Methodology
How we estimate VPP value
Where our numbers come from, what they include, and what they leave out.
Program terms
Program pay comes from the program’s own documents where possible — tariffs, program manuals, and enrollment pages — and from device-maker or administrator summaries otherwise. Every program card and chart links to its source. Terms were last checked October 1, 2026.
Ten-year values
Ten-year values add any upfront incentive to 10 years of ongoing payments at today’s published terms, for one device, with full participation. They are not discounted for inflation or the time value of money, and they don’t include device cost, installation, or bill savings unless stated.
Battery calculator
The VPP Earnings Calculator is shared with Battery Economics. It converts each program’s payment rules into dollars for a battery you define: average event power is the smaller of continuous output and enrolled energy divided by event hours; capacity fade reduces power each year; skipped events reduce average performance. See the “How this estimate works” notes on the calculator.
Whole-home stack
Thermostat, water heater, and EV values in the stack panel use each program’s published 10-year value (or midpoint of a range) from Heatpump Economics and program documents, scaled to the analysis period. They are planning estimates, not quotes.
What we don’t know
Aggregator revenue shares are rarely public, so where a program pays an aggregator rather than you, we report what the aggregator says it passes through. Programs funded year to year can change or end.