Interview

Kowint Energy VP Projects Sub-$5,000 Whole Home Backup as Residential BESS Demand Spikes

At RE+ 2025, Daniel Fuchs of EUPD Group spoke with Jason Morris, VP of Sales at Kowint Energy. They discussed current market dynamics for residential battery energy storage systems and projected future trends, including significant price reductions and increased adoption.

Event
RE+ 2025
Market
North America, USA
Segment
Residential
Technology
BESS, Photovoltaics
Format
Interview
Interviewer · EUPD Group
Daniel Fuchs
CCO · EUPD Group
Guest · Kowint Energy
Jason Morris
VP of Sales · Kowint Energy
Filmed ·Las Vegas·Runtime 04:29Interview ·
InterviewRE+ 2025 · Las Vegas
04:29
Filmed on site · No editorial direction beyond question set · Captions auto-generated, reviewed by EUPD Research

Key takeaways

4 points · 04:29 video
  1. Immediate Demand Spike
    The impending phase-out of the residential Investment Tax Credit (ITC) by 2026 is driving a significant increase in demand for both battery storage systems and new solar installations.
  2. Aggressive Pricing Strategy
    As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Kowint Energy is able to maintain low pricing, currently offering whole-home battery backup systems for under $10,000.
  3. Expanding BESS Attachment Rates
    California's 75% solar-plus-storage attachment rate is anticipated to become a national model, indicating widespread adoption of integrated energy solutions across the United States.
  4. Retrofit Market Growth
    Decreased battery costs and perceived utility reliability issues are fueling a growing retrofit market, making battery storage accessible for existing solar customers who previously found it unaffordable.

Residential BESS Demand and Pricing Dynamics

The current market for residential battery energy storage systems (BESS) is experiencing a significant surge in demand. This spike is primarily driven by the impending phase-out of the federal residential Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in 2026, prompting more homeowners to purchase solar systems and batteries that they had previously postponed. Kowint Energy, operating as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), leverages its production capabilities to maintain competitive pricing. This strategy currently allows them to offer whole home backup solutions for under $10,000. The company emphasizes its strong technical support for EPCs, installers, distributors, and utility companies, alongside aggressive pricing and inventory management, as core value propositions in the North American market.

"we're able to keep pricing so low that right now we're at the threshold where we can keep whole home backup under $10,000." Morris · 01:17

Future Market Projections and Adoption Catalysts

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, the market is expected to continue its positive trajectory. California's high battery attachment rate, currently at 75% for new solar installations, is projected to serve as a model for the rest of the country. This trend is coupled with a rapid decline in battery pricing, with whole home backup systems anticipated to drop from the current $10,000 to $5,000, and eventually to $2,500. The declining reliability of traditional utility companies, marked by increasing power outages, is also contributing to the growing demand for energy storage. This factor, combined with decreasing battery costs, is fostering a robust retrofit market, enabling customers who previously couldn't afford a battery to integrate one into their existing solar systems. The overall outlook for the lithium iron phosphate prismatic cell industry is described as extremely positive, with substantial growth anticipated over the next five years.

"where we're at 10,000 now, very soon it's gonna be $5,000 to do a whole home backup and 2,500 to do a whole home backup." Morris · 03:05

Two questions on the stand

Chapters · click to jump
00:00
Introduction and Current Market View
Daniel Fuchs of EUPD Group introduces Jason Morris from Kowint Energy to discuss the current energy storage market at RE+ 2025.
00:45
ITC Impact and OEM Pricing Strategy
Morris explains that the impending residential ITC phase-out by 2026 is causing a significant demand spike, and Kowint's OEM model keeps whole home backup costs under $10,000.
02:04
Kowint Energy's Value Proposition
Morris outlines Kowint Energy's value proposition in North America, highlighting their robust technical support, aggressive pricing, and strong inventory for various industry players.
03:12
Retrofit Market and Industry Growth
Morris identifies a growing retrofit market for battery storage as utility companies lose reliability, and concludes with an "extremely positive" five-year outlook for the lithium iron phosphate prismatic cell industry.
04:15
Concluding Remarks
Daniel Fuchs thanks Jason Morris for sharing his insights on the future of energy storage.

