u/RealConfirmologist

BASE Power started off issuing me credit for the early termination of my previous contract, but the rest has come from referrals.

Here's a screen capture of my billing summary from the BASE Power dashboard. I find it interesting that no monthly service charge shows on any of the bills.

Sincerely hoping BASE will revise the dashboard to add a way to track referrals. I have received 6 or 7 notifications by text that someone used my referral link to sign up.

Thing is, there's no way to know if the people who used the link ended up with an install.

Seems like the majority of those using a link WOULD follow through with an install because they have to put up $50 as a deposit. I think that's enough to narrow it down to people who are seriously interested.

Sometimes an install can't go through for various reasons. If the house is in an area with a history of flooding, if there's not sufficient space to put in a battery, if the breaker box and meter configuration don't meet requirements, etc.

I've messaged and emailed BASE Power support asking them to provide a way to keep track of referrals and the AI bot always makes the right noises, but until they do it, I have little faith they actually will.

While I'm griping, I also have complained that we should have a way to know the state of charge of our batteries, and not just an estimated amount of time we'll have if an outage happens, given the current use and battery status.

Yeah, the batteries and equipment belong to BASE Power, but we're making an investment in the company and allowing them to use our space and tie into our power systems. They should give us an accurate display of state of charge.

I signed up with BASE Power in May. Got my batteries July 15th.

Didn't know BASE sends out a weekly report! I like it, but it sure seems like we should be able to see this kind of information via the phone app and via the web portal dashboard.

For long-time Houston-area BASE customers, do you get this weekly email? Is the information in it accurate?

Oh. Almost forgot. If you're thinking about BASE Power, use my referral link to check whether your address is eligible. If you get BASE, you'll get a free month of power (up to $250) and I will, too!

Thursday 7/23 I arrived home around 6 PM, after driving through torrential rain & some lightning & thunder.

Went inside and soon after, lights flickered and my UPS for my router beeped. BASE Power app notified me the grid was down and I was on battery. Moments later, power was restored.

My microwave & stove clocks did not lose their time. My coffee maker did go to flashing zeros.

Later, checking the BASE app, I hoped to document the duration of the outage, but apparently if you don't get to the app in time, the timeline is lost. It only shows status of the last five minutes.

Under the Daily Overview, there is a "Estimated Duration" display that shows a "Grid support" band of light blue screen capture here that seems to have been when power was out.

I really don't believe "Grid support" is the right term.

What was going on was an outage and my system was not supporting the grid, it was supporting my house!

I really hope BASE Power will work on the app a LOT, and soon, because it seems like accurate reporting & display of status is important, and part of what we pay for with our monthly fees.

It seems fair to ask for accurate, detailed accounting of when power is switched & why.

As for my coffee maker, it's the easiest of the three kitchen clocks to reset and I halfway appreciate having it go to flashing zeros when the power switches. It's just another way of confirming we did have an issue of some sort. Setting the microwave & stove clocks is more tedious so I'm glad those seem more stable.

My refrigerator also notifies me of power failures, but has no clock. Apparently BASE Power switches to battery quickly enough that the fridge doesn't see it as an outage and does not report.

Another note: I am subscribed to CenterPoint's text notifications and ordinarily they're pretty reliable at notifying of an outage detected. No notifications came yesterday evening, but I did get two PHONE CALLS from CenterPoint and when I answered, there was zero message coming through. Just silence. Both times.

The outage was brief, but I'd still call it a test of BASE Power and, in my opinion, it passed. My air conditioning stayed on.

If you're seeing this because you're researching BASE Power but have not yet signed up, be sure to use my referral link to get a free month of electricity. I'll get one, too.

TL;DR - BASE Power did switch briefly to battery power during the storm, I'm satisfied with the service but disappointed with the app.

I finally got around to getting my pole put together and in position and now my HD HomeRun Flex Quatro is getting the most signals I've ever seen!

My antenna is a Antennas Direct 8-Element Bowtie UHF Outdoor HDTV Antenna, Multi-Directional, 70+ Mile Range, 4K 8K UHD NEXTGEN TV, $136.07 with tax via Amazon.

Here's a video of the scan showing the total at the end.

I'm in Houston, Texas, northwest area near Beltway 8 & Hwy. 249.

Edit/Update: Added antenna information.

Just curious if this is something that will populate eventually. I added the batteries around 9 PM last night and now, mid-day the next day, here's what I see: image

I've seen a screen capture of someone else's, exactly like this but with a line up to the battery showing percent charge, so I think I'm CLOSE. Someone else's screen capture

Since mine shows no battery on the side of the house, there's an issue. The app sees my data loggers, but just isn't seeing my batteries, I assume.

Just wondering if I need to change something to get this display or if it'll just happen down the line.

Thanks.

Edit/Update: Yesterday 7/23, I checked the Growatt app and still had no batteries showing.

Today 7/24 I checked and the batteries and POC now show!

Not sure why it took so long, but I'm glad they're there, at last. I'll be verifying POC from the display on the battery to what the app shows and if they match a few different times, I'll be satisfied that the Growatt app is really showing what POC they're at.

I have not seen anyone comment about this, but thought it might be interesting to some who follow this subreddit.

This past Wednesday when the crew finished my 2 25 kWh battery installation, I was looking it over with the crew leader when I noticed the ring that secures the meter was loose and kind of just hanging there. Photo.

