10 Questions to Ask a Battery Backup Installer in Houston Before You Sign

Lin ZeriLin Zeri·
Houston homeowner reviewing an installer vetting checklist with a battery backup contractor at a kitchen table.

Complaints to Texas officials about solar and battery sales rose more than 800% between 2018 and 2023 (KXAN, 2023). In April 2026, the Texas Attorney General opened investigations into several large residential solar companies after more than 100 formal complaints about misleading savings claims, defective systems, and unanswered service requests (Click2Houston, 2026).

A battery install puts a contractor inside your main electrical panel, and the relationship lasts a decade or more. Most homeowners still compare quotes on price alone. These 10 questions give you a sharper filter. Each one includes why it matters and what a good answer sounds like, so you can vet any Houston installer in one conversation. Including us.

Key Takeaways

  • Complaints about Texas solar and battery sales rose more than 800% between 2018 and 2023 (KXAN, 2023), and the Texas Attorney General opened investigations into major residential solar sellers in April 2026.
  • Verify any installer's Texas Electrical Contractor License (TECL) number yourself at tdlr.texas.gov before you sign anything.
  • Confirm manufacturer certification for the exact battery brand on your quote; uncertified installs can void equipment warranties.
  • Treat any contract demanding more than 50% of the price upfront as a walk-away signal.
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1. Do You Hold a Texas Electrical Contractor License (TECL)?

Every company performing electrical work in Texas must hold a Texas Electrical Contractor License, and TDLR requires that license holder to employ a full-time Master Electrician and carry state minimum insurance (TDLR Electricians FAQ, 2026). A battery system ties directly into your main panel, so this is not optional paperwork.

A good answer sounds like a number, offered unprompted: "Our TECL is such-and-such, you can look it up." Then actually look it up at the TDLR license search before signing. The red flag is a vague "our partner holds the license" with no number attached. Eos operates as a licensed Texas electrical contractor and will hand you the number before you ask.

2. Are You Certified by the Manufacturer of the Battery You Quoted?

Battery brands like Sigenergy, Tesla, and Enphase run installer certification programs, and certification gates two things you care about: proper commissioning and warranty registration. An uncertified install can void the equipment warranty on hardware you just paid five figures for.

A good answer names the certification for the exact brand on your quote and offers proof. Be wary of a company quoting four different brands but certified on none. Eos installs Sigenergy systems and holds the Sigenergy installer certification, which is why we quote that platform rather than whatever hardware is cheapest that month.

3. Who Pulls the Permit and Handles CenterPoint Interconnection?

In Houston, a residential battery install needs a city electrical permit, typically $200 to $450 with a 5 to 10 business day review, plus CenterPoint interconnection approval before the system can legally operate grid-tied. The full breakdown is in our guide to Houston battery permit costs and timelines.

The good answer is simple: "We pull the permit, we schedule the inspection, we file the interconnection, and it is all in the price." If an installer asks you to pull your own permit as the homeowner, ask why. That move can shift inspection accountability from the contractor to you. The paperwork starts with a home visit, and here is what happens during the free site survey.

4. What Does Your Workmanship Warranty Cover, and for How Long?

There are two warranties on a battery install, and homeowners routinely conflate them. The manufacturer warranty covers the hardware, with 10-year equipment coverage typical for major brands. The workmanship warranty covers the installation itself: the wiring, the mounting, the panel work. Only the installer backs that second promise.

Who backs it if the company disappears? That is not a hypothetical. SunPower filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2024 (Reuters, 2024), and Titan Solar Power shut down abruptly the same summer, leaving homeowners across several states with workmanship warranties no one will honor (PV Magazine, 2024). A good answer is a written workmanship term, a named escalation path, and a manufacturer warranty registered in your name, so the equipment coverage survives even if the installer does not.

5. Can You Send a Certificate of Insurance?

A certificate of insurance (COI) proves the installer carries general liability coverage, and it protects you if a worker is injured on your property or your home is damaged during the install. TDLR sets minimum insurance requirements for electrical contractors, but verify rather than assume (TDLR, 2026).

A good answer: the COI arrives within a day, sent from the insurer or agent, and the company will name you as certificate holder on request. Hesitation, delay, or "we can show you at signing" all mean the same thing. Keep shopping.

6. Will My Install Be Done by Your Crew or Subcontractors?

Subcontracted crews are not automatically bad, but accountability chains get fuzzy when a third party finishes the job and moves on. Complaints in the Texas Attorney General's 2026 investigations frequently describe service requests that went unanswered after the sales company handed the work to someone else (Click2Houston, 2026).

A good answer is either "our own crew installs it" or full transparency: the subcontractor's name, their TECL, and a written statement of who owns post-install issues. What you are really asking is: when something fails at year three, whose phone rings?

