Using the Tesla Powerwall in an Outage
With Hurricanes increasing in frequency, one of the potential risks are power outages. For Yes Solar customers with a Tesla Powerwall, you may be in better shape to manage a power outage! How it works.
The Tesla Powerwall automatically and seamlessly takes over in an outage–you likely won’t even notice you lost power, however, we’ve put together a few tips for how to best use your Tesla Powerwall for top performance during an outage.
If there isn’t going to be much sun for the next few days before the storm, it is a good idea to save everything for later. The best way to do this is to turn your battery to backup-only mode. If the power goes out, you will be able to pull from your Tesla Powerwall, however, you may need to conserve your usage until the sun comes back out. Especially if the storm hangs around for a few days.
If the battery empties while the grid is down and the sun is not out, the system will start trying to recharge the next morning at 8AM local time, attempting to charge for six minutes at the start of every hour until consistent solar production is reached or 4PM.
During this time, you should minimize your loads (i.e., turn off the AC and other large appliances), so that when the solar energy starts trickling in, it goes to the batteries. DO NOT turn off your Powerwall or breaker.
If even after consistent sun is available, a Powerwall system doesn’t wake back up, please call the Tesla Remote Support line (877) 961-7652, Option 2 for assistance. If Tesla informs you that your state of energy is such that the Gateway needs a 12v jump start (< 3%), please call the Yes Solar service team to assist you in a jump (919) 459-2853.
Tesla Gateway 1 Customers
Although Tesla is not currently working on any retrofitting program to give customers with the Gateway 1 access to 4G cell network. Here is how Gateway customers can still monitor their battery life:
- Be close enough to your Tesla Gateway so that you pick up the system’s local Wi-Fi on your phone’s Wi-Fi settings (it will appear as TEG_XXX, the XXX being the last 3 digits of your gateway serial number).
- If you open the cover of the Gateway, the serial number will be on the inside of the door.
- Connect to the Gateway’s Wi-Fi network. The password will be the full serial number with the letter “S” in front, and it is case sensitive.
- Once connected, open your web browser and type in the URL 192.168.91.1 This will navigate you to the Tesla commissioning wizard
- Make sure the login type is set to “customer”
- Username is the same email as your monitoring app.
- Password will be the last five characters of the Gateway serial number, where all letters are capitalized.
Test Run Your System
Co-Founder and President, Stew Miller, offered some advice to our team and our customers:
“Running the HVAC during an extended outage is most likely something a customer will not want to do. I think it is also a good idea to recommend people experiment with disconnecting from the grid once they get their batteries. That way they see what they can run and for how long. It will also get people comfortable with all of the switches and general mechanics of operating their solar + storage system during a grid outage.”
Typical Battery Storage Usage:
| One Powerwall | Lights Electrical outlets 120V small appliances No large appliances |
| Two Powerwalls | Lights Electrical outlets 120V small appliances 1x Compatible central air conditioner 1x Electrical range/stove/oven 1x Compatible well pump 1x Tesla EV charging |
Thank you to Stew and to our latest Powerwall experts: our very own Yes Solar customers! If you would like to become a Powerwall expert customer, call Yes at (919) 375-0757.
Interested in a Tesla Powerwall?
Adding energy storage to your home’s solar power installation is a smart investment, especially in areas where blackouts are a common risk. But it is even more so important to make sure you are working with the right company.
Yes Solar Solutions is leading North Carolina in providing energy storage capabilities for homeowners across the state, and we guarantee our work.
Contact our team online, or call us directly at (919) 804-1490 for a quote and learn how we can help you, today!