Interview transcript

Auto-generated · reviewed · ~3 min read
Hello and welcome from RE+ 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. My name is Daniel Fuchs, I'm the Chief Customer Officer at the International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance. And today it's my pleasure to introduce, uh, our interviewee who is, uh, Jason Morris, VP of Sales at Kowint Energy. Jason, thank you, uh, for being here with us. Yeah, Thanks Daniel. Yeah, You're welcome. So, um, about the market status. So how do you see out of the eyes of, uh, coal, wind, energy, uh, the current market dynamics, uh, and what do you expect for this year? Yeah, so, you know, the current market is looking excellent for us right now. We have, with the residential ITC going away in 2026, more people than ever looking into batteries, getting batteries and actually purchasing their solar system that they put off for so much time. So we have a huge spike in demand. And then I would follow up with 2026, you know, being equally busy with the fact that we're an OEM, we're brand, so we're original equipment manufacturer, we're able to keep pricing so low that right now we're at the threshold where we can keep whole home backup under $10,000. Okay. Yeah, that's, that's great. Um, when we look now more on a corporate or product level, what is cool Wind Energy's value proposition for the North American, uh, market? Yeah, Cohen, you, they're, they've been in the industry for about 10 years and myself, I'm a chemistry major, I've been in for five years. So our tech support is something we're extremely proud of, whether it's, you know, an EPC, an installer, a distributor, or, you know, utility company. We're able to bring in our engineers, connect them with the engineers at your organization. And that's where a lot of the magic happens with our products, where we're able to train very quickly and very simply what our product offer is and our edge. Um, our price point is extremely aggressive and our inventory is extremely aggressive. And those are, you know, just the top three. Okay. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that, uh, insight here and yeah. Let's, uh, get into the crystal ball. So what, uh, do you expect for 2026? How are the markets going, especially in the field of energy storage, uh, in the United States? Yeah, well, you know, you always gotta pay for power, right? So even though, you know, we might be losing some tax credits or, you know, there might be some threats of tariffs here or there, uh, I think the market is responding positively in that, you know, when, when we look at California, that's gonna be the model for the rest of the country in that, you know, the attachment rate over there right now is 75% of, you know, individuals who get solar, get a battery attached to that. And I think you're gonna see that just continue to spread across the nation. And again, our pricing on ourselves, on our product half every year, year and a half. And so, you know, where we're at 10,000 now, very soon it's gonna be $5,000 to do a whole home backup and 2,500 to do a whole home backup. And then it's just gonna be a common commodity that everyone can buy. Yeah. So besides, you mentioned the attachment rates 75% increasing, obviously. Do you see also potential for retro fitting, like for customers that install the solar system, are they now going also into, uh, storage and uh, add this to their system? Do you see this trend happening here as well? Yeah, the, the trend I see most is utility companies losing their, their grip on the market. And so if you're still relying on a utility company like pg e to be able to get your one-to-one credit, you know, there's still a lot of power outages that occur as they lose more clients, as there's more fires. And so, to answer your question, yes, we're seeing a lot of retrofit FITT clients come into the market where they couldn't afford a battery three years ago, but now it's something that's affordable and, and, and easy to install on the home. So in general, it's a very positive outlook. I would like, uh, I I would say for the lithium iron phosphate prismatic cell industry, an extremely positive outlook and growth for the next five years. Right. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts. Pleasure, Daniel. Thank you for coming over. Pleasure. Yeah.
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Frequently asked questions

The impending phase-out of the federal residential Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in 2026 is a primary driver, motivating homeowners to invest in solar and battery systems now. This has led to a significant spike in demand for these energy solutions.

As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Kowint Energy controls its production costs, which enables them to offer whole home backup systems for under $10,000. They anticipate further significant price reductions in the near future.

The high battery attachment rate seen in California, currently 75% for new solar installations, is expected to become a national model. Additionally, rapidly declining battery costs are projected to make whole home backup solutions more accessible, potentially dropping to $5,000 and then $2,500.

Yes, there is a growing retrofit market for battery storage. This trend is fueled by decreasing battery prices and increasing concerns over utility reliability and power outages, making it affordable and easy for existing solar customers to integrate storage.

The outlook for the lithium iron phosphate prismatic cell industry is described as “extremely positive” with strong growth expected over the next five years. This optimism stems from the increasing demand for affordable, reliable, and easy-to-install energy storage solutions.