I tried to go with Tesla Solar Panels, unfortunately communication was really bad so I decided to go with other providers. What I'm trying to accomplish is to install solar panels and one Powerwall. I would like to charge my Tesla M3 when I get home at night via the Powerwall and use the remaining energy during the day for appliances, dryer, washing machine and other use. Currently spending about $200 a month with a KWH of $0.22. Ideally I would like to spend around $15,000, that is my budget, I know currently there are some rebates that I cna use. I'm trying to figure out if what I described here makes sense and if you can recommend someone in the Boston area that you have already used and did a great job.
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Solar Panel and Powerwall Near Boston
- Thread starter Alphacar
- Start date
Not really....
Your tesla model 3 has at least 4 times the battery capacity of a powerwall, so you will not be able to "charge your Model 3 when you get home at night via the powerall". Its like trying to take a AAA battery and charging a D battery. There would be no "left over power" from the powerwall to charge your car.
1 powerwall from a third party energy provider is likely around 10 to 11k, meaning you are wanting solar panels added for 4-5k. Your budget is unrealistic for what you are asking for. 1 powerwall is normally just a backup for critical loads in case of power outages, unless you have a very small amount of power you use, and you have a model 3.
Even if your car uses more power than running your house on a typical day ( as it does in my case), what you are describing you want to do does not make sense, and your budget is to small for solar + powerwall. Your budget covers 1 of the two, but not both in any way, shape or form.
Holo
Member
I agree with jjrandorian. Your budget *might* work if you re-visit Tesla's subscription program since you could get the PV panels installed for no upfront cost (only the monthly rental) and use the rest of your budget for the powerwall. However, you would still NOT be able to charge your M3 from the powerwall as previously said.
RFernatt
Solar/EV Owner/Enthusiast
I believe MA has net metering. Skip the Powerwall for now and just get the credit on your bill for excess solar you can use at any time. The grid becomes your "battery" storing the value of the energy you produce. Not sure about time of use charges, etc. Unless you wanted the Powerwall for backup power and you have unreliable power, this is the direction I would go.
the powerwall product is for a few things.
1. Performing the function that many people use a Generator for, which is providing power when the grid is down.
2. Allowing people to use more of their own solar power, and reduce dependance on the grid
3. allowing people to "load shift" and use their solar power later in the evening when the sun is down, for maximizing higher charges during time of use plans.
In the US, powerwalls dont make a ton of sense except for niche situations, when used on their own without solar.
When used with solar there can be some cost savings, but it depends on a few different factors. using very simple math, assuming you could get enough solar to completely cover your 200 a month power charges, that means you spend roughly 2400 a year on electricity. Making an assumption that it would take 24k to install that solar system (which is above your budget), gives us a round 10 year payoff (not counting time of use shifting with a powerwall, etc).
The payoff for most solar situations is fairly long, which works if you are going to stay in your home. You have to come out of pocket quite a bit up front. It sounds like your main goal is "lowering running costs". If you are not concerned about power outages, you would want to start with solar if your utility does net metering, as mentioned.
Powerwalls help provide power "independence" as you dont have to worry about being without power unless the system is not functional, or you go though a few cloudy days at the time the grid is down.
your communication issues with Tesla might stem a little bit from the fact that they operate more like a warehouse club in many aspects (or another analogy is sort of like buying from Amazon). Tesla does not do well with "hand holding" and tons of pre sale questions. They expect you will do all that research yourself, and have specific, direct questions regarding your particular use of said product, after doing your research.
if you want / need a company to explain it all and set it up for you, tesla is not that company. Many third parties pride themselves on customer service, so that is where you should start (although in general, there is no free lunch... good service costs money).
Based on your OP, It appears to me that you are just getting started in your research, so I can absolutely see tesla being difficult to work with in that situation.
Before you start thinking about what brand panels and inverters work well, you need sit down and decide on a realistic budget for what you want to accomplish, and decide exactly what you want to accomplish (and how long you will be in your current residence).
My advice would be to start with looking at solar, if you are going to stay put a while. Having just had powerwalls installed in january, after having solar since 2015 myself, I can no longer imagine having solar without powerwalls, but thats because I am putting a value on the "generator / backup " portion of the product.
This part of TMC is very friendly, with tons of super helpful people. Hopefully we can help you figure out if it works for you.
1. Performing the function that many people use a Generator for, which is providing power when the grid is down.
2. Allowing people to use more of their own solar power, and reduce dependance on the grid
3. allowing people to "load shift" and use their solar power later in the evening when the sun is down, for maximizing higher charges during time of use plans.
In the US, powerwalls dont make a ton of sense except for niche situations, when used on their own without solar.
When used with solar there can be some cost savings, but it depends on a few different factors. using very simple math, assuming you could get enough solar to completely cover your 200 a month power charges, that means you spend roughly 2400 a year on electricity. Making an assumption that it would take 24k to install that solar system (which is above your budget), gives us a round 10 year payoff (not counting time of use shifting with a powerwall, etc).
The payoff for most solar situations is fairly long, which works if you are going to stay in your home. You have to come out of pocket quite a bit up front. It sounds like your main goal is "lowering running costs". If you are not concerned about power outages, you would want to start with solar if your utility does net metering, as mentioned.
Powerwalls help provide power "independence" as you dont have to worry about being without power unless the system is not functional, or you go though a few cloudy days at the time the grid is down.
your communication issues with Tesla might stem a little bit from the fact that they operate more like a warehouse club in many aspects (or another analogy is sort of like buying from Amazon). Tesla does not do well with "hand holding" and tons of pre sale questions. They expect you will do all that research yourself, and have specific, direct questions regarding your particular use of said product, after doing your research.
if you want / need a company to explain it all and set it up for you, tesla is not that company. Many third parties pride themselves on customer service, so that is where you should start (although in general, there is no free lunch... good service costs money).
