Nov. 7. The phone number, the 10-year energy service agreement, the end of term choices, the fair market value line and the substation upgrade line come from Haven Energy's program page and its answers to common questions, read Nov. 6 and again Nov. 10. The Herald News also reported the offer Nov. 10. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: Nov. 6, 2026 is a Friday and Nov. 10 is a Tuesday. We asked National Grid on Nov. 10 how many homes the substation serves, whether renters can join, what data the batteries share, whether a customer can leave early and how many households have signed up.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (5)
- National Grid, "National Grid Launches Fall River Area Home Battery Pilot" (news release, Waltham, Nov. 6, 2026)BackupBattery+ with Haven Energy; up to 125 income-eligible households; systems of up to 45 kWh; at least four hours of backup; Haven owns, operates and maintains them for 10 years, then customers can take over ownership; R2 first phase on targeted circuits; Citizens for Citizens outreach over the coming weeks; enrollment until filled; installations targeted for spring 2027; local reliability and capacity needs; coordinated discharge; Electric Sector Modernization Plan; ConnectedSolutions; quotes from Caldwell, Bence and Berube. Read Nov. 7, 2026.
- National Grid, "National Grid BackupBattery+" program pageNo-cost battery for qualifying Fall River customers; at least 4 hours of backup; $150 a year for the first 5 years, $750 in all; eligibility (National Grid electric customer, discount rate or income limits, served by the Bates Street substation); income chart by household size; no solar; events of 2 to 3 hours; reimbursement on the National Grid account; 4-hour reserve, full capacity in severe weather; 10 to 16 weeks from signing to a working system; battery and payments stay with a sold house. Read Nov. 7, 2026.
- Haven Energy, "National Grid BackupBattery+, Fall River"The program partner's page: 125 spots; eligibility (service area, National Grid electric customer, R-2 rate or equivalent income limits); Bates Street substation; $150 a year for five years; no solar; phone (617) 468-5246. Its answers to common questions: an Energy Service Agreement with Haven for a 10-year service term; at the end, ownership transfer or removal at no cost, no automatic commitment after 10 years, fair market value at year 10 typically a small fraction of the original cost; discharging the batteries lets National Grid avoid upgrades to the Bates substation. Read Nov. 6, 2026. Reread with its answers Nov. 10, 2026.
- Fall River Reporter, "National Grid launches Fall River area no cost home battery pilot" (Ken Paiva, Nov. 6, 2026)Where we first read the announcement, published by the Reporter the morning of Nov. 6; matches National Grid's release. Read Nov. 6, 2026.
- The Herald News, "National Grid offers Fall River homes free home battery systems" (Nov. 10, 2026)Reported the offer Tuesday morning, Nov. 10; credited here, and no fact in this story rests on it. Headline and time from the Google News listing, read Nov. 10, 2026.