Base Power in Texas: how the home battery subscription works

Base Power Company installs a large home battery in Texas that you never own. You pay a one-time installation fee and, in the Oncor, CenterPoint and Austin Energy areas, a monthly membership fee. Base keeps the battery and runs it for the grid. In the Oncor and CenterPoint areas it also becomes your retail electricity provider, under a second contract the battery depends on, and how the two are tied together is most of what matters.

This page explains the arrangement from Base's own documents: plan pages, Electricity Facts Labels (EFLs), the Battery Services Agreement, the Energy Terms of Service and the help center. We have not used the service and this is not a review. Every Base figure is Base's own, as published when we read it on October 19, 2026. The agreement terms quoted below come from the battery agreement for areas where you choose your provider, the only one Base links; Austin Energy and co-op customers should read the agreement they are given.

Who you are signing with

Two companies, under two agreements: Base Power Development, LLC provides the battery, while Base Texas REP, LLC "is an affiliated Energy provider, also known as a retail-electricity provider." Where the home can choose its provider, the battery agreement "will remain in effect only if Affiliate serves as the REP for the Property." (Source: Base Power Battery Services Agreement, linked from Base's battery agreement page, read October 19, 2026.)

Base Texas REP's EFL footer gives its Public Utility Commission of Texas certificate as PUCT #10338.

Whether Base becomes your provider depends on where you live. In co-op and municipal territories, Base says, "your utility stays exactly as it is, and Base simply adds a battery to your home." (Source: Base, How it works, read October 19, 2026.)

What Base publishes as the price

Base's pricing page lists nine Texas areas (CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP Texas Central, AEP Texas North, Texas-New Mexico Power, Guadalupe Valley EC, CoServ, Farmers EC and Austin Energy) plus ComEd in Illinois. (Source: Base, Find Base plans by area, read October 19, 2026.) Base's EFL page lists Energy + Battery EFLs only for Oncor and CenterPoint, and 36 month Energy-Only EFLs for Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Central, AEP North and TNMP. (Source: Base, Electricity Facts Labels and documents, read October 19, 2026.)

For the two areas where the battery is bundled with electricity, Base publishes:

Sources: Base, Oncor plans, Base, CenterPoint plans, Base Battery Plan EFL, Oncor and Base Battery Plan EFL, CenterPoint, all read October 19, 2026. The installation and membership fees appear on the plan pages, not on the EFLs, and Base's FAQ there says the installation fee "varies by zip code and plan." The CenterPoint plan page advertises 14.5 cents at 2,000 kWh; the dated CenterPoint EFL shows 14.4 cents. The EFL is the regulated disclosure, so hold Base to that one.

Terms around those numbers:

• Deposit. Base's FAQ describes "a $50 refundable deposit upfront," credited toward installation. The agreement narrows that: "Once Base Power submits an application for a Permit, your Deposit becomes non-refundable."
• Fixed, with pass-throughs. Both EFLs answer "Yes" to whether the price can change: for utility delivery charges ("updated March 1 and September 1 every year"), ERCOT or Texas Regional Entity fees, and new regulatory costs.
• Battery charging. On an eligible plan, Base credits your account each month "for any electricity used to charge the battery system," at the energy rate plus the delivery charge on your EFL. (Source: Base Energy Terms of Service, read October 19, 2026.)
• Solar. Both battery EFLs say Base buys a solar customer's energy "at $0.04 / kWh," as bill credits.
• Same energy rate without a battery. Base's Energy 36 EFLs for Oncor (dated October 7, 2026) and CenterPoint (dated September 7, 2026) show the same 7.7 cent energy charge with no battery, read October 19, 2026. Those plans carry an early termination fee of "$20 for each whole month remaining," where the battery plan EFLs answer "No." The battery does not lower the energy rate; it adds backup, for the installation and membership fees.

Where Base does not sell electricity, the shape changes. The Austin Energy page lists $695 and $19 a month for one battery, stating "No impact to your Austin Energy bill" because "Your battery sits in front of your electric meter." (Source: Base, Austin Energy, read October 19, 2026.) The CoServ page advertises a founding member offer of $345 installation and $0 a month. (Source: Base, CoServ, read October 19, 2026.) The Guadalupe Valley page lists $295 installation ("normally $695") and $0 a month, and the Farmers page lists $695 installation and $0 a month, both read October 19, 2026.

What hardware you get

Base installs its own battery, the Base Core:

Source: Base, Base Core specifications, read October 19, 2026.

Base calls 39.2 kWh "total energy" and publishes no usable capacity or continuous power rating there. For scale, Tesla's Powerwall 3 datasheet lists "13.5 kWh AC" of nominal energy and up to 11.5 kW continuous per unit. (Source: Tesla Powerwall 3 Datasheet, read October 19, 2026.)

Other published details:

• Load limit. "Your home must be using <20 kW for the battery to turn on" at an outage, and Base installs "a soft start if needed to support larger HVAC systems." (Base, How it works.) See whole-home vs essential backup.
• Generator port. Included on the Oncor and CenterPoint plans.

What you give up for the low upfront price

Ownership and incentives. Base "owns the Battery System and is entitled to any and all tax credits, rebates, incentives, environmental attributes, renewable energy credits, demand-response payments," and you have "no right, claim, or entitlement to any such benefits." With Section 25D gone for 2026 purchases, the surviving federal credit belongs to the owner of a third-party-owned system, as our 48E lease path guide explains. The agreement names no specific credit.

