Don't waste your time: "One year later: Seven Tesla Powerwalls in a townhome". S26 - EP1
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 вер 2022
- The episode "Seven Tesla Powerwalls in a townhome", was one of my most watched videos of 2021. Now a year later, I traveled back to the home of the owner to see if he had regret, any lessons learned and what he could have done differently.
- Розваги
haha... love the energy of this guy... so calm and analytical... love it
UnexpectedTokens - You are correct. Leon knows his stuff. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
People don't understand why solar panels and batteries but, if your electric providers not reliable this is a god send. I have 2 powerwalls and that's okay but, within the last 12 months my power grid has gone down for 4 days twice. Thanks DTE. So 7, I get it. Keep up the good work.
Tyrone Jones - As I said in my first interview with him, I too have a Powerwall and it is money! I love your comments! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
The calculated payback on 7 powerwalls must be frightening.
@@sunrisejak2709 - It must be, but in the near future, his neighbors may be paying him when they lose power. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
@@Waldorf9651 I have a 12 kw solar system with 22 545 watt panels through two 5kw inverters with two 10kwh powerwall style LFP batteries for a total of 20 kwh. While I'm connected to the grid I do not sell back to the grid. Its not worth it. The purchase price is crazy low and the utility limits the size of the system. During the day all my house energy usage is covered by the solar and my house batteries are generally fully charged by noon. Sun permitting I can then fill my 18.8 kwh battery in my Volvo V60 T8 Recharge PHEV. It charges at a low 3.7 kw. And after about 5 hours I have another 50+ miles of range.I have a Tesla model 3 dual motor. The wall box is connected to a TOU meter independent of my house meter. It is offered by the utility company expressly for EV charging with subsidized night time rates 10pm to 9 am with a cost of 7 cents per kwh. Cheap. When the sun sets my system reverts to the house batteries which power my house (stored solar energy) until sunrise. Usually running 1 aircon and I have a low cutoff of 20% on battery discharge and by 7 am the panels are starting to charge the batteries all over again. The grid is kind of a back up. The best part is my entire system cost was about 15,000 dollars. My monthly bill averages about 5 dollars now and the system offsets about 300 dollars previous of energy cost. That gives me a payback of a little over 4 years. Amazing. An equivalent Tesla system I checked out would be well over 55,000 dollars giving me a payback of 15 years. Tesla home energy wildly overpriced here. This is in Thailand where we have good sun and fair prices on gear from China and Taiwan. Ok, subd
My house is completely electric in the PNW. I’m happy with 3, but we will see how long I can hold out in winter if power goes out for several days.
Great video, very informative! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for watching! Be safe out there.
Love a good followup
Thanks!
Joyful to watch; nice man. 😇
@enricio - Thanks!
Great video again!
Thanks!
Seven Powerwalls, wow. Two run my house no problem. I'd like to have three though. I can only make it through two days of solid rain. But I don't need AC and rarely need to turn the heat on. Which is gas anyway. Nice art gallery, that's beautiful.
Arne Sundt - That was a small part of my gallery, I have over 30 framed pieces in my home - some of them I framed myself. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Love this guy!
Alan Gamboa - He is fun to talk to. Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Awesome this follow up
walisantana - Thanks for your comment. If you can, please help a 21 year retired army vet out, by subscribing to my channel and thanks for watching.
Love the content ⚡️⚡️💪🏽 just subscribed
One Last ride - Thanks!
I agree with Leon.. smiling face and all!
Enjoyed this very much, I'm jealous, only have 1 powerwall!.
Maybe I missed it byt I think you forgot to mention the "Storm Watch" facility on the app. If really bad weather is incoming the wall automatically builds 100% storage in advance. Only seen it happen a couple of times here (West of Scotland, UK) but I'd imagine in many areas of the US it's quite handy.
