Cost of Tesla Powerwall 2 In Australia Revealed


Cost of Tesla Powerwall 2 In Australia Revealed

The cost of the Powerwall 2 in Australia is a hot topic for those looking for a quality backup plan to the power grid. Learn more below about the cost of a Powerwall 2 and how it compares to the prices of whole-house generators.

A single Tesla Powerwall 2 costs $13,300 in Australia when you include the hardware costs that come with the battery. Additional costs include solar panels however the government does provide solar incentives.

The cost of the Powerwall 2 in Australia makes it a worthy investment for anyone who is looking for a good backup source of energy that can also help you save money on your energy bills. You are invited to continue below to learn more about the final cost of a Powerwall installation and why it’s worth it.

How Much Does A Tesla Powerwall 2 Really Cost in Australia?

You can expect a single Powerwall 2 to cost somewhere in the territory of $17,000- $20,000 if you decide to include solar panel(s) in the project. You can save $100 instantly by using a Tesla referral link from another Tesla owner. The estimated pricing is broken down into further detail in the sections below.

Cost of Tesla Powerwall: Starting at $13,300

A single Tesla Powerwall costs $13,300 (including the cost of the necessary hardware). The battery itself costs $11,600. If your energy storage needs exceed 13.5 kWh of power, then you are encouraged to purchase more than one Powerwall, as you can stack as many as 10 units next to each other without having to use additional hardware.

The supporting hardware included in the package includes a Tesla Gateway and electrical hardware. The Gateway is responsible for monitoring energy demands by detecting power outages. It allows users to monitor energy use and manage their backup energy reserves from any mobile device that has the Tesla app installed.

Cost of Installation: $1,000 – $3,000

To get a Tesla Powerwall battery installed at your home, you will reach out to one of Australia’s accredited Tesla Powerwall installation companies. The manufacturer does manage accreditation, so be sure to check with a company’s current certification status before you hire them.

You can anticipate spending between $1,000 and $3,000 to install the Powerwall 2 in Australia, depending upon how many batteries you decide to go with and which contractor you ultimately choose. Don’t expect to save any money or time with a DIY installation. This project requires the knowledge of a certified technician who knows how to work with electricity.

Cost of Solar Panels in Australia? $3,000+

The final cost of solar panels varies by specific type, although you can typically expect to pay $1 per watt for solar panels in Australia. The average size of a solar installation in the country is 3 kW, which would cost at least $3,000.

Be on the Lookout: Tesla’s Roofing Tiles

Tesla markets a solar roof as a less intrusive alternative to traditional panels that extend up off the roof. These tiles replace the tiles that you have on your roof currently. So, if you’ve been thinking about replacing your old tiles, this would be an excellent opportunity to knock out two major house projects simultaneously.

The Tesla Roof has not yet been officially released in Australia, although the company has announced plans to sell the product in the country shortly. Many installations have already occurred in North America.

Save Money with Solar Incentives

You can save money on solar panel installations by taking advantage of solar incentives from the Australian government. These incentives are designed to further draw homeowners to alternative sources of energy while ditching fossil fuels.

Here’s how it works: The federal government applies small-scale technology certificates (STCs) for each kilowatt worth of solar panels installed. These discounts will usually be included in the final quote for the project provided by the installation company.

Numerous incentives are state-government specific. The extent of these discounts varies depending upon which state of Australia you live in. Those living in Victoria, for example, are eligible for rebates of up to $1,850.

Does Tesla Offer Discounts on Solar?

Tesla solar panels are already the lowest price solar panels on the market, but are there any other ways to save money when ordering?

In short, the only way to get a discount on Tesla solar panels is by using an existing Tesla owners “referral link” when ordering your Tesla solar panels.

Tesla has did this same “referral program” concept with it’s vehicles and essentially it allows new customers to get a discount on their purchase by using an existing customers personal referral link.

In regards to Tesla solar discounts, using a Tesla referral link when ordering will save you $300 off solar panels or $500 off solar roof.

The referral discounts are typically only available for a limited time before Tesla stops offering the discount, so take advantage of the savings while you can.

tesla solar panel discount

How Is the Tesla Powerwall 2 Installed?

Before you even order your Powerwall 2, you should make sure that your home is suited for installation. You will learn more about what it takes to put a Powerwall 2 in your home in the sections below.

