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How long between inspection and PTO? [various areas]
- Thread starter niner93
- Start date
Hawaii / HECO: Maybe don't rush it... "I've heard someone" get net metering prior to PTO. Was saving tons of cash until they finally approved the system.
Our data point: Took us 6-9 months back in 2021. We're upgrading again this summer so I'll update when we receive our next approval.
I'm sure this is discussed somewhere else in the other 400+ posts.
Our data point: Took us 6-9 months back in 2021. We're upgrading again this summer so I'll update when we receive our next approval.
I'm sure this is discussed somewhere else in the other 400+ posts.
Matt-FL
Member
My timeline:
6/15/2021 - Order placed
--- in this time, Tesla fought with my utility - JEA; permits were easy, JEA not so much. Enough so that Tesla abandoned my area (now uses contractor at significant price increase - >30%)
8/29/2022 - Installed - yes, over a year later.
Shortly after, Tesla requested downpayment (10%).
1/27/2023 - PTO
After 1/27/2023, Tesla started requesting solar payments.
6/15/2021 - Order placed
--- in this time, Tesla fought with my utility - JEA; permits were easy, JEA not so much. Enough so that Tesla abandoned my area (now uses contractor at significant price increase - >30%)
8/29/2022 - Installed - yes, over a year later.
Shortly after, Tesla requested downpayment (10%).
1/27/2023 - PTO
After 1/27/2023, Tesla started requesting solar payments.
Still waiting for PTO from SoCal Edison….105 days and counting….frustrating
Can you confirm Tesla even applied for PTO? They told me they applied for mine and 6 weeks later I discovered they never applied and didn't even get my towns final inspection or even schedule it.
Yes, I received confirmation from SCE that my application was received. Further, they requested some clarification back in April which was submitted and confirmed by SCE
Eric33432
Member
14.8 kW system installed last week, they finished on Saturday, June 24 at 5PM. No gateway, no Powerwall, NO PTO, no inspection yet, just a safety switch connecting to my electric service on the load side of the meter which goes to a breaker panel and thence to the two 7.6 kW Tesla inverters. The installers just left the system on. I asked them if this is OK to do, and they said yes.
No app access yet. Tried logging out and back in, restarting the app, etc. How soon will that be available? The inverters have been commissioned and are connected to my WiFi. I used a clamp on amp meter at the inverter breaker panel and was getting 51 amps (a little more 12 kW) at actual noon with somewhat overcast sky.
I understand that FP&L will install a bi directional meter and uses a net metering scheme. If an FP&L customer sends more power to FP&L than it takes, this is kept track of and after 12 months if the power sent is more than the power taken from the grid, FP&L sends the customer a check. I am not sure what rate is used for that, but in my case, while at times I may send some power to FP&L, I will use more power than I consume.
No CTs installed by Tesla on the POCO side of things, just a single CT installed in the inverter breaker panel hooked to the Neurio.
I assume any power that is produced over what I am using will just go out to Florida Power & Light (for free until new meter is installed) as the power produced has to go somewhere, and the Tesla Inverters have no idea how much power I am using and nothing to adjust their power production. I don't see any way the inverters can discriminate if the power goes into my house or out to FP&L.
My existing meter has some dashes that show the relative amount of power being consumed, and they are either not moving or moving very slowly. Normally on a hot day, with all the air conditioning going, they would be moving much faster than they are moving right now. But I have not seen the dashes going the other direction.
Is it normal for the installers to leave the system on since I do not have PTO? Of course, I would prefer that so I reduce the power I buy from FP&L now and not have to wait for inspection and PTO for that saving. But is it OK and will FP&L have a problem with that?
I think when the inspector comes, it would be prudent to shut the system off.
Reason for no Powerwalls is I have a 60 kW generator which will run my entire house. I would need a few Powerwalls and critical loads panel or a bunch of Powerwalls and multiple gateways to keep the whole house running during a multi day outage and a whole lot more solar to keep them charged up. I'd rather just keep my whole house backup going for now than have to fool with a critical loads panel.
