Connecticut has a peak problem. On the hottest summer afternoons and coldest winter evenings, the grid strains to keep up, and everyone pays for the expensive power plants that run only during those hours. To ease that strain, the state and its utilities now pay building owners to store energy or use less of it when demand spikes.
For towns and school districts, the timing could not be better. These programs reward exactly what public buildings do well: they have predictable schedules, large roofs and electrical systems, and often sit empty during the hours the grid needs help most.
Battery storage through Energy Storage Solutions. Connecticut's Energy Storage Solutions program, run by the Connecticut Green Bank, Eversource, and United Illuminating, pays commercial customers, including municipalities and schools, for batteries that discharge during grid events. Since April 1, 2026, the program pays mainly for performance over 10 years:
A battery averaging 100 kW during events could earn about $250,000 over the life of the contract.
Demand response without a battery. Not every building needs new equipment to participate. Through Eversource's ConnectedSolutions program, commercial customers earn $200 per kW each summer for reducing load during 30 to 60 short events. Events last two to three hours between 3 and 8 p.m. on weekdays from June through September, with a day's notice. A building that trims 100 kW by raising thermostats, dimming lights, or pausing pumps can earn about $20,000 a season.
Schools are among the best candidates in the state. Summer grid events happen when most classrooms are empty, so a battery or load reduction rarely affects students or staff. Many schools also serve as emergency shelters, and a battery can keep lights, communications, and heating systems running during an outage.
School districts with solar can pair it with storage to use more of their own power, and districts planning roof, HVAC, or electrical upgrades can fold storage into work already in the budget.
Town portfolios offer more options than most people expect:
The value goes beyond program payments. Lowering a building's peak demand can reduce monthly demand charges and the capacity costs built into future electricity supply contracts. Towns and schools can also receive the federal storage tax credit as a direct cash payment through elective pay, worth up to 30% of eligible project costs when labor requirements are met.
Titan Energy works with municipalities across Connecticut and is the exclusive provider of the CCM Energy Purchasing Program. We look at storage and demand response as part of your full energy picture, alongside procurement, efficiency, and onsite generation. That means we can show you not only what a battery earns, but how it affects your supply costs for years to come.
We start with a no-cost screening of your buildings. You will see which sites qualify, what they could earn, and what it would take to get started.
Ready to see what your buildings could earn? Contact Titan Energy to schedule your incentive screening.
Incentive amounts reflect Connecticut program terms as of October 2026 and may change. Actual earnings depend on system size, performance, and program rules.