Just tried to order Tesla Solar and it’s not “available” in my area. Now what?

[TomServo]

I live in southern IL, 20 miles S/E of St Louis. So I placed my reservation anyway. Tesla said they would notify me when it’s available in “my area”. I have seen on-line posts claiming folks near Chicago have had Tesla solar panels installed? I would think Tesla would be doing solar business in southern Illinois as the weather is better than northern IL.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dhrivnak]

I can almost guarantee there are some local companies that would do a very fine job for you.

 

[ArizonaJon]

Three years ago, I put in solar with a great local company and it included a 2 PW install. Check in your area for local solar installer. BUT be sure to check their references. Another good source may be you Tesla owners group. Many BEV owners have solar and are willing to share their experiences.

 

[daniel]

I can almost guarantee there are some local companies that would do a very fine job for you.

I agree with the above. I thought I wanted Tesla for my solar, but they don't operate here. So I asked my realtor for a recommendation and got a local family-owned-and-operated company to install my solar. (Not the lowest bid! I wanted quality, not cheap.) 100% satisfied! Then I started seeing all sorts of complaints on here about Tesla's installations. I think Tesla contracts with local installers, and quality is variable.

My system: LG panels, Solar Edge inverters and optimizers, Tesla gateways and Powerwalls.

I would not go through Tesla. I'd get recommendations from trusted people who've had solar installed, and contract with a local installer. They'll know the best equipment for your situation.

 

[Zer0t]

@daniel does this show up in your Tesla app due to using their gateway? I’m looking at Tesla as well as 3rd parties that do powerwall.

 

[arnolddeleon]

You can looking into Project Solar, (projectsolar.com). They have prices similar to Tesla. They use Enphase equipment. Install is contracted with a "local" company. Local can mean a company that has crews that travel . In my case the crew was from Southern CA and a San Francisco bay area. This is not that different from Tesla, my most recent install with Tesla also had a traveling crew. For a friend that has a Project Solar install in about a week the crew is from the bay area.

I recommend Tesla and Project Solar to folks looking for a good price. There is a local company that I recommend for someone with a complex situation or looking for white glove service.

 

[daniel]

@daniel does this show up in your Tesla app due to using their gateway? I’m looking at Tesla as well as 3rd parties that do powerwall.

Does what show up? Please be specific. The Tesla app shows current flow and power consumed and delivered and battery SoC and a bunch of other stuff, in real time as well as by day, week, month, and year. It also has a graphic that represents the house, the panels, and the grid and shows where current is flowing, and seems to update every few seconds. It also allows me to see a graph, for any given day, isolating house consumption, panel production, battery charge/discharge, or current to/from the grid.

The only things I'm really concerned about are battery SoC (which only gets really low after a day or two of heavy clouds) and power draw from the grid. (My system only uses the grid for load balancing. If I'm drawing more, that's a problem that needs to be addressed.)

 

[jjrandorin]

Perhaps I am being dense, or not understanding something (likely)... but I dont even understand the question posed by the thread title. Meaning, I have no clue what is being asked by "Just tried to order Tesla solar and its not "available" in my area. Now what?".

 

[Zer0t]

Does what show up? Please be specific. The Tesla app shows current flow and power consumed and delivered and battery SoC and a bunch of other stuff, in real time as well as by day, week, month, and year. It also has a graphic that represents the house, the panels, and the grid and shows where current is flowing, and seems to update every few seconds. It also allows me to see a graph, for any given day, isolating house consumption, panel production, battery charge/discharge, or current to/from the grid.

The only things I'm really concerned about are battery SoC (which only gets really low after a day or two of heavy clouds) and power draw from the grid. (My system only uses the grid for load balancing. If I'm drawing more, that's a problem that needs to be addressed.)

Sorry but you covered it anyway. Thanks.

 

[TomServo]

I just completed the online application and at the end of the form it says it’s not available and I will be notified when it is. I live in southern IL 20 miles from St Louis. So I redid the application and used a friends address in St Louis and it accepted it.

So is that just an admin thing and will be corrected when a human looks at it or am I SOL. I submitted a request for someone to contact me.

My first inclination is to go with Tesla equipment through Tesla. But I guess I could look elsewhere if this is how it is, but it makes no sense.

 

[RKCRLR]

I just completed the online application and at the end of the form it says it’s not available and I will be notified when it is. I live in southern IL 20 miles from St Louis. So I redid the application and used a friends address in St Louis and it accepted it.

So is that just an admin thing and will be corrected when a human looks at it or am I SOL. I submitted a request for someone to contact me.

My first inclination is to go with Tesla equipment through Tesla. But I guess I could look elsewhere if this is how it is, but it makes no sense.

Your friend will get some free Powerwalls per your generosity...

