Hi guys, long time no post.
We have a newer(~5 years), energy efficient (solar/electric hybrid hot water heater, high R values, electric heat etc) home, that I initially wanted to get a propane backup generator on and passed due to noise and maintenance (plus was examining solar).
We've had several quotes over the years, but due to the size of the home and just about everything being electric, we were never really able to get generation to the point where we wanted it to be.
After a slightly high pressure push from a salesman during a service visit (honestly, that's the first time I got a hard sell when in a Tesla service center, is this typical of the "energy advisors"?), we had Tesla back out in late July as they said things have improved. They came up with a 34.5Kw system that would produce 34,969 kWh annually and offset 64% of our usage from the trailing 12 months. Compare that to the 20,561 kWh they quoted me on a system back in December 2016 and it's definitely an improvement.
To contrast though, back in 2014, I got a quote from Sunpower for a 28.122 Kw system with a 36k annual production estimate. The same installer also quoted us on a 31kW Kyocera groundmount system that would also produce 36k KwH per year. Now, granted Tesla is $0 up front, but are their setups that more inefficient or am I missing something?
Next hurdle was that I really wanted a power wall system as part of the journey into solar. Since we passed on the propane generator, we wanted one to store and use excess energy in case of power loss. They came out to survey me for one back in January and said I have a 3 phase system which isn't supported. Solar rep says that's wrong, and after some back and forth I got more of a non-committal "we can back up one panel, I think, with another part that we think is being produced this year, maybe". We all know how that goes in Tesla land.
So given all this, the limited production coverage, the uncertainty of depending on Tesla to deliver a personally-important part of the puzzle (power wall), the 20 year commitment (with an out after 5 of course) and the somewhat "permanent" nature of unsightly panels on the roof....
Is it worth it? Should we continue to wait for panels to improve? Even if the solar roof finally comes along and can meet our needs, seems wasteful on a relatively new roof.
Thoughts from those more knowledgeable in the field are much appreciated.
*edit*
Also, their monthly rate is 12.5¢ vs the 12.3¢ quoted previously. Understandable, but even their estimate says we'd likely see an $11 increase in our monthly bills (when combined with Tesla and Utility payments). Granted, utility rates will likely continue to rise, Tesla is also rising 2.9% per year, so it's a matter of hoping their increase is less than the utility's
We have a newer(~5 years), energy efficient (solar/electric hybrid hot water heater, high R values, electric heat etc) home, that I initially wanted to get a propane backup generator on and passed due to noise and maintenance (plus was examining solar).
We've had several quotes over the years, but due to the size of the home and just about everything being electric, we were never really able to get generation to the point where we wanted it to be.
After a slightly high pressure push from a salesman during a service visit (honestly, that's the first time I got a hard sell when in a Tesla service center, is this typical of the "energy advisors"?), we had Tesla back out in late July as they said things have improved. They came up with a 34.5Kw system that would produce 34,969 kWh annually and offset 64% of our usage from the trailing 12 months. Compare that to the 20,561 kWh they quoted me on a system back in December 2016 and it's definitely an improvement.
To contrast though, back in 2014, I got a quote from Sunpower for a 28.122 Kw system with a 36k annual production estimate. The same installer also quoted us on a 31kW Kyocera groundmount system that would also produce 36k KwH per year. Now, granted Tesla is $0 up front, but are their setups that more inefficient or am I missing something?
Next hurdle was that I really wanted a power wall system as part of the journey into solar. Since we passed on the propane generator, we wanted one to store and use excess energy in case of power loss. They came out to survey me for one back in January and said I have a 3 phase system which isn't supported. Solar rep says that's wrong, and after some back and forth I got more of a non-committal "we can back up one panel, I think, with another part that we think is being produced this year, maybe". We all know how that goes in Tesla land.
So given all this, the limited production coverage, the uncertainty of depending on Tesla to deliver a personally-important part of the puzzle (power wall), the 20 year commitment (with an out after 5 of course) and the somewhat "permanent" nature of unsightly panels on the roof....
Is it worth it? Should we continue to wait for panels to improve? Even if the solar roof finally comes along and can meet our needs, seems wasteful on a relatively new roof.
Thoughts from those more knowledgeable in the field are much appreciated.
*edit*
Also, their monthly rate is 12.5¢ vs the 12.3¢ quoted previously. Understandable, but even their estimate says we'd likely see an $11 increase in our monthly bills (when combined with Tesla and Utility payments). Granted, utility rates will likely continue to rise, Tesla is also rising 2.9% per year, so it's a matter of hoping their increase is less than the utility's