Wall charger/Battery installation

[1k-dummy]

Is there any advantage for installing the wall charger + battery at once? I'm planning to install solar PV + battery but it seems it won't happen for months to come (contractor fully booked),so I wonder if I should install the wall charger first?

Also - do I buy the charger from Tesla first, and find a contractor to install it, or should I go to a contractor first, and order afterwards?
Do I go to the energy supplier after the installation? Or should I revise my energy plan first?

Total noob on EV charging, all comments/advice welcomed. Thanks in advance.

 

[scdoubleu]

If you're planning to charge the EV with excess solar, then avoid the Tesla Wall Charger - it does not support this automatically. Go for something like a MyEnergi Zappi. Have it installed first, and ask the installer to add a CT clamp (or a Harvi, if wiring is an issue) to the meter tails in readiness for when your solar is installed.

 

[1k-dummy]

I am surprised - Tesla wall charger won't work with excess solar? Do you mean it'd only work if I get the Powerwall/battery?

 

[scdoubleu]

Correct. Even with a Powerwall the TWC will not automatically divert excess solar to the EV. Perhaps someday Tesla will fully integrate the two devices, but not yet, and I'm not holding my breath. This is Tesla after all!

 

[Country Boy]

If you're planning to charge the EV with excess solar, then avoid the Tesla Wall Charger - it does not support this automatically. Go for something like a MyEnergi Zappi. Have it installed first, and ask the installer to add a CT clamp (or a Harvi, if wiring is an issue) to the meter tails in readiness for when your solar is installed.

Another vote here for the Zappi. I have a First Gen Zappi for 4 year and it has worked faultlessly. The front cover became discoloured and cracked and Myenergi sent a replacement free of charge even though the unit was out of warranty!

 

[Dilly]

No issues with Zappi either. I have 2., 5 years and 3 years old

 

[Tony Hoyle]

I am surprised - Tesla wall charger won't work with excess solar? Do you mean it'd only work if I get the Powerwall/battery?

Of course it'll *work*, technically.. power is power.. but you'd need to know whether you had enough excess and charge then (I suppose you could automate it with a script, but generally people don't).

Zappi has a monitor that makes it cut in only when you're exporting enough. Helps to have a fairly large array of course, on my 2.5kw one a zappi would be utterly pointless.. minimum charge rate is 6A, so about 1.4kw, and I'm not exporting that much on the sunniest day in summer..

 

[1k-dummy]

Of course it'll *work*, technically.. power is power.. but you'd need to know whether you had enough excess and charge then (I suppose you could automate it with a script, but generally people don't).

Zappi has a monitor that makes it cut in only when you're exporting enough. Helps to have a fairly large array of course, on my 2.5kw one a zappi would be utterly pointless.. minimum charge rate is 6A, so about 1.4kw, and I'm not exporting that much on the sunniest day in summer..

I WFH so I would imagine most solar produce would be used and frankly, given the rate I think I'd rather store any excess (if any) and used it in night time/ charging my EV, thus the battery.

edit: I had just started asking for quotes so I don't have any idea how much I could produce, but given it's just a small 4BR house frankly I am not expecting excess output. The battery should help by letting me storing cheap electricity at off-peak hours, or that's my plan anyway.

 

[Tony Hoyle]

These days exporting doesn't make much sense (you get maybe 5-10p, and buy it back in import at 30p-50p or higher). If you have a battery fill that as much as you can (which also means get a big battery).. there are other things you can do as well (car charging, heat water) if you have enough left over.

 

[Toblerone]

Just because you WFH, you won’t use all the solar. That’s what you have the battery for.
Once the battery is full, you can divert to an immersion heater assuming you have a hot water cylinder. And/or you can divert excess solar to the car if you have a compatible charger, like the zappi. If you don’t get a compatible charger you can’t do that last part.

Source: I WFH, have 4kw solar, an immersion diverter and a zappi charger.
Considering a battery at some point.

 

[ElsDee]

Hello, hopefully the right thread, I had a quote for a tethered Zappi, £1,400, labour was only £250 + vat, the energy hub is £100 although not sure i need it and an additional £100 for earth bonding. Not the most straight forward install as i have old style meters boxed in and high up on the toilet wall, i may also need to get my main fuse updated as i am on a loop. Very reputable local company. I am with British Gas and they now offer a Hive hub? i wondered if anyone else had any views on the Hive ?

 

[Radon9]

Does the Zappi have the solar divert capability if you have a hybrid inverter? I was told that because the hybrid inverters have DC from solar to battery there is nowhere to put a Zappi CT clamp on the solar output, so the “smart” capabilities are less smart…

 

[daveface]

I have just signed up to get solar + battery + charger installed - Hopefully at the end of October. My installer has quoted on GivEnergy Inverters + GivEnergy 9.8Kwh. The charger was the bit I was getting lots of mixed reviews on. But as all my other stuff is GivEnergy I have decided to go with the new (not released yet) GivEnergy Charger which will do all the smart bits including charger from solar etc... It will be interesting to see how it all works. Keeping my fingers crossed it's a half decent system.

 

[Zakalwe]

Andersen currently has a £200 off offer on at the moment. It can also be wired with a CT clamp to divert excess solar generation into the car.
It also looks a heck of a lot better than 99% of car chargers that are out there.

 

[1k-dummy]

I have just signed up to get solar + battery + charger installed - Hopefully at the end of October. My installer has quoted on GivEnergy Inverters + GivEnergy 9.8Kwh. The charger was the bit I was getting lots of mixed reviews on. But as all my other stuff is GivEnergy I have decided to go with the new (not released yet) GivEnergy Charger which will do all the smart bits including charger from solar etc... It will be interesting to see how it all works. Keeping my fingers crossed it's a half decent system.

Can you share your locale/installer detail via PM? All installer around my area are likely too busy to even give me a quote

 

[daveface]

Can you share your locale/installer detail via PM? All installer around my area are likely too busy to even give me a quote

Sure - Dropped you a message