Hi all,
Never had solar before and due to a number of factors, considering installing it on the house this year. As background, I'm pretty much a newb when it comes to solar power and while I've tried to do some research, some of it seems to vary by locale or utility provider, so kid-glove, simple explanations will probably land best
Background on location and power use -- house is on the coast in the Bay Area -- so pretty mild most of the time (i.e. no AC) and I charge two electric cars at reduced rate overnight. Most appliances are still gas and bulk of our electricity consumption occurs overnight at off-peak rates.
First -- pretty sure our current roof is approaching the end of its useful life (or at least that's what we've been told -- it's 22 years old). Was planning on doing a roof replacement this year, and while I would love the solar shingle/roof product, I'm pretty sure the cost will exceed what I'm looking to spend (not even taking into account the availability). But as for the question on the roof topic:
Should I get the roof replaced independently before reaching out to Tesla (or other solar installers)? Or is there such a thing as Tesla or other installers doing an all-in-one service with roof replacement + solar installation?
Second -- very much interested in having Powerwalls installed at the same time. As I'm currently on a TOU plan with PG&E (EVA rate plan), can I set up it up so that (in the event that solar production doesn't meet electrical needs during the day) that most of my power is drawn from the Powerwall, ideally during peak periods? And, again, could the powerwall be set up to top up or charge overnight at low (off-peak) rates in the event that they don't get charged from the sun during the day?
Third -- as I mentioned, I'm currently on the EVA time of use plan with PG&E owing to the fact that I charge two cars overnight at reduced rate. Can I keep the EVA plan? How does that work with solar (billing, mostly what I'm wondering about)?
Thanks all!
Never had solar before and due to a number of factors, considering installing it on the house this year. As background, I'm pretty much a newb when it comes to solar power and while I've tried to do some research, some of it seems to vary by locale or utility provider, so kid-glove, simple explanations will probably land best
Background on location and power use -- house is on the coast in the Bay Area -- so pretty mild most of the time (i.e. no AC) and I charge two electric cars at reduced rate overnight. Most appliances are still gas and bulk of our electricity consumption occurs overnight at off-peak rates.
First -- pretty sure our current roof is approaching the end of its useful life (or at least that's what we've been told -- it's 22 years old). Was planning on doing a roof replacement this year, and while I would love the solar shingle/roof product, I'm pretty sure the cost will exceed what I'm looking to spend (not even taking into account the availability). But as for the question on the roof topic:
Should I get the roof replaced independently before reaching out to Tesla (or other solar installers)? Or is there such a thing as Tesla or other installers doing an all-in-one service with roof replacement + solar installation?
Second -- very much interested in having Powerwalls installed at the same time. As I'm currently on a TOU plan with PG&E (EVA rate plan), can I set up it up so that (in the event that solar production doesn't meet electrical needs during the day) that most of my power is drawn from the Powerwall, ideally during peak periods? And, again, could the powerwall be set up to top up or charge overnight at low (off-peak) rates in the event that they don't get charged from the sun during the day?
Third -- as I mentioned, I'm currently on the EVA time of use plan with PG&E owing to the fact that I charge two cars overnight at reduced rate. Can I keep the EVA plan? How does that work with solar (billing, mostly what I'm wondering about)?
Thanks all!