Control. You grant Base "the exclusive right to access and operate the Battery System," including remotely. Base and its operators "determine if and when Energy stored in the Battery System will be delivered to the Property, maintained in the Battery System, transferred to the Energy grid, or otherwise used," including through "wholesale Energy market and utility programs." You agree not to enroll it in any program yourself, which rules out the Texas VPPs in our Texas VPP comparison.

Reserve. Base "will endeavor to maintain a minimum State of Charge" of at least 20 percent, and states that energy, including that minimum, "cannot be guaranteed." It cannot be relied on for "health-related reasons or other critical human needs."

Your obligations. A working internet connection at your expense, 90 days' notice of improvements that may affect the system, and repair costs for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear.

Liability. Base disclaims all warranties other than the manufacturer's, which is "the sole and exclusive warranty." You release Base from claims arising from "any other lack of Energy to the Property, including damage to personal or real property, death, dismemberment, or any bodily harm." You agree to indemnify Base against consequential damages claims "even if such damages are caused by or contributed to by the negligence of Base Power." Base's own liability is capped at "the greater of (A) $15,000.00 or (B) the fair market value of the Battery System."

Disputes and changes. Binding individual arbitration in Austin, with a class action waiver. You must bring any claim within "two (2) years" of when you knew or should have known of it, and if you breach, you "pay Base Power's reasonable attorneys' fees." Base may change the agreement "without your consent and without prior notice" for a change in law, a change that benefits you, or a change that is not material; other material changes need 30 days' notice, during which you may terminate without penalty.

In return, Base commits to "maintenance and manufacturer warranty support" and repairs as needed.

How long the commitment runs

The electricity plan. The battery EFLs show a 36 month fixed term and answer "No" to a termination fee. The 30 day right to cancel in the Energy Terms of Service "does not affect the terms of any separate Battery Service Agreement." An expired term rolls onto a month-to-month variable plan. At renewal, if Base's all-in price exceeds the comparable average on powertochoose.org for your zip code, you must notify Base in writing with proof of that average; Base "will attempt to match" it, and if it cannot, you "may cancel without penalty," including any battery cancellation charge.

The battery agreement. The agreement Base links from its site sets the term to end "one month after the ten (10) year anniversary of your first monthly Membership Fee payment." Base's help center says otherwise: "The Base Battery Services Agreement for our 39.2 kWh batteries is for 12 years." (Source: Base help center, contracts, moving and cancelling, read October 19, 2026.) The agreement supersedes anything "found on the Base Power website," so the version you sign governs. Ask which it is.

Renewal is automatic. Thirty days before renewal Base presents new fees reflecting "market rates for battery services." Unless you reject them in writing within 30 days, the agreement renews for another term of the same length at those fees.

At the end. Base may render the system inoperable and remove it. If you block removal for 90 days, you owe its fair market value, "upwards of $10,000 per battery."

The link between them. The electricity plan has no termination fee, but the battery agreement requires you to stay with Base's retail provider for the whole battery term. If you leave, Base "may deem you to have engaged in an Early Termination." The charge is $500 if Base recovers the battery within 90 days in the condition it was installed, ordinary wear and tear aside, and the system's fair market value if not, and you lose the deposit. Exemptions are determined "in Base Power's sole discretion," and the price-match exemption applies only when you switch at renewal of the electricity plan.

Moving or selling the house

Base's marketing says that if the buyer does not sign up, "we'll remove the system," adding "no matter when you move," with no fee mentioned. (Base, How it works.)

The agreement adds conditions: 90 days' notice of a sale, and a Base-approved buyer who signs Base's Tenant Assignment and Assumption Agreement before the transfer. Otherwise you are "deemed to have engaged in an Early Termination" and owe the cancellation charge. The help center puts cancelling during the term at "a $500 deinstallation fee."

On the electricity side, the Energy Terms of Service let you end service without penalty if you move and show proof.

How this differs from buying, and from a lease or PPA

The buying column follows the federal rules our 2026 battery tax credit guide lays out: Section 25D ended December 31, 2025, so a cash buyer in 2026 gets no federal credit. The lease column summarizes our $0-down leasing guide.

Base resembles a lease: someone else owns the hardware, keeps the incentives and carries maintenance. It differs in that the battery comes bundled with an electricity contract you must keep, and Base decides when it charges and discharges, because grid services are how it earns.

If you already own a battery, Base's help center says you can take its energy plus battery plan without a Base battery: "You keep your battery." (Source: Base help center, existing battery, read October 19, 2026.)

Questions to ask before signing

Get each answer in writing.

• Term. Is my battery agreement ten years and one month from the first membership payment, or 12 years?
• Renewal. How are renewal fees set, and how will I be told before the 30 day opt-out window?
• Switching providers. Is the charge exactly $500, and which exemptions could apply to me?
• Fee changes. If my home needs a non-standard install, what are the modified fees? You get three business days to object and cancel with a full refund of the $50 deposit.
• Outage limits. Will my draw stay under 20 kW, and does my HVAC need a soft start?
• My usage. What is my all-in rate at my own usage? The EFL average rises as usage falls.

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On Base's published numbers, the upfront fee is small and the commitment is long. Run your own numbers in the calculator, see our Texas report, and read the agreement before the permit is filed, when the deposit stops being refundable.