Tesla Powerwall Review | How Much Does It Cost?


Tesla Powerwall Review | How Much Does It Cost?

For those who are unfamiliar with what a Tesla Powerwall is, it’s a battery that is integrated with Tesla Solar Panel. So as the solar panels on the roof collect energy all day the battery can gather 13.5kWh and distribute it whenever you have a power outage.

So essentially the battery collects spare energy from the solar panels, and the Powerwall acts as a backup generator. This is obviously a benefit as its green energy that is collected for free will make sure your home consistently has the power to use. Not only is it an amazing solution to back up energy, but it also reduces costs on days when energy consumption is at a peak.

Tesla Solar Panels

The Powerwall is an optional battery pack that comes with the solar panels to store the extra power. So as mentioned, solar energy is on the rise big time due to everyone wanting to reduce their carbon footprint.

Tesla’s Solar Panels are a great option for home solar because their panels are the both aesthetically pleasing, and the most affordable solar panels on the market. Tesla also offers the Tesla Solar Roof, which isn’t just normal solar panels, but they’re designed to look like roof shingles, and they come as a full roof replacement option.

Tesla Powerwall

The main reason for the Powerwall installation is to be able to store the energy produced by the solar (whether solar panels or solar roof) and use it later as a backup generator.

So, the first thing is to see how this compares with typical gasoline or natural gas generators. Installing the Powerwall is very simple and compact, the Powerwall doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb and sits on the wall very neatly and doesn’t even look like a generator, this is obviously a bonus as it won’t ruin the appearance or aesthetic of your home.

The Powerwall doesn’t require any additional fuel, only the power provided by the solar or if you’ve opted to hook it up to an electric company, they will also provide a charge for the battery for an extra cost.

Another bonus the Powerwall has over the typical generator is noise pollution. Conventional home generators sound like loud engines and are quite disturbing, but because the Powerwall is just a large powerful battery, it doesn’t make any horrible sounds or give off any fumes from an exhaust.

So far, the Powerwall seems like the best option to go for as a backup generator, however, a conventional generator will typically be better for longer periods of time as the fuel they can be topped up whenever it’s needed, and if maintained properly, can even run for as long as 3 weeks at a time if need be.

The Powerwall doesn’t quite have the storage capacity to match this, also being a battery, the Powerwall will lose its ability to charge to 100% over time, and the warranty only guarantees that the battery should still be capable of hitting 70% by the end of the 10-year period. However, you can “stack” up to 10 Powerwalls together, extending your battery capacity and length of use if needed.

Pricing

Powerwall review

First of all, you have to consider the price of the solar itself as you ideally need this before you get the Powerwall installed. The cost of the solar is dependent on a few things, it isn’t just a fixed price per square feet for example.

First of all the complexity of the solar is going to factor in, so a simple roof is going to be the cheapest to install as it won’t take nearly as much effort, an intermediate roof is a next price, this will be more than one piece of roof that needs covering and will cost more than a simple one, lastly, they consider a complex roof to be more expensive and this will be multiple roofs to cover with a lot of obstructions.

Next, figuring out if you want solar panels or a full solar roof. The solar panels are easier and cheaper upfront, but the solar roof is cleaner looking and replaces your entire roof.

Finally, there may be some additional costs for any minor necessary touches that may need to be made. So Tesla solar panels are estimated to be anywhere between $10,000 and $40,000, and Tesla solar roof is estimated to be between $40,000 and $80,000. Both the Tesla solar panels, and solar roof, are about $2.10 per watt of solar, installed. However, the solar roof comes with many other expenses like non-solar roof tiles, and removal of the old roof.

To find out how many solar panels your house would need, and how much is would cost, use the simple Tesla solar calculator below.

In order to offset 100% of your electric bill, you will need:


400 Watt Panels
kWh

Based on Tesla Solar Panel pricing it will cost:


$

This may seem very expensive, but is supposed to be a lifetime purchase and in the long run, is expected to save you money and there is the added bonus of your carbon footprint being reduced dramatically.

Now that we’ve talked about the solar panels, let’s have a look at the cost of the Powerwall.

The Powerwall is $7,000 to purchase and to have it installed is another $4000. The first Powerwall will cost the full $11,000, but each additional Powerwall you’d like to “stack” together will only cost $7,000 (the installation is included in the initial $4,000).

A single Powerwall can run a home with a monthly electricity bill of $200 for 1 whole day. If you are simply using your Powerwall for overnight power, to use the grid less, one single Powerwall should suffice. However, if you plan to run your home off-grid for several days at a time (for instance during a power outage) you may want to consider adding a second, or third, Powerwall because the initial installation fee will cover the additional Powerwalls.

Pro Tip: Tesla offers discounts periodically on its solar products. Check here to see if there are any current promotions.

Conclusion

Ethically the Tesla Powerwall and solar are absolutely worth getting, it’ll reduce your need for fossil fuels and being on-grid substantially and reduce your power bills down to nearly nothing, and with Tesla being one of the more established names in renewable energy you’re guaranteed a good product that’ll work exactly to their listed specs.

The only problem that is being faced with the Powerwall being installed is the large price tag that comes with it and some possible delays due to location and popularity.

However, as previously mentioned, and if the price isn’t a factor for you, then Tesla Solar and Powerwall combo are definitely a good idea, as your carbon footprint is lowered significantly, there are government incentives to install one, like reduced tax bill and tax credit. 

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.

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