But Seriously - Hello Scotland!!! I know what you mean, I too have one, but I wish I had another. Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Seems like a huge investment and commitment to a home. I know a couple families that have done similar (but not seven), and they all expect to never, ever move. Time will tell. A buyer would never make you whole, I don't think.
Mark Czarnecki - I love your comments! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
We love our Powerwalls 😁⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ we have 4 of them I can’t wait for virtual power plan
Dashawn - I only have one but I love it as well.
Leon is so cool!!
sleepkeeper - He is! This is the second time he has been on my channel. We did not know each other before this. He emailed me out of the blue, invited me to his home so I could see his Powerwalls! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Very interesting
Seems like dealing with the system is a full time job.
Or an expensive hobby.
madmagyver - Thanks for watching!
Most Powerwalls I've seen in one residence. I see you are a fan of Charles Bibbs artrwork. I have some of his pieces as well.
Wow someone looking ahead. Impressive
Ronald Nurse... He is forward thinking. After I interviewed him, I asked my local electric company if they had any plans to do something similar. I was told, "Maybe 5 to 6 years from now". Thanks for watching and your comment!
This man is my hero.
TY Harris - I know right. Thanks for watching! Please subscribe to my channel if you can.
@@Waldorf9651Does this gentleman have a youtube channel?
@@skyserf Leon does not!
@@Waldorf9651 Ok, thanks for the reply. He lives about 90 minutes away from me. I'm about to get 2 power walls myself.
Thanks for the interview, I just subbed today.
@@skyserf Thanks for the sub. Good luck to you.
I like it. But I woulda painted the drywall before mounting the power walls
K Keller - I agree! Next month I will finish my project in my garage - I am laying down flooring, painting and having functional storing. Of course this will be on my channel. Look for it in August or September.... If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
I love it! I was going to get solar shingles and 3 power walls, but that didn't work out (since Tesla jacked up the price by 25% at the last second). I'm going to instead get 4 power walls and solar panels instead. I'd LOVE for the day in which bi-directional charging becomes a thing with Tesla. My wife has a Cadillac Lyriq, with it's 102kWh battery and I'm going to get a Tesla Model 3 pretty shortly and with all of that battery storage, it would be nice to have access to it during an outage and not just the power wall energy.
@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 - Thanks for your comment; so much to unpack. First - love your UA-cam name. Secondly thanks for watching - please subscribe if you can. Help a 21 year retired army vet out. Leon reached out to me about two weeks ago. He told me that he has his Cybertruck reservation numbers. Of course he was one of the "first" batch of folks to reserve. Not to be out done, he's getting two! Once he receive them, we will meet and do a third episode. Where will he park these two trucks living in a townhome: I can't wait to see. Bigger news for him, is that he told me his electric company has begun a pilot program. In the event of an outage, he has a few of his neighbors who signed up and he can power their homes. I told him not to tell me much about it as I like to interview people without knowing a lot going in. This makes it "fresh" for me and I hope to come across excited to hear information as if I was watching it for the first time. Speaking about the Lyriq, I have not seen it out in the wild (or at least where I live). I hope to see it this month as National Drive Electric Week begins worldwide in a few weeks. I have signed up for three events over two weeks and I hope I can interview someone with the Lyriq. I have had my Powerwall since 2017 - it's red so it is somewhat unique. I have a few friends who has purchased the F150 and the Lucid. They can wait for bi-directional either. Good luck and congrats on going electric!
How much did you spend on this 7pw, solar panels and installation?
Good video
Sole - Thanks! If you have time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 year army retired vet out!
With all of the Ebike and EV fires in the news these days, how safe are Powerwalls and does their presence increase home insurance? Have there been any fires associated with them?
No - Powerwalls are very safe.
Also- EV fires are incredibly rare compared to ICE car fires.