My thoughts: either I use it or lose it. But don't want to get in trouble with FP&L. Of course, I can truthfully say that Tesla left the system on and play dumb that I am a retired electrical engineer.
Any thoughts anyone? Thanks for reading.
No app access yet. Tried logging out and back in, restarting the app, etc. How soon will that be available? The inverters have been commissioned and are connected to my WiFi. I used a clamp on amp meter at the inverter breaker panel and was getting 51 amps (a little more 12 kW) at actual noon with somewhat overcast sky.
I understand that FP&L will install a bi directional meter and uses a net metering scheme. If an FP&L customer sends more power to FP&L than it takes, this is kept track of and after 12 months if the power sent is more than the power taken from the grid, FP&L sends the customer a check. I am not sure what rate is used for that, but in my case, while at times I may send some power to FP&L, I will use more power than I consume.
No CTs installed by Tesla on the POCO side of things, just a single CT installed in the inverter breaker panel hooked to the Neurio.
I assume any power that is produced over what I am using will just go out to Florida Power & Light (for free until new meter is installed) as the power produced has to go somewhere, and the Tesla Inverters have no idea how much power I am using and nothing to adjust their power production. I don't see any way the inverters can discriminate if the power goes into my house or out to FP&L.
My existing meter has some dashes that show the relative amount of power being consumed, and they are either not moving or moving very slowly. Normally on a hot day, with all the air conditioning going, they would be moving much faster than they are moving right now. But I have not seen the dashes going the other direction.
Is it normal for the installers to leave the system on since I do not have PTO? Of course, I would prefer that so I reduce the power I buy from FP&L now and not have to wait for inspection and PTO for that saving. But is it OK and will FP&L have a problem with that?
I think when the inspector comes, it would be prudent to shut the system off.
Reason for no Powerwalls is I have a 60 kW generator which will run my entire house. I would need a few Powerwalls and critical loads panel or a bunch of Powerwalls and multiple gateways to keep the whole house running during a multi day outage and a whole lot more solar to keep them charged up. I'd rather just keep my whole house backup going for now than have to fool with a critical loads panel.
My thoughts: either I use it or lose it. But don't want to get in trouble with FP&L. Of course, I can truthfully say that Tesla left the system on and play dumb that I am a retired electrical engineer.
Any thoughts anyone? Thanks for reading.
Last edited:
Similar to others:
Southern California
Southern California Edison
Ordered August 2022
Installed 01/06/23
Inspected 01/30/23 (When inspected the Tesla guy was saying PTO was being approved fast in my area... approx. two weeks)
Down Payment 01/30/23
Application for Interconnection Request 01/30/23
Deemed Valid 02/06/23
Pending technical review 02/16/23
Correction submitted 02/20/23
Application returned 03/15/23
Correction re-submitted 03/21/23
Deemed valid (again?) 05/12/23
Pending technical review 05/25/23
Technical Approval Complete Pending final NEM review 05/25/23
PTO: still waiting…. has been radio silence.
So almost 7 months no PTO. I'm glad we also got the battery so it hasn't been seven months wasted, however with an EV it's been tough not having NEM and having to juggle trying to charge during the day with all normal activities.
Southern California
Southern California Edison
Ordered August 2022
Installed 01/06/23
Inspected 01/30/23 (When inspected the Tesla guy was saying PTO was being approved fast in my area... approx. two weeks)
Down Payment 01/30/23
Application for Interconnection Request 01/30/23
Deemed Valid 02/06/23
Pending technical review 02/16/23
Correction submitted 02/20/23
Application returned 03/15/23
Correction re-submitted 03/21/23
Deemed valid (again?) 05/12/23
Pending technical review 05/25/23
Technical Approval Complete Pending final NEM review 05/25/23
PTO: still waiting…. has been radio silence.
So almost 7 months no PTO. I'm glad we also got the battery so it hasn't been seven months wasted, however with an EV it's been tough not having NEM and having to juggle trying to charge during the day with all normal activities.