I pointed it out and the crew leader said, "Right, that has to be left undone by us, CenterPoint will come and secure it and tag it. They have to do that part. We're allowed to open it and do the work, we have the permits, but they have to come out to close it and tag it as checked by them."

Today (Friday morning) the CenterPoint guy came. I was watching him via a solar camera I have out back and I saw he pulled the meter. Almost instantly my BASE app notified me of the power loss.

He shoved the meter back in within a few seconds and the app immediately notified me power was restored.

My WiFi and cameras are on their own small UPS battery backups so they were not affected by the switchover.

When I get home, I'll immediately check the coffee pot, microwave and stove clocks. Sure would be great if they didn't have to get reset.

But if resetting a few clocks is the worst I'll face when power is lost, I will just put on my big-boy pants and won't cry about it.

If you didn't see it already, I did do a time-lapse video of my installation, link here, and if you're considering BASE Power and have not signed up yet, use this link and you'll get free power for a month and so will I.

Edit: TL;DR - BASE Power kicked in immediately and notified me via the app, immediately.

Edit: I fixed the YouTube link. Had the wrong video linked.

YouTube video link

Signed up for BASE in May, installation was delayed due to 36" distance-from-window rule. Rules changed, and install finally happened 7/15/2026.

The crew worked through some rain, but did stop when it became a downpour. They started around 9 AM and finished around 4 PM.

It's a huge relief to have the system all connected. Now let's see how long before there's an outage!

If you're thinking about BASE Power, sign up via my link and you'll get free power for a month, and I will, too!

Rain may still delay things, but at least I know BASE Power actually has plans to install my system soon. My dashboard STILL shows "Error scheduling installation" and "Support needed." Screenshot

I'm in NW Houston, outside the city limits, near 8 & 249, just FYI. I signed up with BASE Power on May 19th, 2026.

Here's a screen shot of the pallets where they got dropped off in my driveway. I'd have expected they'd put them a bit closer to the house, but I guess they'll be okay. Better than having them block the wrong garage door or something.

Sounds like the crew will still install even if there's light rain. They'll postpone only if storms are present. Knock on wood.

Edit/Update: Batteries & system was installed today. Photo

The dashboard still says the same thing. And no word yet on when the A/C soft start will be installed.

Oh. Almost forgot to share my referral link. Here it is.

Edit/Update: I created a time-lapse video of the whole installation. Link here.

My install in NW Houston is scheduled for Wednesday 7/15. The forecast looks very rainy Monday & Tuesday, and 30% Wednesday.

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!

On CNN.com you only have to scroll down 1 page to see this.

I wonder how long before the bodycam video gets made public.

It's hard right now to reserve judgement, based on previous murders by ICE agents.

To justify the shooting, bodycam video would have to show that Araujo was actually a real threat to the lives of the ICE agents involved. I'm skeptical that we'll see that.

I'm also skeptical about whether the agent or agents that did the shooting will actually be held accountable.

I've seen some photos of BASE batteries right next to a window and the window appears to be the kind that CAN be opened.

Here's a photo of a good example of such an installation.

I'm a bit bugged when I see this every time I log in, because my installation is on hold until BASE gets updated approvals from the manufacturer to put batteries closer than 36". My house can't get two batteries and still stay 36" away from a window.

How come the people in the photo get to have theirs that close?

Edit/Update: This is obviously NOT an actual photo. The battery appears to be sitting right on a deck. From the look of the front edge of the deck, it might be a concrete slab. There are no conduits or control cables.

Seems almost like false advertising to just have a battery sitting there as if that's the whole system.

Despite frustration over practically non-existent customer support, I'm still excited about BASE Power and can not WAIT to get my batteries installed. But I have to wait.

I still share my referral link every chance I get and have been talking to friends, family & coworkers about BASE Power.

I'm relieved I no longer have to sort through all of Houston's providers each time my contract gets close to expiring. I actually paid Energy Ogre for years, because they did all the work for me. Now I get a rate that's below average for three years, plus automatic battery backup.

Edit/Update: Got this reply from BASE Power support:

"Great question. The photo on our website is used for illustrative purposes and may not reflect every site-specific requirement we apply during our actual approval process. In practice, our battery cannot be placed directly in front of or immediately adjacent to an operable window, and we also require at least 9 feet of clear space from any AC unit. Every installation goes through an engineering review to confirm it meets these safety and code requirements before we approve it. Let us know if you have any other questions!"

For Texas BASE Power customers:

I emailed BASE Power this morning suggesting that they add a way to see a tally showing status of referrals. I THINK I have three so far, but would have to go back through my text messages to count them up.

I share my referral link every chance I get and I know some users go months without having to pay for power because they get so many referrals.

AI bot Jules replied withing a few minutes. I'd expected the "We'll be back on Monday" but instead, the message acknowledged my suggestion and said that kind of request helps shape where BASE goes.

But the thing I did NOT know is this part:

"Since you are already active on social media talking about Base, one thing worth knowing: as a battery and energy member in deregulated Texas, you can earn a $50 bill credit for a public post about Base on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, or X. Just screenshot the post and email it to support@basepowercompany.com to claim it, once per qualifying platform."

I have not seen anyone posting about this here and I had no idea that there was another way to earn credits from BASE Power!