How much does the house pull when the AC is running? We are just starting our solar journey so we oversized our PV system by 26% to cover 100% of our annual power consumption (which included our Tesla) account for any system degradation in the out years and then support battery backup. We are doing the panels this year and the batteries next year. Since we want LFP batteries we are waiting on Tesla to release the PW3 but if they drag their feet we will go with Enphase 5P's since we have Enphase IQ8A micro-inverters mated to the 31 Q Cell 405-watt panels. We are adding a Soft Start device to our 3-ton AC unit which should drop the LRA from 83 amps to about 25. Great video, thanks for sharing.
@Kmelnuk1
Жыл бұрын
We have a 5 ton ac that pulls 4.3kW when on. Teslas app is awesome for showing all of this data. A 3 Ton is probably pulling 2.5kW or so.
@WWJPD
3 жыл бұрын
Great video showing how a home and your cars can be mostly energy independent and not have to rely on fossil fuels. And it's cool technology, which you get to show off.
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
Hey thanks! I’m hoping to encourage more to learn and explore this as a possibility for their homes.
@josephemilio9819
3 жыл бұрын
you probably dont care but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream pretty much all of the latest series on InstaFlixxer. Been watching with my brother during the lockdown =)
@jeffersonmarshall3926
3 жыл бұрын
@Joseph Emilio yea, been watching on instaflixxer for since november myself :D
@henrylee2964
2 жыл бұрын
What was your upfront cost after installation? $ 50k? HOW MANY YEARS FOR YOU TO reach your break even point? I doubt it is less than 10 years.
@Kmelnuk1
2 жыл бұрын
It was a net $27,000 or so. $15,000 or so for Solar and about the same for the batteries (which in Florida provide $0 financial benefit). So, Solar payback is about 5 years then 4-5 more for the batteries. Personally, it’s a good financial decision, but the energy security/insurance aspect is unquantifiable. However, I think super expensive. All in all I’m thrilled. My home and 2 Teslas are fully powered by my system.
@henrylee2964
2 жыл бұрын
Ok so in 10 years, you will recoup your $ 27K investment. But if you were to invest that 27K to buy google /AMZ stock when they spilt in 2022, you will have a much greater return like maybe 100K which will far exceeds what you would expect to receive after 10 years of PV usage. Remember, you wont make a penny until after 2032.. Utilities are in the business of selling power not buying power from home owners. So dont expect much help from them after 2032. I wont invest in PV unless the cost / PV panel until the numbers are more favorable to the home owner. there is also the extra cost to reroof which means you need to hire a contractor to take the PV system down and put it back up after the your roof is redone due to the short life expectancy of roof shingles. .
@That-Guy_
3 жыл бұрын
Good investment My Tesla solar panels and powerwalls got me through the 44hr Houston blackout ☀️⚡🏡
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
Wow that’s fantastic! I was curious to hear from someone who lived through that with a Tesla system. I think energy independence is very under appreciated, very much a type of insurance, and completely invaluable once you experience it. Good for you!
@GameStreit
3 жыл бұрын
I liked the video. I am looking at getting a similar system in Central Florida. I have questions about the net metering tiers in Florida. According to Duke Energy the Tier 2 net metering starts above 10kW and requires a proof of liability insurance.
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
That’s how I understand it as well. I think Tesla capped our system with a 10kW inverter to stay below this. However, I thought it could be because we have some panels (about 40%) on our east roof and the remainder on the south. So, Tesla sort of said we wouldn’t often produce above 10kW during a day. From my experience in peak sun we are missing out. The additional insurance can be handled by an umbrella policy, which I have for about $350/yr. Tesla sort of just didn’t want to budge on the inverter size.
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
Please let me know if you have any other questions! I’m happy to help.
@GameStreit
3 жыл бұрын
@@Kmelnuk1 what type of inverter did you get?
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
@@GameStreit sorry for the late reply but I believe it’s a solar edge. All the new installs are Tesla’s sleek white inverters. They’re really constantly innovating.
@gilbrook
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for doing this! I live in Massachusetts. Considering a medium Tesla Solar/Storage system consisting of 2 Powerwalls and 24 panels. Appears Tesla offers either their own string inverter or SolarEdge’s. I see you have the SolarEdge inverter. Are you able to use the SolarEdge App to monitor solar production of each panel?