Choosing A Suitable Location

You will need to choose a location at your home that is suitable for the Powerwall. A wall needs to have at least one of the following to support the weight of a Powerwall: wood studs at regular intervals, plywood sheeting of adequate thickness, solid concrete/masonry, or metal studs.

  • Plywood must be at least ½-inch thick.
  • Metal studs must be at least 18-gauge if being anchored directly.
  • For anchoring to the backing between metal studs, the studs must be at least 25 gauge.
  • Concrete must be at least 2500 PSI strength
  • Masonry must be at least 1500 PSI

If you don’t know whether your planned location is suitable, the certified installation technician will be able to answer these questions. Be ready for the possibility that you may need to move some items to make room for the Powerwall and its associated components.

System Wiring

Powerwall installation does require a fair bit of wiring to take place, especially if you are connecting it to solar panels.  The wiring diagram for the Powerwall 2 makes it clear how important it is to wire each component correctly. Otherwise, the battery will not be able to monitor the incoming energy and energy demands of the home.

How Long Will A Tesla Powerwall 2 Last?

The Tesla Powerwall 2 comes with a warranty of 10 years. As is the case with all batteries, you anticipate a loss in storage capacity through the years.

The details of the warranty are as follows:

  • Your Powerwall will be free of defects for ten years following the initial installation date.
  • Your Powerwall will retain at least 70% of its initial storage capacity after ten years.

In other words, Tesla is willing to stand by its claim that the Powerwall 2 will only see a 30% decline in its energy storage capacity after ten years. Since the Powerwall 2 was introduced in 2017, there is not yet much data on how durable it is.

Where Can You Buy A Tesla Powerwall 2 In Australia?

You can order the Tesla Powerwall 2 online here or order one from one of the certified installers that can be found by searching “Tesla Powerwall certified installers in Australia.”  The advantage of purchasing from a certified installer is the fact that you should be able to make more informed decisions. On the other hand, the online ordering process is easy and convenient.

Tesla Powerwall 2 Vs. Powerwall 1?

The Tesla Powerwall was first introduced in 2015. Since then, the company has invested its efforts in developing a superior successor to the original. Their efforts have been fruitful with the release of the Powerwall 2, which first became available in Australia in 2017.

Compared to the first Powerwall, the second has:

  • Double the storage capacity
  • An inverter that is built into the battery
  • Compatibility with the Tesla App

A solar inverter is needed to convert the power into a current that is usable for home consumption. The energy from solar panels is in the form of DC, while home devices run on AC electricity. Having a built-in inverter is a big deal since it used to cost around $650 for a single inverter from Tesla.

The Powerwall 2 has also been fitted with liquid cooling technology, which should further help prevent overheating. The second edition is also capable of being mounted on either the wall or the floor. Given all these updates, it is clear that the Powerwall 2 is an improvement over the original and more worth your money.

How Many Solar Panels Does It Take to Charge A Solar Powerwall 2?

To answer that question, you’ll first need to determine how much power a single solar panel would produce in your location. Solar viability varies by region, with some areas receiving much more sunlight than others. Multiply the wattage of the solar panel by the number of hours of direct sunlight per day.

As you can see from the charts found here, the cities throughout Australia receive abundant sunshine, typically averaging 7-9 hours of direct sunlight for most of the year. Tesla offers 340-watt solar panels, so you would receive 2,380 to 3,060 watts from one solar panel per day.

The Tesla Powerwall has a storage capacity of up to 13.5 kWh.  You could conceivably charge a Powerwall with just one solar panel, but this would depend on your energy expenditures. As a reference, the average Australian home consumes 19 kWh of electricity every day.

Do You Need Solar Panels for The Tesla Powerwall?

The good news is that you don’t even need solar panels for your Tesla Powerwall. You can use either solar power, the electrical grid, or both to charge the battery up to capacity. However, solar panels are advantageous because they provide a supply of power that is not 100% reliant on the grid.

Solar panels offer the potential for cost savings over the grid alone, particularly if your electricity bill is high. There are also valid concerns that you could use all the energy stored up in the battery(s) before the power turns back on in the event of an outage. In summary, solar panels make a Powerwall battery much more versatile.

Make Money by Exporting Solar Power to The Grid

In Australia, homeowners can generate a little income on the side by selling excess energy converted from solar. Homeowners in Australia reportedly earn an average of 10.2- 12 cents per kWh through standard energy feed-in tariffs in Australia.

