The Eversource ConnectedSolutions program - Eversource Energy bets on smart home batteries
30.06.2026 - 16:02:35 | ad-hoc-news.de
By Julian Reed, ad hoc news New Launch Desk. Reviewed June 30, 2026, 10:05 AM ET. Details in the imprint.
The Eversource ConnectedSolutions program pops up in a very practical way when your smart thermostat dims the air conditioning on a sweltering August afternoon and you still feel comfortable on the couch. That small change is the product at work, quietly paying you incentives for letting Eversource Energy manage your home battery and thermostat during peak demand events.
Smart demand response product
ConnectedSolutions is Eversource Energy’s residential and commercial demand response program that links smart thermostats and battery storage systems to its electric grid across New England service territories. During high-demand periods, the utility remotely adjusts enrolled devices to reduce consumption or discharge stored energy while sharing financial benefits with participating customers.
According to program materials, customers in states such as Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire can enroll compatible devices from brands including Nest, Ecobee, Honeywell, and home batteries from providers like Tesla Powerwall or Generac to earn seasonal incentives. Eversource positions ConnectedSolutions as a way to help stabilize the grid, defer expensive infrastructure upgrades, and expand integration of renewable generation.
How customers get paid
In the battery track of ConnectedSolutions, homeowners with qualified battery systems can receive performance-based payments for allowing Eversource to dispatch their batteries during demand response events, typically a limited number of times each summer. Incentives are usually calculated in dollars per kilowatt enrolled and per kilowatt-hour delivered during events, with rates varying by state program design.
On the thermostat side, customers can earn sign-up bonuses and event-based bill credits for letting Eversource briefly adjust cooling settings a few degrees on the hottest days. From a user’s point of view, the experience is subtle: the compressor cycles a bit less often, the house stays reasonably cool, and a line item credit appears on the bill or as a check later in the year.
Explore Eversource Energy’s demand response strategy
Get more context on how ConnectedSolutions fits into Eversource Energy’s broader earnings mix and capital plans.
Program details and eligible devices
On Eversource’s official ConnectedSolutions page, the utility lists specific thermostat and battery brands and models eligible for participation, along with incentive tables for each state program. For example, Massachusetts customers with qualified battery systems can earn capacity payments per kilowatt of enrolled discharge capability during the summer demand response season.
The company explains that events usually occur on the highest-demand days, are announced in advance via email or app notifications, and last only a few hours. Participants can opt out of individual events while staying in the program, giving a level of control that matters to homeowners worried about indoor comfort or battery backup needs.
Grid stability and clean energy angle
Eversource highlights ConnectedSolutions as part of its broader grid modernization and clean energy strategy, using customer-side flexibility to balance growing adoption of solar and wind resources. By tapping distributed batteries and demand response, the utility can reduce dependence on peaker plants, cut peak-related emissions, and keep system reliability within regulatory standards.
Regulators in states like Massachusetts have approved performance-based demand response programs that align with broader policy goals around decarbonization and electrification. For Eversource, ConnectedSolutions becomes one of several tools to manage electric load as heat pumps, electric vehicles, and new data centers expand demand on its distribution network.
Customer experience and first-hand feel
Talk to a homeowner who enrolled a Tesla Powerwall through ConnectedSolutions in suburban Boston, and they might describe the moment when their battery quietly began discharging during a late afternoon peak event while the kitchen lights did not flicker. The action is almost invisible, apart from an activity log in the battery app and a later-season incentive payment.
On the thermostat side, the experience can be as simple as the thermostat nudging a cooling set point from 72°F to 75°F for a couple of hours, while ceiling fans keep the room air moving and the noise from the outdoor condenser drops. For many users, the trade-off feels acceptable when they know they are earning dollars and supporting regional grid stability.
Program management and key people
While Eversource Energy does not foreground individual managers on its consumer program pages, regulatory filings and utility presentations typically cite senior executives like CEO Joe Nolan as champions of customer-focused demand-side management initiatives. These leaders frame ConnectedSolutions as a way to engage customers directly in grid operations while meeting environmental, social, and governance targets.
Program design work often involves collaboration between Eversource’s energy efficiency teams, IT, and third-party technology vendors who provide demand response platforms and integration with device manufacturers. That mix of internal and external experts shapes how events are scheduled, how incentive payments are calculated, and how customer data privacy is handled.
