# Light > Light is an embedded electricity platform that lets any company offer custom, branded electricity plans and virtual power plants (VPPs) — without becoming a utility or building regulatory infrastructure from scratch. Light operates as a licensed electricity provider in deregulated markets. Partners keep their brand front and center while Light handles the regulatory, operational, and financial complexity behind the scenes. Target partners include solar companies, proptech firms, home services companies, EV manufacturers, and any business with energy-adjacent customers. 54% of American households are in deregulated energy markets where consumers can choose their electricity provider. Light enables businesses to capture this opportunity by embedding electricity directly into their products. ## Pages - [Home](https://www.poweredbylight.com/): Overview of Light's embedded electricity platform for businesses. Covers the partner model, value proposition (acquire more customers, earn more per customer, gain a competitive advantage), and customer logos. - [Product](https://www.poweredbylight.com/product): Full product overview — how Light works, platform features, implementation options, and the developer platform. - [About](https://www.poweredbylight.com/about): The Light team and mission. - [For Consumers](https://www.poweredbylight.com/for-consumers): Information for end customers on electricity plans powered by Light, including 100% renewable energy delivery. - [Careers](https://www.poweredbylight.com/careers): Open roles at Light. ## How It Works Light's partner model follows four steps: 1. **Design your plan** — Choose plan features and commission rate; Light creates the plan. 2. **Launch and market** — Embed plans into your digital experience and market to your customers. 3. **Enroll customers** — Seamlessly enroll customers while Light manages payments and collections. 4. **Get paid** — Receive monthly commissions for as long as customers are enrolled. ## Platform Features ### We power the plan. You own the experience. - **API first**: Partners control the end-user interface entirely. - **White labeled**: Your brand is always front and center; Light never appears to end customers. - **Partner first**: Light never sells directly to end customers. ### All the benefits of power without the complexity - **Risk handled**: Light underwrites the plans and acts as the regulated electricity provider — partners have no risk exposure. - **Support**: Light manages customer inquiries so partner teams stay focused. - **Economics**: Light handles billing, customer collections, and device monetization. ### Launch any plan and target any audience - **Bespoke pricing**: Tailor plan pricing for different customer segments and objectives, down to the individual offer. - **Flexible plan creation**: Configure plans with different rate structures and features to complement your broader offering. - **Scalable by region**: Launch in live markets today and expand to new geographies as coverage grows. ## Implementation Options Light offers three integration paths — from no-code to fully custom: 1. **Link to the no-code web app** — Use your brand in a ready-to-go account management portal. Fastest to launch. 2. **Embed prebuilt UI** — Integrate Light's UI components in a week with minimal engineering effort. 3. **Build a bespoke experience via API** — Fully integrate electricity into your digital experience using the REST API. ## Developer Platform Light provides a REST API and prebuilt UI toolkit for embedding electricity into any digital product. - Documentation and quickstart: https://docs.light.dev - Capabilities: plan enrollment and management, billing and invoicing, energy usage data access, VPP enrollment, webhook events, plan comparison and renewal flows - SDKs and prebuilt UI components available for rapid integration ## Case Studies - [How Otovo was able to redefine their customer-first energy solution](https://www.poweredbylight.com/case-studies/how-otovo-was-able-to-redefine-their-customer-first-energy-solution): A unified home energy model: hardware, service, and the right electricity plan—delivered by one trusted partner. - [How a proptech firm launched its own renewable power plan in under 30 days](https://www.poweredbylight.com/case-studies/how-a-proptech-firm-launched-its-own-renewable-power-plan-in-under-30-days): Unlocking new recurring revenue, creating a seamless move-in experience, and reducing operational complexity for property managers. - [Ending green energy’s two-bill problem with a VPP solution](https://www.poweredbylight.com/case-studies/ending-green-energys-two-bill-problem-with-a-virtual-power-plant): How Palmetto created the first unified home energy experience for virtual power plant customers. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### The basics **How is it possible to offer an electricity plan?** 54% of American households and much of the world (e.g. Europe) are in deregulated energy markets — which means consumers have some choice in where to buy their electricity. In these markets, the companies who operate the wires and poles are different from the providers who buy and sell power. Light is one of these electricity providers, built as a platform to enable any company to offer their own branded and embedded electricity plans. **How is it possible to compete on price?