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
So, Tesla didn’t bring that up. I’ll shoot them an email to see if that’s a possibility. For now, I am only able to use Tesla’s app to see the system overall.
@dann952
2 жыл бұрын
When I called this past month, Tesla only sells their own inverter now. Which for MA and how much I use, that's a no-go because their inverters don't stack to keep under the 10k inverter limit in MA. I'm going with a Solaredge 10k energyhub.
@hgraphix
3 жыл бұрын
How long can you run the AC on the Powerwalls? Assuming this is a 4 ton unit.
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
You’d be looking at about 7.5-8 hours of AC on a 4 Ton unit. My 5 ton pulls 4.3kW so your 4 ton likely pulls 3.44kW. The trick is to generate enough electricity so that your PowerWalls really just get you through the night. In an emergency, perhaps you don’t quite set it as cool in the home so you can function off grid for much longer.
@hgraphix
3 жыл бұрын
@@Kmelnuk1 Thank you for the quick reply. Our home uses about 42kWh in a hot summer 24hrs here in Houston. Thinking about going with 3 PWs.
@catcat7835
3 жыл бұрын
After 20 years PV degraded to 40%, after 30 years should be replaced. ROI is after 8 years, then another 8 years to save up for PV replacement and 30-16=14 years to "live for fre", but there will be other replacements too, AC/DC inverter, battery degradation in capacity...Its an eternal CAPEX.
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the comments. Do you have a 20 year old system? Based on my cost, production, and utility rates my ROI will be closer to 6 years. There are many reasons to go solar and I’m happy to have it. It’s worth it even for the peace of mind. Any utility requires capex. Now, that’s me who is responsible for that every 25-30 years.
@rsw128
3 жыл бұрын
Hi Kevin if you don't mind me ask, how big is your house ? how many central AC do you have, how many Tesla EV you have? i am getting a 11.9 system with 3 power wall. very similar to yours, so i want to know if it's enought.
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
Hey Ray! My house was built in 2021, 3,036 SF, one 5 ton ac (pulls about 4.3kW when running), and we’ve had a Model 3 for the last 3 years and three weeks ago picked up a Model Y. So, I think combined we will drive about 1,500 miles per month. Our system produces enough to get us through the year. We are yet to use more than we produce, except our two PowerWalls sort of can’t get us through the night running tons of AC. I’m now charging the cars at 2am when the batteries stop discharging at 50% and pull from the grid to use up some of the kWh that we’ve backfed. May was a pretty hot month, we drove a ton, but the system produced about 1,946kWh and we used 1,806kWh. A third PowerWall would help lots and I plan to add another down the road possibly along with another 4kW to give us even more power production. What’s your house set up and cars do you have? Our cars driving 1,500 miles combined a month uses close to 375-400kWh or about 20-22% of the houses power.
@rsw128
3 жыл бұрын
@@Kmelnuk1 mine is 3300 SF , I drive model 3 and my wife drive model x , I drive maybe 1000-1200 miles a month my wife maybe less. Running two AC for each floor. But hasn’t used much AC yet Cuze CAlifornia still cool now. Gotta see how big my AC unit is. I know one is better than the other. I have two
@rsw128
3 жыл бұрын
Found out my AC are 48, 42 in size
@lilgooey169
3 жыл бұрын
Whats the size of your house?
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
We have a 3,036 SF home built in 2020 so it’s fairly efficient. Central Florida so we haven’t quite tested the hottest months yet.
@keithparisjax
3 жыл бұрын
Was your home built by Toll Brothers? Ours was- similar look and were scheduled to install the exact same system in a few weeks. 34 panels (all on south facing roof) with 2 power wall. Did they offer install some of the components in the garage? I’m hoping to have the P/W’s and maybe the inverter and or gateway in the garage on the other side of the wall from our exterior meter and power main. Did they offer you the Tesla inverter vs. Solar edge?
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
@@keithparisjax Our home was built by Taylor Morrison, but I’m sure you’re in a similar area so the home style is likely similar. I wanted our PowerWalls outside for space this time, but we had them located in our townhome previously where they had to be installed in the garage. It seemed like Tesla was okay with us dictating location. As for the inverters, I’m not sure if they’d put those inside. I have a slight feeling they’ll want that outside as every one I’ve seen was. I didn’t get an option on inverter, but Tesla’s wasn’t available at the time we had our system installed. We missed that by a couple of months.
