About | Vista Power - Free Energy Storage and Solar for Businesses

FAQ

Popular Questions

What's your process?

First, we do a preliminary analysis using 12 months of your energy bills and usage and generate a proposal, either across your entire portfolio or an individual property. Once you’re happy with a proposal, we sign a pre-order agreement which lets us get to work on making the project happen. After an in-depth review of all the details, we will sign an Energy Services Agreement – a final 5-15 year oﬀ-balance sheet contract – and begin installation work. At the end of the contract, you can renew, buy out the equipment, or we can take back our assets. We don't charge for anything until your first electric bill after the project is operational, so everything - including consultation, hardware, permitting, and installation - is at no upfront cost. We do ask for a small pre-order deposit with our pre-order agreement, which we will credit toward your first monthly payment to us, or refund it to you if we aren't able to sign an Energy Services Agreement within a certain timeframe.

How do you save money on energy costs?

Our battery energy storage systems charge when electricity is cheap and discharge when it’s expensive, cutting energy, demand and capacity charges. We will also help you select the best plan from your power provider to save you as much money as possible. If you already have solar panels or if your property is a good fit, we will install and charge from the solar system when it's most economical. We verify the savings every month and split them with you, so your net utility spend always falls. We're not a utility or retail electric supplier, so we don't replace your existing electric bill; our services will be billed separately.

What equipment do you install? Is it safe?

We own and operate Lithium‑Iron‑Phosphate (LFP)-based Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and, whenever viable, photovoltaic (PV) solar panels with inverters and smart meters. All our hardware is UL‑listed, comes only from Tier 1 manufacturers, is compliant with the latest safety regulations like California's Rule 21, and is fitted with robust fire‑suppression systems. Battery cells can be made out of different materials, which we refer to as "battery chemistry." LFP is the safest battery chemistry on the market with the lowest rates of thermal runaway or accidental fire. LFP improves significantly on older technologies such as Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC), which is the chemistry involved in most of the fires that you may have heard about in the news. More than 80% of utility-scale energy storage systems use LFP battery cells due to their safety and cost-effectiveness.

Who does Vista Power work with?

We work primarily with multifamily, commercial, and industrial building owners and operators of any size in the United States (and sometimes internationally). We can support hospitality, cold storage, data centers, affordable multifamily housing, market-rate multifamily housing, single-family communities with centralized utility infrastructure, offices, retail centers, healthcare, municipal facilities, life sciences, parking structures, grocery stores, self-storage, factories and other industrial facilities, and more.

Can Vista Power help if my tenants pay for the electricity?

Yes. Our billing partner can automatically split each month’s verified savings between you and your tenants, giving you a new revenue stream and higher net operating income without any upfront expenses.

I am a tenant and pay a lot for electricity. Can Vista Power still help?

Yes. We can still follow our standard process with tenants instead of the building owner, but we will need the building owner's approval of our proposal and agreements in order to actually install the assets.

Can Vista Power help if I already have a PPA or participate in a Direct Access or Community Choice program?

Yes. We are neither a retail electricity supplier / power provider nor a utility, and we do not replace any of your other utility bills - meaning any third-party agreements remain intact, unless they have explicit restrictions on new energy infrastructure. If you have a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Direct Access (DA) provider, or are getting power from a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) but are still looking to reduce your energy bills, please reach out to us and we'll review your agreements and let you know if we can help, free of charge.

How is my electric bill structured?

Commercial electricity bills typically combine energy charges for units of electricity ($/kWh), demand charges for power ($/kW), fixed service fees, and time‑of‑use or hourly rates. You may be on a fixed rate plan, but your utility will typically offer a time-of-use plan as an alternative, which lowers your average rate for most of the day but raises it during what's known as Peak hours, usually 4-9pm. We will analyze every line item across all plans available to you and pair the optimal plan with our hardware to reduce your energy bill.

How does your contract work?

The Energy Services Agreement (ESA) is a 5-15 year, off-balance sheet agreement. It is not a liability or an asset, and is instead treated as an operating expense. We own and are responsible for the assets throughout the entire contract and claim the relevant tax credits and other incentives. Payments start only after the system goes live and are based on benchmarked savings on your electricity bill. We typically also agree to not bill you more than what you would have paid without our equipment in place. In certain cases, we may structure our engagement as a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) + Lease, which will have similar mechanics but work better for certain business models. At the end of the contract, you can either renew the agreement, buy out the assets at fair market value, or have us uninstall the hardware. If the project is eligible for carbon or renewable energy credits or certificates, we can pass them on to you.

What am I responsible for? What is Vista Power responsible for?

We are responsible for system design, permitting processes and fees, installation, insurance, 24/7 monitoring, and all operations and maintenance. We leverage our network of installers and contractors to ensure smooth and continuous commissioning and operation of all projects. You simply provide us with energy data to analyze, give us and our contractors site access, keep the area safe and clear, and pay your utility bills plus your share of verified savings through our billing partner. We may also need authorizations from either the building owner or operator throughout the permitting process and to qualify for various cost-reducing programs and incentives.

About us

What We do

Mission

Clean, Affordable Energy
for Every Business

Empowering Businesses

Improving the Grid

Building a Sustainable Future

team

FAQ

Popular Questions

OWN COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL real estate? Let's chat.

About us

What We do

Mission

Clean, Affordable Energy for Every Business

Empowering Businesses

Improving the Grid

Building a Sustainable Future

team

FAQ

Popular Questions

OWN COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL real estate? Let's chat.

Clean, Affordable Energy
for Every Business