7. Is the Quote Itemized?

Installed battery storage in Texas runs about $993 per kWh in 2026 (EnergySage, 2026), so a lump-sum quote hides where a five-figure number actually goes. Equipment, labor, permit fees, and any panel or electrical upgrade work should appear as separable line items, along with what is excluded.

A good answer puts capacity front and center, because capacity is what you are buying. Eos structures its offering in tiers by capacity, from Essential at 9 kWh through Plus, Pro, and Premium at 36 kWh, and you can compare Eos battery backup plans by capacity with current pricing on one page. Before you compare offers, read our guide to what a Houston battery quote should include.

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8. What Is the Payment Schedule?

The single biggest red flag in this entire checklist is a large upfront demand. When Titan Solar Power closed in 2024, prepaid customers were left with money out the door and no install crew coming (PV Magazine, 2024). If a contract requires more than 50% before any work starts, walk away.

A healthy schedule keeps your money aligned with delivered work: a modest deposit to schedule, a progress payment on install day, and the balance only after the system passes inspection or is commissioned.

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9. What Happens After the Install?

A home battery is a managed system, not an appliance you forget. Monitoring app setup, outage alerts, firmware updates, and a named support channel determine whether a failing module gets caught in week one or discovered mid-blackout.

A good answer: the installer configures the monitoring app during commissioning, walks you through it before leaving, and states a response time for service calls in writing. Eos sets up monitoring at commissioning as a standard step, because a battery nobody is watching is a battery nobody can fix early.

From our own Houston installs, the pattern is consistent: homeowners who get a proper app walkthrough at commissioning report issues within days, while systems handed over without one can sit degraded for months before anyone notices.

10. Can You Share Local References From the Last 12 Months?

Recent, local references verify the crew working today, not a reputation earned years ago under different staff. Houston references also prove something specific: real experience with City of Houston inspections and CenterPoint interconnection, which out-of-town crews learn at your expense.

Ask references one pointed question: how did the system perform in an actual outage? Hurricane Beryl left about 2.2 million CenterPoint customers without power in July 2024 (AP News, 2024), so plenty of Houston-area battery owners have a real stress test to describe. A good answer to the reference request is names and neighborhoods offered without hesitation.

The 10-Question Checklist at a Glance

# Question Fastest verification
1 TECL license? Look up the number at tdlr.texas.gov
2 Manufacturer certified? Ask for the certificate for the quoted brand
3 Who pulls permit and interconnection? "We handle it, included in price" in writing
4 Workmanship vs manufacturer warranty? Written terms, warranty registered in your name
5 Certificate of insurance? COI from the insurer within a day
6 In-house crew or subs? Named crew or named sub with their TECL
7 Itemized quote? Equipment, labor, permit, panel work as lines
8 Payment schedule? Under 50% before work starts, balance at inspection
9 Post-install support? App setup at commissioning, response times stated
10 Recent local references? Names and neighborhoods from the last 12 months

Print this list and ask all 10. An installer worth hiring will respect you more for asking, not less. We built the Eos process to pass every row of this table, and the first step is a free home assessment with no obligation attached.

For the specific behaviors to watch for once a salesperson is standing in your kitchen, see

7 red flags when hiring a battery backup installer in Texas→
.

Book a free Houston home assessment→

Prefer to talk it through? Call Eos at 713-207-2222 and ask us all 10 questions yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Do battery backup installers need a license in Texas?

Yes. All electrical work in Texas requires a TDLR-issued Texas Electrical Contractor License, and the license holder must employ a full-time Master Electrician (TDLR, 2026). Verify any TECL number free at tdlr.texas.gov before signing a contract.

How much deposit should a battery installer ask for?

A reasonable deposit is well under half the contract value, with the balance tied to install day and passed inspection. Treat any demand for more than 50% upfront as a red flag; abrupt installer shutdowns in 2024 stranded customers who had prepaid large sums.

Who handles the permit for a home battery in Houston?

A reputable installer pulls the City of Houston electrical permit, schedules the inspection, and files CenterPoint interconnection paperwork as part of the job. Expect roughly $200 to $450 in permit fees and a 5 to 10 business day city review for a residential battery install.

What warranty should a home battery come with?

Two layers: a manufacturer equipment warranty, with 10 years typical for major brands, plus a separate written workmanship warranty from the installer covering the wiring and mounting. Confirm the manufacturer warranty is registered in your name so it survives any installer shutdown.

How long does a battery installation take in Houston?

Plan for about 3 to 6 weeks from consultation to a commissioned system in the Houston area. The physical install is usually one day on-site; permits, CenterPoint interconnection review, and inspection scheduling drive most of the calendar time.

Sources

This checklist reflects Texas licensing rules and Houston permitting practice as of July 2026. Verify license and insurance details directly with TDLR and your installer before signing.

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