** Despite what you'd think, the most popular plans are not the cheapest. In Texas, the top two electricity providers charge 40%+ premiums and still hold 65%+ market share. Why? Trust, experience, and brand matter. With Light, you can deliver a unique and trusted energy experience your customers are willing to pay for. **Do you offer VPPs?** Yes, Light offers virtual power plants (VPPs). We make it easy to monetize distributed energy devices such as batteries, EVs, and smart HVAC systems by handling everything end-to-end. We operate the devices to capture value from time-spread trading, which can be retained as revenue by the partner or passed through to end customers. Partners can choose between a predictable fixed revenue model or a revenue share model to participate in market upside. **Why would customers buy electricity from me?** Many consumers don't have strong loyalty to their electricity provider and, unlike a standard utility company, you have loyal and satisfied customers who already trust your brand. Offering an electricity plan that enhances the value of your core product — with unique features they can't get elsewhere, available in the channel they're already engaged with — is highly compelling. Partners using Light's platform have seen over 30% of their customers enroll in their branded electricity plan. **Why not simply refer customers to a utility company?** Referring customers to a utility hands them over to another company and an experience you don't control. Most utility companies are known for hidden fees and unmet expectations that don't align with the brand promises you've built. It also forces customers to open a separate account, leaves revenue on the table, and risks losing the customer relationship altogether. With Light, you keep the customer, the revenue, and the experience. **What if there's a power outage?** In retail choice markets, the transmission and distribution utility (TDU) is responsible for outages — not electricity retailers like Light, and not you as the partner. Partners are not liable for outages. As their retailer of record, Light makes it easy for customers to contact their local utility directly. As a regulated electricity provider, Light's plans are just as reliable as the largest providers in the country. **What if we don't have the product and engineering resources available?** Light offers three integration paths to fit any team's capacity: a no-code web app for same-day launch, prebuilt embeddable UI components for a week-long integration, and a REST API for fully custom development. This enables partners to launch their own branded electricity plans and enroll customers in a matter of days, then integrate more deeply over time. **Where is this available, geographically?** 54% of American households are in deregulated energy markets where consumers can choose their electricity provider, as are significant portions of Europe, the UK, Australia, Japan, and elsewhere. Light currently operates in Texas, the largest retail electricity market in the US, with expansion planned to the Northeast (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) and Midwest (Ohio, Illinois). There is an eventual path to all 50 states. ### General **What are the contractual agreements between us and Light?** Light operates as the licensed Retail Electricity Provider (REP); partners act as brokers who market and enroll customers into Light-powered plans. All partners have a net revenue-generating program. Light only makes money when new customers enroll and new meters come online, so fees are designed to incentivize new enrollments rather than charge upfront. **I want to launch multiple plan types — what do I do?** Light can support multiple plan types — it's as simple as adding a new plan ID on our side and updating messaging on yours. The only requirement is to launch the first plan and see at least one home enrolled before expanding to additional audiences. This sequencing keeps launches smooth and ensures early success. Once the first plan is live and working, additional plans can be rolled out immediately. **If we don't want to use our brand on the electricity plans, can I brand them under Light?** Partners can name their plans however they choose, but Light does not license its brand for use on partner plans. Light maintains neutrality as an infrastructure provider and avoids any appearance of competing with partners' own branded offerings. **What type of REP license and QSE license do you have?** Light holds an Option 1 REP (Retail Electricity Provider) license and a Level 2 QSE (Qualified Scheduling Entity) license in Texas. This allows Light to both retail electricity directly to customers and schedule power on the ERCOT grid on behalf of distributed energy resources. **What happens if Light goes bankrupt?** If Light were to cease operations, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) would step in and transfer customers to a different REP. Each customer's contract would be left intact and their original rates are guaranteed — customers would not lose their plan terms. ### Solar **At the end of the term, what happens to any unused solar credits?** Light provides monthly bill credits for the electricity solar panels export back to the grid. These credits offset energy charges on a customer's bill — they do not cover fixed monthly fees (base charge) or delivery charges from the local transmission and distribution utility (TDU). Credits are unlimited and never expire. They roll over month to month and carry over to additional plan terms upon renewal. If a customer leaves the plan, any unused credits are forfeited — there is no cash payout. **Do you offer cash on cancel for solar credits?