You may need to be wary of doing this during times of brightest sunshine. The government has considered passing rules that charge homeowners for feeding solar energy into the grid during times when excess electricity is not needed. When these events occur, the network can become destabilized. Even if the rule change does occur, homeowners with solar panels can still expect to save an average of $900 a year on power bills.

Is the Tesla Powerwall 2 Worth It?

If you are still on the fence about the Tesla Powerwall 2, you will learn in the section below about the many benefits of this backup battery system. You’ll see why it is a more palatable home energy solution than a generator.

Renewable Energy Is Leading to Lower Energy Costs

In 2013, the Parliament of Australia released a report stating that electricity prices had risen by 72% in the ten years since 2013. At the time, they had predicted that energy prices would moderate a bit but still increase slightly in the years succeeding 2013.

Renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind, are projected to lead to a 9% decrease in Australia’s household energy bills through 2023.  Not every resident of Australia will be able to cash in on lower grid prices, though. Those living in New South Wales, for example, can expect to see a jump in energy prices.

For this reason, Australians are encouraged to further enhance their energy savings with solar backup battery systems such as the Powerwall 2. Solar power holds the potential to offer further energy savings. Less reliance on the power grid can only be a good thing.

Improvements in Home Energy Efficiency

The Powerwall 2 offers massive potential in terms of energy efficiency. As a backup plan for power outages, it is superior to generators, which are noisy and costly to fuel.

The time-based technology is undoubtedly a bonus. This allows you to store up energy from the grid when the prices are at their lowest and then use the stored electricity when the grid prices are higher.

App Functionality

The Powerwall works in conjunction with the Tesla app, allowing you to manage your system remotely via any mobile device that has the app installed. Imagine you are on holiday for the weekend when your power cuts out: the app will notify you if an outage has been detected and the battery is in use.

You can set up the battery to work off of time-based controls. In this setting, the Powerwall is set to charge from the grid during the times when electricity costs are at their lowest. Then when costs peak, later on, the Powerwall discharges stored electricity into the home.

Affordability

Tesla’s ability to include an inverter within the Powerwall itself improves the overall affordability of the Powerwall 2. No longer will you have to pay for separate inverters and the associated labor costs of installing these pieces of hardware. This also ensures that you do not make the mistake of installing an inverter that is not compatible with your solar backup battery.

The Powerwall Doesn’t Take Up Much Space

The dimensions of a single Powerwall 2 are 1150 mm x 755 mm x 147 mm. They do not take up much space, and they can also be either floor-mounted or wall-mounted. With limited additional hardware needed, it should be easy to fit a Powerwall into the confines of your home without having to make any major renovations.

What’s Better? A Powerwall Or A Generator

You may be wondering if it would just be easier to get a generator. Portable generators may initially appear cheaper than a Powerwall, but there are many added costs and inconveniences that you must consider. Being able to provide backup power to an entire home also means that you may need to get a larger standby generator.

A Powerwall is superior to a generator for many reasons:

  • Generators require propane, natural gas, or gasoline fuel to run.
  • Generators can be noisy.
  • They can also produce toxic fumes that need to be vented off.
  • Whole-house generators are not much cheaper than a Powerwall.

A standby generator capable of producing 12-20 kW can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000 to install in Australia. Keep in mind that this is just the cost of the generator itself. You will also need to pay somewhere around $500 for labor costs to wire the generator into your home’s power system.

A single Powerwall 2 starts at $13,300, although you will likely need more than one Powerwall if you are looking to provide backup power to the entire house. Cost savings become a reality once you consider the added cost of fueling a generator. Renewable energy sources first became cheaper than fossil fuels in Australia back in 2013.

Final Thoughts

The Tesla Powerwall comes at a starting price of $13,300 in Australia. If you wanted to add solar panels to the mix, you can anticipate spending somewhere in the range of $3,000. Luckily you can power a single Powerwall with just one solar panel.

Alternatively, you can decide to use the Powerwall to store power from the grid at times when electricity rates are at their lowest and then discharge the battery when rates are higher. A Powerwall 2 comes with a warranty of 10 years, meaning that there will be abundant opportunity for cost savings to add up over time.

Solar Discounts:

Greg

The articles here on ThatTeslaChannel.com are created by Greg, a Tesla vehicle and Tesla solar expert with nearly half a decade of hands-on experience. The information on this site is fact-checked and tested in-person to ensure the best possible level of accuracy.

Recent Posts