Business model impact for investors
From an investor’s perspective, ConnectedSolutions is more of a supporting cast member than a lead actor within Eversource Energy’s revenue mix. Utilities recover program costs and incentive payments through regulatory mechanisms, often with approved cost recovery and performance incentives that can modestly support earnings.
The program also helps Eversource manage peak demand more efficiently, which can defer or resize capital spending on traditional infrastructure upgrades. That, in turn, shapes the utility’s long-term rate base growth, cost-of-service dynamics, and negotiations with state regulators over allowed returns and customer bill impacts.
Availability for US customers
ConnectedSolutions is currently available to residential and commercial customers within Eversource Energy’s electric service territories in New England, including parts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Customers must have eligible devices and enroll through partner portals or Eversource’s program sign-up pages.
Importantly, the program is not a national offering; it is tied to the utility’s footprint and regulatory approvals across its service states. US consumers outside Eversource territory cannot enroll directly, but many other utilities run similar demand response and battery incentive programs under different brand names.
Pricing, incentives, and typical payouts
Unlike a traditional product purchase with a single listed price, ConnectedSolutions works through incentive schedules approved by regulators and published by Eversource. For batteries, incentives typically involve capacity payments for the kilowatts enrolled and performance payments for kilowatt-hours dispatched during the demand response season.
For thermostats, common structures include a one-time enrollment bonus plus smaller event credits when cooling usage is reduced during peak hours. The exact dollar amounts depend on the state program and device type, but for a typical household, annual payouts can add up to meaningful bill savings relative to normal summer bills.
Technical integration and data handling
Technically, ConnectedSolutions relies on secure APIs and data-sharing agreements between Eversource, device manufacturers, and demand response platform providers. When a peak event is called, the program sends control signals to enrolled devices, which adjust operation within customer-predefined comfort or backup constraints.
Data on device performance, event participation, and delivered load reduction or battery discharge is fed back into Eversource’s systems to calculate incentives and verify program effectiveness. The utility emphasizes that participation is voluntary and that customers can opt out of specific events or leave the program altogether if they no longer wish to share control or data.
Regulatory and policy context
Demand response programs like ConnectedSolutions operate under state regulatory frameworks that encourage utilities to invest in energy efficiency and load management as alternatives to expensive new generation. In New England, regulators have supported these programs as part of broader clean energy and reliability strategies, with cost recovery structures that make them financially viable for utilities.
As policy makers push for higher electrification of heating and transport while maintaining reliability, demand response and distributed energy resource programs gain strategic importance. For Eversource, ConnectedSolutions therefore sits at the intersection of customer engagement, regulatory compliance, and grid planning.
Risks and limitations
ConnectedSolutions does carry risks and limitations for participants and the utility. Customers must trust that events will not compromise their comfort or critical backup power needs, which means communication and clear program rules are essential. For Eversource, enrollment and performance are not guaranteed, and weather or customer opt-outs can reduce expected load reduction.
Hardware compatibility is another constraint; only devices on the eligibility list can participate, which may frustrate customers with other brands or older systems. Finally, shifting regulatory priorities or changes in wholesale market structures could alter the financial calculus for demand response programs over time.
Signals for Eversource Energy stock
Shares of Eversource Energy trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ES, reflecting the utility’s multi-state regulated electric and gas operations. While ConnectedSolutions is not individually broken out in earnings, Eversource often references demand response and energy efficiency initiatives in investor communications as contributors to long-term grid modernization and customer engagement.
Key facts about ConnectedSolutions
- Product: ConnectedSolutions demand response program
- Manufacturer: Eversource Energy
- Category: New launch - Software, service, and subscription
- Launch: Program expanded across New England in recent years as part of Eversource’s demand response portfolio
- MSRP / Price: No direct purchase price; incentive-based payments vary by state and device type
- Availability: Residential and commercial electric customers in Eversource service territories in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire
- Target audience: Homeowners and businesses with eligible smart thermostats or battery storage systems seeking bill savings and supporting grid stability
- Standout / USP: Utility-run program that pays customers to link smart thermostats and home batteries to demand response events, blending bill credits with clean energy and grid reliability benefits
This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information is provided without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Securities trading carries risks up to total loss.