How does the Tesla Powerwall compare to a BEVs like the Ford Lightning with 98-131 kWh batteries that can also power your house in an emergency? I just don't have the space for Powerwalls unless I tear down existing garage shelving (fuse boxes are also on the opposite side of the house in master bedroom closet).
marigold35 - Great question. Tesla will not install a Powerwall in a livable space. Mines is installed in a basement. You can get your Powerwall install outside as well. As far as your question about the F150 Lightning and home charging. I did an episode before the vehicle was released. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching. I am passing on the link to the F150 here: ua-cam.com/video/LZcJPmIhXw4/v-deo.html
Not a vice, if it's practical. Good job being ahead of the curve.
I agree! Totally!
Here in Australia, I'm seeing lots of Tesla Gigapower installations going up that are hooking into wind/solar/pumped water installations. I can't see that helping with the supply shortage of Tesla power walls.
Hello Australia!! First of all thank you for watching and your comment. It seems as if there is a run on products like whole home battery back up (i.e. EnPase & Powerwalls). We are having tremendous storms here and people are concern to keep power on. That may be why some are hard to find with others are jacking up prices. I was "lucky" I had my Powerwall since 2017. Leon, as you saw in the video, had his installed about three years after me. So it has become an interest to most folks not only here but around the world. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing.
This is very interesting. My understanding of net metering is it sells at retail, and buys at wholesale. So it makes the most sense as a consumer to buy at night when retail rates are lowest, and sell during the day when wholesale rates are the highest. But I would have to see the numbers. But actually, my biggest concern here is not the financial aid, but the safety. Good firebird, but are fire fighters going to even try to put out a fire if one were to happen? Do so many power walls become a liability during adverse situations?
Jon Disnard - Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Maybe he's buying peace of mind amd the cost/time to break even is secondary..I appreciate that mindset because I'm the same way lol.
Spyder Lyfe - So am I to a degree. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Thumbs up.
Working with the proud owner
I was surprised by 7. I saw a channel with Enphase batteries, but the guy was only able to install 4, I think 10kW each, because Enphase wouldn't allow more than 4.
David Stewart - I have two friends (one lives in Georgia and the other in Maryland) that shared photos of their Enphase units. Now that you mentioned it, they to have four units! I wonder if that is a maximum safety standard designed by Enphase? Better off having four than none! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Can’t realistically do anything with solar in northern Ohio due to cloudy conditions during the year. We would never make it pay for itself. Our cost for electricity is 13 cents for kilowatt hour. We have tall 65 year old trees around our house on our southern, western, and northern exposures. A roof wind generator may work. Two Powerwalls in case of rolling blackouts could easily fit our budget.
Whenever I see this channel recommended I think "yep not going to waste my time watching because it's probably clickbait."
In California, post April 13, 2023, we are screwed so far as net metering is concerned if we didn't already have a system or paid plan in place. Hope rest of country doesn't go the way of CA, though they probably will. See other posts for details on that.
DigitalDawg01- Yep, I heard Bill Maher speak on this topic frequently. I'm surprised because I thought CA was more of an open to energy sustainability ideas like net metering....Thanks for watching and your comment. If you can, please subscribe to my channel.
I too live in CA and Socal Edison has screwed my solar net metering. I went 5 years with small annual bills now over $2500 a year. I have 20 panels. Progressive state bullshit, they screwed us. Ready to leave CA. I have a Tesla model 3 for 5 years. I only charge it when the sun is shinning.
@Aaron Elliott You wrote "In a situation in step 3 where the utility can access your system, does your system keep enough power for your needs?" Since the recoding was done over a year ago (I was the one interviewing Leon), I can answer your question with a guess. In a time of loss, those who signed up for him to send power to his neighbors, the power may be divided equally. He reached out to me about two months ago and told me that his power company wanted to be his "test bed". He did not give me a date as of 1 July 2024... Thanks for watching and please subscribe to my channel!
