Tesla Energy Plan

Goonerbertie

Hi, 

I'm looking to install a solar PV system with battery to power my house and charge my EV. I'm new to this and looking a various suppliers and solutions. At the top of the range is a Tesla Powerwall solution to be operated in conjunction with the Tesla Energy Plan from Octopus.

The Tesla Energy Plan looks too good to be true compared to other tariffs on offer and I'm nervous about relinquishing full control of my system to Tesla. Is it really as good as Tesla claim ? Does it save more money than other Solar/EV tariffs ?

Thanks

Verdigris

The Tesla Energy Plan looks too good to be true compared to other tariffs on offer and I'm nervous about relinquishing full control of my system to Tesla

I think your instinct is correct.

An "independent" system combined with Octopus' other tariffs is more likely to be to your advantage, in the long run.

Coastalwatch

Goonerbertie said:

Hi, 

I'm looking to install a solar PV system with battery to power my house and charge my EV. I'm new to this and looking a various suppliers and solutions. At the top of the range is a Tesla Powerwall solution to be operated in conjunction with the Tesla Energy Plan from Octopus.

The Tesla Energy Plan looks too good to be true compared to other tariffs on offer and I'm nervous about relinquishing full control of my system to Tesla. Is it really as good as Tesla claim ? Does it save more money than other Solar/EV tariffs ?

Thanks

On the face of it the Tesla energy plan from Octopus is certainly an attractive proposition but as I don't have a Tesla then I've not looked into it in any detail. However, a Team Leader from Octopus did advise during a recent conversation that they are looking to extend the scheme to other makes in the future. Apologies if not particularly helpful.

Laycity

The current rate in my area of 10p for both import and export is now very attractive for me and I'll be considering it in July when my Go faster rate expires - if the rate doesn't change. I can't see my average rate over winter being anywhere near as low as that on the new Go peak rate of around 30p/kWh (and may be more by then).

The one off putting thing is you have to set your back up reserve to 20%, which effectively reduces the usable size of the battery

Kestrel_s

With 6.3PV and a PW2 (but no EV), I have been on the TEP since 1 Oct 21. The key benefit of TEP is that no matter how much electricity you use whatever the time of day, it costs no more than 12p per kW - that is attractive in itself. The other key aspect is that you will be paid the same amount for each kW you export. The "green" benefit is that Tesla will charge the battery overnight. Whatever you use during the day will be pulled from the grid but then at 4pm, Tesla discharge the battery down to 20%. This together with others on TEP reduces the peak demand across the country hopefully ensuring that less energy is generated from stand-by generators run on fossil fuels.

If there is storm coming, Tesla will ensure that the battery is kept at 100% throughout the period of the storm in case of powercuts.

Over the year, I am a net exporter using around 4mW annually but exporting 5.6kW. Last year my electricity bill was a total of £19 (nineteen pounds) but I was on Agile with Agile Outgoing over the summer. I will review the best tariff for me come March. As an aside, when I bought the PV and battery in Nov 20, I expected to recoup my investment in 12 years. With escalating prices, this has now reduced to 9 years.

TEP suits me very well over the winter months but all depends on individual circumstances. A spreadsheet with your anticipated import and export over each month of the year with the cost of all the various tariffs is the best way to see which tariff suits you best at which time of the year. Selecting the best tariff is really important to ensure you maximise the return on your investment in PV and battery.

Verdigris

On the subject of Tesla, I'm currently getting quotes for ASHP/solarPV/batteries/EV charger and I have found a company fairly local to site who do the lot. However, they seem to be wedded to Tesla Powerwalls, as far as batteries are concerned. They don't strike me as being capable of making a ROI in my lifetime, on "normal" tariffs. Do they only make economic sense on the Tesla tariff? What guarantee is there that such an apparently favourable tariff will be available for the reasonable future?

QrizB

Verdigris said:

They don't strike me as being capable of making a ROI in my lifetime, on "normal" tariffs. Do they only make economic sense on the Tesla tariff?

Thery're what, about £8k for 14kWh? Or am I Googling old info?

14kWh of Pylontechs be would six of them, so around £5k, plus your inverter of choice.

JKenH

Or you could just wait for V2G. I imagine once economies of scale kick in a V2G charger won’t cost much more than a conventional smart charger.

Verdigris

Well I was ball-park quoted £10k for Tesla 13.x kWh, presumably fitted. Somebody recently posted a link to 6 x 3.4 kWh Pylontechs for less than £7k delivered. Does not compute. I'm not even sure Tesla PW is even LiFePo, so a potential mortal risk to life and limb. On the other hand Tesla does have islanding capability.

QrizB

One potential advantage of a Powerwall is that it's weatherproof, so you can put it on the outside of your house. But I'm not sure that's worth £3k.

Reed_Richards

Surely the name "Tesla" is worth an extra £3k?