 

[TomServo]

Perhaps I am being dense, or not understanding something (likely)... but I dont even understand the question posed by the thread title. Meaning, I have no clue what is being asked by "Just tried to order Tesla solar and its not "available" in my area. Now what?".

My bad, this is what I was referring to:

What's odd is I live 20 miles from St Louis and when I changed the address to a friend's house in St Louis tesla came back with "We found several contractors in your area".

I hope it makes sense now, so my question is: Now what? How can Tesla have contractors in St Louis and 20 miles away and I'm not eligible?

 

[jjrandorin]

My bad, this is what I was referring to:

What's odd is I live 20 miles from St Louis and when I changed the address to a friend's house in St Louis tesla came back with "We found several contractors in your area".

I hope it makes sense now, so my question is: Now what? How can Tesla have contractors in St Louis and 20 miles away and I'm not eligible?

"Now what" = Go get quotes from people who are willing to install in your area. If its not available, using an address thats not yours, 20 miles away doesnt seem like it would magically make things available. Thats why I dont understand the question. You either wait for them to contact you about it being available in your area, or you get quotes from companies in your area that want to sell to you.

 

[TomServo]

"Now what" = Go get quotes from people who are willing to install in your area. If its not available, using an address thats not yours, 20 miles away doesnt seem like it would magically make things available. Thats why I dont understand the question. You either wait for them to contact you about it being available in your area, or you get quotes from companies in your area that want to sell to you.

Appreciate the help, but I just learned Tesla has new V3 PowerWalls (LFP) about to come on the market, so I will wait for those.

Tesla Powerwall 3 with Prismatic LFP cells coming soon, here's what else to expect

Tesla will soon be releasing a new and improved version of its popular home energy storage system, Powerwall. The third version of Powerwall, referred to as Powerwall 3, will be cheaper for Tesla to produce […]

driveteslacanada.ca

Again thanks for the info.

 

[BGbreeder]

Appreciate the help, but I just learned Tesla has new V3 PowerWalls (LFP) about to come on the market, so I will wait for those.

Tesla Powerwall 3 with Prismatic LFP cells coming soon, here's what else to expect

Tesla will soon be releasing a new and improved version of its popular home energy storage system, Powerwall. The third version of Powerwall, referred to as Powerwall 3, will be cheaper for Tesla to produce […]

driveteslacanada.ca

Again thanks for the info.

Can I just point out that you are in a different state, with different business and contractor licenses than across the river in St. Louis? That is a very real barrier for many businesses.

 

[TomServo]

"Now what" = Go get quotes from people who are willing to install in your area. If its not available, using an address thats not yours, 20 miles away doesnt seem like it would magically make things available. Thats why I dont understand the question. You either wait for them to contact you about it being available in your area, or you get quotes from companies in your area that want to sell to you.

After talking to three different companies have chosen Straight Up Solar from St Louis who are about 25 miles from our home. We designed a 13.1 kWH PV system. We will go solar only and see how that works for us. AMEREN Illinois is my service provider with 1 : 1 Net Metering. My system is scaled 114% over my annual consumption. We’ll reconsider batteries after living with our Grid Tied system for at least a year.

System consists of:
28 405-watt Q Cell PV panels
28 Enphase IQ8A Inverters

What‘s funny Tesla doesn’t have panel installers in my area, but Straight Up Solar is an authorized Power Wall installer.

Now waiting on my HOA to approve my request without any drama.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[ptdusn]

After talking to three different companies have chosen Straight Up Solar from St Louis who are about 25 miles from our home. We designed a 13.1 kWH PV system. We will go solar only and see how that works for us. AMEREN Illinois is my service provider with 1 : 1 Net Metering. My system is scaled 114% over my annual consumption. We’ll reconsider batteries after living with our Grid Tied system for at least a year.

System consists of:
28 405-watt Q Cell PV panels
28 Enphase IQ8A Inverters

What‘s funny Tesla doesn’t have panel installers in my area, but Straight Up Solar is an authorized Power Wall installer.

Now waiting on my HOA to approve my request without any drama.

Thanks for the advice.

You may want to check State law, here in Arizona the HOA CANNOT say anything or prevent you from installing solar. We can install without notifying HOA.

 

[TomServo]

You may want to check State law, here in Arizona the HOA CANNOT say anything or prevent you from installing solar. We can install without notifying HOA.

IL passed a similar law 2 years ago, and I attached a copy with my ARC. It did stipulate the HOA has 60 days to respond. So that's where I'm at since I submitted my ARC request on July 12th. A 60-day delay will probably push my installation into next year.

To quote Jake and Elwood from the Blues Brothers "I hate Illinois HOA Nazis"

 

[skepticcyclist]

I can almost guarantee there are some local companies that would do a very fine job for you.

And a better job with better customer service and more options