My app randomly started working 4-5 days after install. im 2months post install no PTO they just applied for it Last Thursday. You have a 1 way meter how is your utility going to know it's on? I used turn mine on when I want to charge my car. I wrote a 9k check and I need AC now so i'm using it I don't give a F about PTO. If they say something ill just say I had a electrician from craigslist here and he must of turned it on.
Ordered April 13 through a 3rd party, design completed April 26, permitting completed the same day (!!!), install May 30, inspection June 8, meter upgrade and PTO on June 18. So, about 9 weeks from order to PTO and 10 days from inspection to PTO. This is in Utah with Rocky Mountain Power. There are benefits to going with a 3rd party. I paid the same amount quoted by Tesla and got my system up and running in probably 1/3 the time.
Matt-FL
Member
Nice to have good third party installers nearby! In my area, they might be good at installing, but they are also good at over-pricing (50% more than Tesla on average). Now that Tesla exited my area, there is no need to compete. If I had been in your situation, I would have done the same thing! Even 10% higher would have been worth it.
For those waiting for PTO from SCE for more than 2 months you may want to reach out to your Tesla advisor just in case something slipped through the crack. My daughter got bored and got curious so she texted her advisor on 6/30 and asked, the advisor said something like "it is not normal to wait so long" and as he investigated further, it appeared that SCE had issues/questions on the electrical change right before the install, someone from Tesla Solar finally managed to respond to SCE and everything was good and ball was back in SCE's court. If you read between the lines, Tesla sat on a question from SCE for possibly 2 months. Now that SCE is satisfied with the explanation PTO was granted.
Timeline:
02/02/23 Installation start for PW and solar
02/28/23 City inspection passed
03/06/23 PTO request submitted by Tesla
04/10/23 SCE pending final documents email received
04/14/23 SCE pending technical review email received
04/14/23 SCE technical approval complete pending final NEM review email received
06/30/23 Tesla advisor confirmed question from SCE being responded by Tesla Solar
07/10/23 SCE PTO granted email received
Timeline:
02/02/23 Installation start for PW and solar
02/28/23 City inspection passed
03/06/23 PTO request submitted by Tesla
04/10/23 SCE pending final documents email received
04/14/23 SCE pending technical review email received
04/14/23 SCE technical approval complete pending final NEM review email received
06/30/23 Tesla advisor confirmed question from SCE being responded by Tesla Solar
07/10/23 SCE PTO granted email received
sperkin
Active Member
SCE/Tesla Solar with 1 PW
3 different Tesla advisors from start to finish
Slowest from order to PTO in the neighborhood compared to local solar companies
Paid the least compared to my neighbors (1 paid twice as much, but has micro invertors and no PWs)
Customer service is as best as you'd expect from a lean crew. They always reply text within 48 hours.
I would recommend Tesla Solar if you are planning on solar. Skip local unless you need solar fast.
3 different Tesla advisors from start to finish
Slowest from order to PTO in the neighborhood compared to local solar companies
Paid the least compared to my neighbors (1 paid twice as much, but has micro invertors and no PWs)
Customer service is as best as you'd expect from a lean crew. They always reply text within 48 hours.
- 9/28 Ordered Tesla
- 10/3 Signed contract
- 2/1 Site Assessment
- 3/27 Tesla sent NEM2.0 application to SCE
- 5/1 Solar and PW install (was moved up from June 8th: install crew came in from out of state, they said they do 5 installs/week)
- 5/22 City inspection
- 5/23 Paid in full
- 6/5 SCE approved NEM 2.0
- 7/24 SCE approved PTO
I would recommend Tesla Solar if you are planning on solar. Skip local unless you need solar fast.
Started the order process just before COVID hit March 2020. That was when Tesla began to take orders for Georgia, USA.
07/17/23: install begins. 10.4 kW solar, 2 PW+.
07/20/23: install completed. Install team lead walks me through using the app, tells me "let the solar fully charge the PWs first before you do anything else". System turned on. Time: 1300.
07/21/23: PWs @ 100%. Time: 1330.
07/21/23: Go Off Grid. Time: 2300.