** Light does not offer cash payouts for unused solar credits when a customer cancels. Unused credits are forfeited upon leaving the plan. Credits only carry forward when a customer renews or transfers to another Light plan. **Can I offer RTM (real-time market) buyback plans?** Light does not currently offer RTM (real-time market) buyback plans. RTM buyback rates in ERCOT hover around 3 cents/kWh, so offering RTM buyback would not materially reduce the import rate for most customers and is not a significant differentiator in the current market. ### Battery & VPP **What will the customer experience be from enrolling their battery in a VPP?** Light's virtual power plant (VPP) program is designed to be unobtrusive. The value we underwrite comes largely from self-consumption and dispatch events, which number in the tens per year — not hundreds. Light retains at least 20% battery capacity at all times for homeowner emergencies. During extreme weather alerts, Light respects the battery's storm watch policy (such as Enphase's Storm Guard feature) to ensure homeowners have full backup capacity available. **How does your battery plan compare to alternative plans?** Plans that advertise high battery reward rates — such as some time-of-use or 'free nights' plans — often offset those rewards with higher kWh rates for grid electricity and reduced or no solar buyback rates. As a result, homeowners can end up paying more overall even if the headline battery reward seems more appealing. Light's battery plans are structured to maximize total bill savings, not just the battery credit line item. **How do Free Nights plans compare to your battery plans?** Light's battery plans deliver monthly bill credits, guaranteed. 'Free nights' plans can be very complex to estimate and often end up more expensive overall. They offset free nighttime electricity with high daytime kWh rates, which drives up costs depending on usage patterns. During storm preparation, when batteries switch to backup mode, homeowners on 'free nights' plans may face steep charges from expensive daytime and evening rates. These plans also frequently include minimum usage fees — if a well-utilized battery reduces grid energy consumption below the plan's minimum threshold, homeowners incur additional charges. **Should we offer a TOU plan or Free Nights / Weekends plan?** Light supports time-of-use (TOU) plans, though only approximately 5% of Texas electricity customers are currently on TOU plans, which limits their mass-market appeal. Free Nights / Weekends plans are technically possible but are difficult to price correctly, carry margin risk, and often result in higher total costs for customers who don't carefully manage their usage. Light recommends plan structures that maximize predictable savings for customers. **What's the average size of home batteries you see?** Home battery installations typically range from 10 kWh to 60–80 kWh. These extremes represent different use cases: 10–20 kWh is well-suited for home backup power, while systems above 20 kWh are generally optimized for battery monetization through programs like virtual power plants (VPPs), rather than primarily for homeowner backup. **How does the VPP program handle grid outages for grid-tied batteries?** It depends on the event type. During a blackout or brownout — when grid capacity or supply is short — those are high-value dispatch opportunities where Light will discharge enrolled batteries to maximize VPP monetization. During a severe weather event, Light respects the battery's Storm Watch feature (an ERCOT-wide OEM-level setting) and goes hands-off, allowing batteries to charge to full capacity for homeowner backup. **Can a customer opt out of the VPP? How would the partner be notified?** The primary opt-out path runs through the partner, since that is where the original VPP enrollment takes place. When a customer opts out with the partner, the partner notifies Light via API, which revokes Light's control of the battery. A customer may also implicitly opt out by revoking battery access or overriding Light's control directly — in that case, Light notifies the partner via API so the partner can follow up with the customer to re-enroll if desired. **If a customer opts out of the VPP, will their electricity rate plan change?** No. Opting out of the VPP program has no impact on a customer's underlying electricity rate plan — their rates remain the same until their contract renews. The VPP program operates as a separate layer on top of the electricity plan. **Do you offer the VPP program alongside solar financing or loans?** Yes. Light's VPP program is compatible with solar financing agreements, including loans. Enrolling a battery in the VPP does not affect the customer's financing terms — it uses the same program components as a standard agreement. **Do we need specific batteries or components to maximize VPP payout?** Light strongly recommends SolarEdge inverters and batteries for VPP participation. SolarEdge offers the deepest integration with Light's platform and the most reliable dispatch performance, which directly affects the value captured through the VPP program.