Tesla battery...

macca9

Hi all,

Has anyone here purchased the tesla powerwall or something similar when combined with solar panels.
I've recently purchased a house and am considering purchasing the two in tandem. From what I've read it can essentially remove you from the grid by storing energy effectively for use in the evening... saving a huge whack.
Any thoughts?

System

The Green and Ethical Forum is the better place to ask this question.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5175827

Cardew

It won't remove you from the grid unless you pay a fortune see:

https://www.teslamotors.com/en_GB/powerpack/design#/

In any case, unless you are connected to the grid you won't get the FIT/export tariff.

footyguy

macca9 wrote: »

Hi all,

Has anyone here purchased the tesla powerwall or something similar when combined with solar panels.
I've recently purchased a house and am considering purchasing the two in tandem. From what I've read it can essentially remove you from the grid by storing energy effectively for use in the evening... saving a huge whack.
Any thoughts?

Tesla powerwall is not yet available to buy in the UK, although you can pre-order.
It needs to be professionally installed and does not include the inverter.

Basic price in the US is $3000 each (don't know what price it'll be in the UK). Warranted for 10 years.

How much electricity would that buy you?

It only stores 6.4kWh - about 40p worth based on E7 low rate

Xbigman

For home storage a lead/acid battery is best. There's loads of video's on YouTube on how to set this sort of system up.




Darren

spadoosh

Xbigman wrote: »

For home storage a lead/acid battery is best. There's loads of video's on YouTube on how to set this sort of system up.




Darren

Best is very subjective.

If you want the best performance you would probably choose li ion.

If you want longevity, li ion.

If you want efficiency, space saving, and ecological, again, li ion would be better.

From that i would say li-ion is best. However lead acid offers the best value for money.

spadoosh

Have a look at the competition. From the few bits ive seen it looks like Tesla are taking the usual approach of style and substance, guessing they arent going to be the cheapest players.

Dont be fooled into thinking its something particularly new. Its just a battery. With a bit of programming to make it efficient.

Every off grid solar set up will have something along these lines just not as pretty looking.

Theres a few german companies with bigger storage (cant remember names sorry) and a few of the other car manufacturers have got similar products in the pipeline (eg nissan)

M0ney

...........

andyca

I have a 2.4kwh solar PV system, so when Tesla phoned me last week to tell me their new Powerwall was available right now I was really excited. I got a phone call from an installer a few days later and he gave me the cost; which was £5200. (total kit and installation, including VAT)

I looked at my energy bills and there was an estimated cost for the next 12 months of £400 for electricity and gas combined for two people in my four bed house (£100/£300 electric/gas respectively). The Tesla Powerwall states it has an expected battery lifetime of 10 years, so that's a good figure to base this from, which means if gas and electric stayed at the same price (relative to inflation) they would cost me overall £4000 for the next 10 years.

Even if I could convert all my current gas usage to electric (a gas boiler currently heats the house and water, but I don't have gas hobs, cookers or fires) at the end of the 10 year lifetime of the Powerwall it would still be at least £1200 more expensive than sticking to where I am now.

Even if I spent £6000 on energy over 10 years I probably wouldn't be able to turn off the boiler completely and heat the house on batteries in the winter, plus I'd have to buy some electric heaters to replace my radiators!

If you are a high energy user then there are calculators out there that seem to suggest the Tesla Powerwall is a quite expensive way to use electricity, but I didn't even need to look into it that far as I just don't use enough energy to make it worthwhile.

I might change my mind if we start getting the brown-outs and power cuts the tabloids have been threatening for the last couple of years...