07/24/23: Tesla and my county do their inspections.
07/25/23: Tesla notifies me of approval of the inspections.
07/25/23: Down payment sent. Tesla acknowledges it. Waiting for PTO.
07/25/23: Go back On Grid because the PWs were approaching 100% and would have gone back on grid, anyway. PWs had not reached 100% during the 4 days of being off-grid (over a weekend when I'm home a lot), but goddamn is that cool, or what?
Watching the app, I see short bursts (a few seconds long) of energy coming from the grid. 100W, 200W, 400W, PWs are full and there's enough solar to cover my house's needs. I'm on a TOU-EV-RNR plan with Georgia Power; these observations are being made during the most expensive time of the day for grid power, so WTF?
07/17/23: install begins. 10.4 kW solar, 2 PW+.
07/20/23: install completed. Install team lead walks me through using the app, tells me "let the solar fully charge the PWs first before you do anything else". System turned on. Time: 1300.
07/21/23: PWs @ 100%. Time: 1330.
07/21/23: Go Off Grid. Time: 2300.
07/24/23: Tesla and my county do their inspections.
07/25/23: Tesla notifies me of approval of the inspections.
07/25/23: Down payment sent. Tesla acknowledges it. Waiting for PTO.
07/25/23: Go back On Grid because the PWs were approaching 100% and would have gone back on grid, anyway. PWs had not reached 100% during the 4 days of being off-grid (over a weekend when I'm home a lot), but goddamn is that cool, or what?
Watching the app, I see short bursts (a few seconds long) of energy coming from the grid. 100W, 200W, 400W, PWs are full and there's enough solar to cover my house's needs. I'm on a TOU-EV-RNR plan with Georgia Power; these observations are being made during the most expensive time of the day for grid power, so WTF?
Matt-FL
Member
That's normal, I see the same thing. I see about 300Wh per day on average, but the gateway also tends to send out about the same back to the grid. I'm assuming this is the power balancing for times of spikes and drop offs.
Today I got a text saying I have received PTO. No email and my account still shows waiting for PTO. This is 3 days after I asked for copy of emails showing they applied, then a follow up email asking for proof they provided the utility with the missing information (never got a response). It's either a coincidence or they just told me I got PTO so I would stop bothering them as they know I will get it very soon. I have been running it anyways (no powerwall) a few times a week to charge my car and run AC. Was cloudy for chunks of the day but still did 31 kw/h on a 6.7 system and I powered it on a 9am.
I will never pay the electric co again. My bill cycle started 4 days ago and I will met meter that to zero in 2 days. They just announced a 25% rate hike. I am grandfathered into 1-1 net metering for 20 years. Got 4 solar quotes all the companies said they never seen a house this size have such low util bills. Our 3400 sq ft home uses the same amount of gas and electric as a 1600 sq ft home in my area. 2x6 exterior 100% spray foam and 95% furnaces, house is so efficient we only have 15 seer condensers, in the Northeast cant justify cost to get more efficient. $7200 after tax rebates can't beat the price.
If anyone reads this down the line, you need to bother Tesla solar, do a live chat weekly and ask for a update. My inspections fell through the cracks and wasted 5 weeks. If I didn't contact them who knows how long it would have been before they got the inspection from the town done.
I will never pay the electric co again. My bill cycle started 4 days ago and I will met meter that to zero in 2 days. They just announced a 25% rate hike. I am grandfathered into 1-1 net metering for 20 years. Got 4 solar quotes all the companies said they never seen a house this size have such low util bills. Our 3400 sq ft home uses the same amount of gas and electric as a 1600 sq ft home in my area. 2x6 exterior 100% spray foam and 95% furnaces, house is so efficient we only have 15 seer condensers, in the Northeast cant justify cost to get more efficient. $7200 after tax rebates can't beat the price.
If anyone reads this down the line, you need to bother Tesla solar, do a live chat weekly and ask for a update. My inspections fell through the cracks and wasted 5 weeks. If I didn't contact them who knows how long it would have been before they got the inspection from the town done.