Based on your OP, It appears to me that you are just getting started in your research, so I can absolutely see tesla being difficult to work with in that situation.
Before you start thinking about what brand panels and inverters work well, you need sit down and decide on a realistic budget for what you want to accomplish, and decide exactly what you want to accomplish (and how long you will be in your current residence).
My advice would be to start with looking at solar, if you are going to stay put a while. Having just had powerwalls installed in january, after having solar since 2015 myself, I can no longer imagine having solar without powerwalls, but thats because I am putting a value on the "generator / backup " portion of the product.
This part of TMC is very friendly, with tons of super helpful people. Hopefully we can help you figure out if it works for you.
jjrandorin, I can not agree with you more, TMC people have been great and always prompt to answer questions. You stated it pretty well in here.Other than the friends on here, I do not have any friends that have solar and as you may know, unfortunately (No offense) sales people only try to sell the product, you mentioned the powerwall to them, their response is sure, we install powerwall and since I'm clueless about solar panel, I'm trying to get the best advise as I can. So far, I gather that, PW is not a great option right now and net metering is a good alternative. Size of solar and cost is the next factor that I would need to determine....
RFernatt
Solar/EV Owner/Enthusiast
Yes, my installation is about 2.5 years old. The Panasonic panels are a bit more expensive, but they have the warranty and other desirable features that made it worth it for me. But, the equipment won't matter if you don't have a good installer, so make sure you do your homework with the installers (get multiples quotes, compare apples to apples, check references, make sure their staff have relevant certifications, make sure they warranty their installation for roof leaks, etc., make sure they are authorized to sell and support the products they are offering).
I make about 110% of what I need to run the house and car, but didn't know that at the time (house was purchased right before the solar installation and I based my projections on the previous owners' power bill and they were obviously energy hogs). Should have waited a bit for my own personal experience in the home and I made some minor efficiency upgrades. The house was only 5 years old so didn't need too much.
Speaking of efficiency, before you do anything, really think about energy efficiency and where you might make investments to lower your energy usage. This isn't as sexy, but it pays dividends forever by lowering your energy usage and decreases the size of the solar system you'll need. So, if your house could benefit from better attic insulation, electric hot water heater upgrade/insulation, modern windows, more efficient HVAC, scheduling thermostat, more efficient appliances, LED lighting, etc. you might want to make this investment first and then see what kind of solar you'll need afterward. Usually you can get an energy audit for free or low cost through programs offered by your utility company or local government programs, so check into that option.
eml2
Member
I have PV system (Panasonic panels + SolarEdge inverter) and 2 Powerwalls installed by a Tesla certified installer called RevoluSun MA about 2 years ago. They have excellent service and done a great job for installation.
solarAddict
Member
I'm in Boston area as well and recently pulled the trigger on PV system and very recently - on 2 PW setup. It's all gonna be done at once. Just had an initial technician visit. I did a lot of research on installers and interviewed 4 companies at the end (RevoluSun was one of them but I didn't pick them).
I went with PW as a backup for power outage situations (we don't have natural gas so a generator setup is out of questions). We moved in in October and two weeks later we had 3-day power outage.
If you decide to go with PW... Looks like fire prevention building code had been updated for 2020 and 2+ PW could require extra safety measures.
I went with PW as a backup for power outage situations (we don't have natural gas so a generator setup is out of questions). We moved in in October and two weeks later we had 3-day power outage.
If you decide to go with PW... Looks like fire prevention building code had been updated for 2020 and 2+ PW could require extra safety measures.
First, reach out to Mass Save, they'll do all sorts of energy efficiency work for you for a pittance (we had them visit us last fall).
Second, we just had solar panels installed with a Powerwall (this is like our 4th day of generating). Our installer was Revision Energy and we were extremely happy with them.
Finally, I did the arithmetic and figured that we could save money from day 1 if we got a home equity loan to pay for our project. Our loan payment minus our SMART earnings (Mass incentives per kWh of solar power generated) was less than our previous electric bill. I'd recommend you check on interest rates and spend some quality time with a spreadsheet before you limit the size of your installation.
P.S. I you're as anal as I am, you may start to wonder what having solar panels will do to the value of your home. Zillow did a study and concluded that it will increase its value by 5.4% in New York (regardless of the solar capacity). [The percent increase varied by location, and averaged 4.1% across the entire US.] I couldn't find any info on Powerwalls adding value to a home (I did find an assessors forum where everyone agreed that a standby generator didn't really add any value).
Second, we just had solar panels installed with a Powerwall (this is like our 4th day of generating). Our installer was Revision Energy and we were extremely happy with them.
Finally, I did the arithmetic and figured that we could save money from day 1 if we got a home equity loan to pay for our project. Our loan payment minus our SMART earnings (Mass incentives per kWh of solar power generated) was less than our previous electric bill. I'd recommend you check on interest rates and spend some quality time with a spreadsheet before you limit the size of your installation.
P.S. I you're as anal as I am, you may start to wonder what having solar panels will do to the value of your home. Zillow did a study and concluded that it will increase its value by 5.4% in New York (regardless of the solar capacity). [The percent increase varied by location, and averaged 4.1% across the entire US.] I couldn't find any info on Powerwalls adding value to a home (I did find an assessors forum where everyone agreed that a standby generator didn't really add any value).
solarAddict
Member
Glad to hear as I went with them too, still in pre-install phase. Curious if you went with more that 1 PW as I was told they might need to build an enclosure around PWs (unless it's a single unit).
We had a PW and it's inside in our basement. [I'm guessing your's would be outside if they're talking enclosure.]