@keithparisjax
3 жыл бұрын
@@Kmelnuk1 Thank you for the excellent video and quick reply. I was able to share your video with family who wanted to know about our solar project. It was the first time I also got the see the app in action. We're excited to get our system. Would love to see you post a follow up video with additional updates. Thanks again....
@petemarshall9212
3 жыл бұрын
@@keithparisjax They are telling me Tesla inverter wont be available until September so by end of year. I am going to sell the Solar Edge and get the Tesla inverter when available.
@21boxhead
3 жыл бұрын
COOL BUT TOO EXPENSIVE WON'T GET ANY MONEY BACK FROM INVESTING IN IT
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
I think this is a very valid point. Thankfully the cost of solar has come down and is coming down. I plan to make a video on this topic soon, but essentially the system cost $16,280 and makes between $2,250-$3,000/year in electricity. That puts the ROI close to 15-16%, which is guaranteed and hard to beat elsewhere. The batteries change the equation as they’re super expensive and more of an insurance policy to losing power/being independent. Hopefully with more adoption the price will continue to decline so it’s more accessible. Thanks for the comment!
@21boxhead
3 жыл бұрын
@@Kmelnuk1 YEAH WELL ELON IS FORCING US TO GET SOLAR+BATTERY BUNDLED IN LAS VEGAS POWER IS CHEAP POWER OUTAGES LAST MINS BATTERIES MAKE NO ECONOMIC SENSE UNLESS I WAS BITCOIN MINING AND ALSO YOU CAN'T SELL THE POWER OR GET COMPENSATION YOU JUST GET CREDIT TO USE. THE PRICE OF POWERWALL WILL STAY HIGH LITHIUM IS NOT CHEAP AND A FIRE HAZARD
@errcoche
3 жыл бұрын
I don't think the array is big enough looking at the size of your home and also living in South Florida myself. I know exactly why you are at the size you are having just had to downsize my own order because of Florida's anti-solar regulation classifying a bigger array as a Tier-2 installation and forcing you to pay for a liability insurance policy that puts the numbers upside down ( maffa ruckers! ) - I just saw that you explained that in the comments. Once summer hits and your AC is running all day I don't think you will be generating enough power from the panels to come close to your consumption, especially with cars in the mix, assuming you do put miles on them. I hope I am wrong because I am in the same boat but I don't think I am. Maybe your newer home is more energy efficient than my 1986 home. I can see how you could be good right now because we have the sun without the summer heat. I will be really interested to see how things pan out over the summer months. I decided to forgo the Powerwalls - too much money for something I won't use more than once in a blue moon ( $19k before incentives was my quoted price ). I am going to put in some additional panels, about the 5kW that FP&L won't permit grid-tied, and run them off-grid into some smaller cheaper solar generators - Bluetti EP500 Pro. My outlay will be half of that for the Powerwalls but the battery capacity is 10kWh versus your 27kWh. The problem you have though is that without a bigger array, you might struggle to fill those batteries during a longer outage and will probably need a window AC unit or two and to cut the central air. A short blackout shouldn't be an issue since you will be starting with full batteries and can supplement with solar. If we have a storm and an extended outage, you would need to start conserving. I guess you could cut the grid and see how you do. Of course, you live inland so you are probably much less at risk of a storm taking out the power lines for a week or more. Thanks for the video. Always looking for somebody doing something similar to see how it is working out.
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
Ed, thanks for the great message. The PowerWall price does need to come down to make it more affordable. The install price has gone up dramatically even in the past 2 years since I first paid to have them installed at our previous home ($1,000 vs $3,500 now I believe). I’m curious to see how it works out, but I know we will be cranking come summer when we hit 100 F consistently. I know I can’t get through the night on just using the PowerWalls. I’ve been debating whether or not to just switch them to backup only and operate as if I don’t have them because I’ll constantly use the grid no matter what. That’s a cool backup system. I’ll check out that battery. So, you’re adding a smaller set up that’s separate from the other, has a battery, but is tied in somewhat to give you a bit of backup? My brother in law is in Miami and runs a window ac off his generator vs central air. Great tactic!
@Kmelnuk1
3 жыл бұрын
So far we are still overproducing and have added a Tesla Model Y to the mix. The system size solar wise is probably enough, but I could use 1-2 more PowerWalls for at night. I don’t actually let them drop under 50%, but our usage from 7pm-8am is greater than 27kWh. Thought I’d follow up. Happy and hoping one day we can back feed from the cars.
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