LG home battery

[HarryD]

Hi All

I know this is not a home mini generator site but many of you have PE and batteries at home.

I have an LG RESU10H battery which was installed in October 2018 along with my 7kw PE system.

To my surprise in July 2021 the capacity of the battery was reduced from 10 kwh to 7.5kwh. LG says this was for safety reasons.
The battery will be replaced with a new more current one, same capacity, with the warranty starting all over again and at no cost to me.
LG has now said they will offer some compensation, a maximum of $19.35 per month, what ever that means.

However the change over date has been steadily pushed back until it is now the end of second quarter 2022. I will believe it when the new one is installed.

Anyone else in the same situation.

Cheers
Harry

 

[Punchbuggy]

Hi All

....

Anyone else in the same situation.

Cheers
Harry

Yep. My LG battery was throttled back to 75% last July due to the recall concern also. Apparently a particular build range of these batteries were faulty and there was a risk of thermal runaway leading to fire - hence the recall. Originally they were to be replaced in October '21, then after numerous calls by me I was advised December '21, then after further emails and calls by me I was advised February '22, and most recently advised May-June '22. However, my last conversation was with an LG General Manager here who could offer no assurance that timeframe could be met either.

The reason I've been pursuing it so hard is because my LG battery was diagnosed as failing and so was shut down completely in October '21 and an RMA recorded. The dead battery then became a warranty matter for me, and LG's responsibility to resolve grew - but still nothing. I recently escalated my case within LG and have reminded them of my rights under Australian Consumer Law. They've now agreed to returned the pro-rated cost to me which I'll put towards a Tesla Powerwall 2.

The communication from LG on this matter has been abysmal, and as it's affecting many '000s of customers I'm truly surprised that a class action hasn't already been initiated. Still, I can now install a Powerwall so in a way I'm happy, but that didn't come without much effort and anguish.

 

[BreatheSafe]

This wouldn't be helping either!

LG makes shock exit from solar panel manufacturing, as global headwinds claim another scalp - One Step Off The Grid

South Korea tech giant makes shock exit from solar panel manufacturing, citing impact of global market headwinds including rising cost of raw materials and price competition.

onestepoffthegrid.com.au

Not sure if they are the same divisions here in Oz as the solar panel business was LG energy.
Regardless it is poor form of a large company.

Hopefully they get their act together and sort out this mess.

 

[Nobody Famous]

which I'll put towards a Tesla Powerwall 2.

I know this is a Tesla Forum, but please consider battery chemistry in your decision for a replacement. Tesla PW2 isn't all beer and skittles if you read up.

It will be a good day when the Powerwall is updated to LiFePO4 prismatic cells IMO

 

[jamesgo]

It's being reduced in capacity as per the recall for the LG units:

LG Energy Solution Australia Pty Ltd (formerly LG Chem Australia Pty Ltd) — ESS Home Energy Storage System Batteries

www.productsafety.gov.au

 

[paulp]

I know this is a Tesla Forum, but please consider battery chemistry in your decision for a replacement. Tesla PW2 isn't all beer and skittles if you read up.

It will be a good day when the Powerwall is updated to LiFePO4 prismatic cells IMO

I considered a lot more than just battery chemistry when selecting my batteries

 

[Tim W]

I have the 16kW Sonnen unit, its based on LifePo4 Sony cells. The installer initially wanted to sell me an LG and install it in the garage which is under all the bedrooms. You can imagine what my response was, hence the Sonnen is outside in an IP rated cabinet.

 

[HarryD]

Thanks for that info Punchbuggy.

I have LG panels and a SolarEdge inverter. Did you have to change your inverter for the Powerwall? The Powerwall being AC and the LG DC.
I noticed you are getting "returned the pro-rated cost". Do I assume this is not a full refund?

Regards
Harry

 

[Nobody Famous]

have to change your inverter for the Powerwall?

The PW2 has it's own inverter. It just connects to your AC supply - usually called AC coupling. You can have a PW2 without solar if you want.

Pro-rata refunds the % cost equal to the remaining % of warranty.

 

[Vostok]

I considered a lot more than just battery chemistry when selecting my batteries

In my case I chose Tesla PW2 because (a) it’s Tesla (b) it cost the same or slightly less per kWh than competing comparable systems and (c) could be installed outdoors as-is, no weatherproof enclosure required. All the others I looked at required IP rated enclosures that then pushed the price significantly above PW2. Since my house is in the inner city and the install was very space constrained outside, having to use an enclosure was a total deal-breaker for the alternatives.

 

[paulp]

In my case I chose Tesla PW2 because (a) it’s Tesla (b) it cost the same or slightly less per kWh than competing comparable systems and (c) could be installed outdoors as-is, no weatherproof enclosure required. All the others I looked at required IP rated enclosures that then pushed the price significantly above PW2. Since my house is in the inner city and the install was very space constrained outside, having to use an enclosure was a total deal-breaker for the alternatives.

Agree with those criteria. When I was researching mine it turned out I knew a lot of people who had already installed batteries, and those with non-tesla told me their horror stories, replacements etc, whilst the tesla owners just had no issues. One was part of an Origin network and they were all so bad Origin had to rip them all out of the entire network and replace with tesla powerwalls.

 

[Punchbuggy]

Thanks for that info Punchbuggy.

I have LG panels and a SolarEdge inverter. Did you have to change your inverter for the Powerwall? The Powerwall being AC and the LG DC.
I noticed you are getting "returned the pro-rated cost". Do I assume this is not a full refund?

Regards
Harry

Harry, I've LG panels and a SolarEdge Series 6000 hybrid inverter. My installer who is acting now as a go-between with LG is only offering the Powerwall which is another reason I'm running with that - for simplicity. They will be using my existing inverter with the Powerwall + Gateway, although I'm unclear why. I assume it's so they can reuse existing wiring to switchboard and back-up circuits.

And the earlier advice is correct - not a full refund, but a return allowing for remainder of the warranty period.

 

[Nobody Famous]

will be using my existing inverter with the Powerwall + Gateway, although I'm unclear why

The PW2 is AC coupled (has it's own inverter) as opposed to the LG which is DC (battery+BMS). They will be reusing as much exisiting as they can to save cost.