So how long does it take - basically buying you electricity at cheaper ‘ night rates - and - solar generation - to pay for all the investment? My guess is this would take a decade to pay back in a condo. Also - keep in mind that the - solar + batteries - model will not scale to cover the county’s grid requirement. Also the carbon footprint, toxic waste created by:mining, manufacturing and disposal of the solar and battery equipment is enormous. I’d like to hear a discussion of these issues…
Waaaaaay longer than that.
how many miles on your 2012 Model S and how much battery degredation on the battery
Ashan Mendes - Since I have interviewed Leon a year or so ago, I cannot answer your question. Hover I have a 2015 Model S. thus far I lost about a 1 mile per year. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
You have to look at the Payback. In Australia a 1 x Tesla Powerwall costs $12k installed and that's a 13.5Kwh and we pay $0.39 (cents) per kWh for our electricity. This means that when it runs at its most efficient, meaning there is enough sunlight during the day to charge the Tesla it will charge up to and save 13.5Kwh of power. If I consume the 13.5kwh every day/night I will save $5.26 per day/night ($0.39 x 13.5), therefore it will pay for itself at todays prices in 2,186 days or 6 years. The reality is that it will take longer than that due to overcast days, winter etc, but it will be 6 years at best 10 years at the most. Solar panels are great, but the batteries have to come way down in price to make them truely cost effective.
DagenhamGilly - Again thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Should come do a video about powerwalls and Solar stuff
Have you tested how long you can run having to use air condition and keep refrigerators going?
B - I have one Powerwall, but I have not "tested" it. On the app you can, if you want select, "go off grid". But again, I have not done that. When the power was off, my wife and I don't know it, the Powerwall is so seamless. Since I have two AC units, and if we did lose power, I do have to monitor power consumption. In fact, I have to monitor anything that uses 40 amps like A/C units, stove and my car charger. Not the refrigerator or microwave along with anything on 30 amp. When I do lose power in the daytime, I am getting power from my solar panels and the Powerwall. Lastly, from my experience the Powerwall has done well.
Refrigerator/freezers sure, A/C's though nice wouldn't be a necessity for me, a fan would do in a blackout in the summer.
But yeah 7 power walls with enough solar to charge them you're not likely to be without power ever again.
@@IMGreg.. - Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Dude, if I had the money, I’d be in the same position. More power to you and the zombie apocalypse arrives. You’ll be like oh you know where to stay inside here for a few more months and they’ll die down a little more we can handle them.
Greg Kelmis - Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
After watching this video, my advice for anyone thinking about watching it for themselves is, don't waste your time.
Thanks, after seeing your comment I decided not to waste my time
madkiteman - That's not the first time I heard that. By the way, the full official title is called "Don't waste your time, this video may not be for you" Thanks for wasting your time writing your comment.
Sir, I live in a townhome, and my HOA told me I cannot install anything on the roof as they own it. How did you get this approved?
MeS Details - I interviewed Leon, so I cannot directly answer your question. However, I have a friend who tried to get a charging station in front of his townhome. He talked to his HOA for months until they decided to let him install one. He had to insure that the cable was to be buried - and ran from his townhome to his parking space. He also installed a pole which is in the front middle of his parking space. He did all that but more importantly, he told his HOA that when completed, his home will increase in value. You may try to frame the conversation with the HOA that way. Good luck! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
dude is smart!
L Perez - He is! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
The question I have , how did it cost and how long till it pays for itself.
Kevin Lucas - Since I have interviewed him months ago, I don't have an answer. Since I have one Powerwall my electric bill has dropped quite a bit. I'm sure with him have 7, Leon is saving some money. Thanks for watching and your comment. If you can, please help a 21 year retired army vet out, by subscribing to my channel.
Nice video, nice info,nice channel, nice Tesla system,but the initial cost?
Lone apple - When I interviewed Leon over a year ago, I asked about price and he did not give me a direct answer. You can add the price yourself. One Powerwall is about $8,500; I don't have a price for solar. He bought his 17 panels from Tesla + the install of all equipment. Thus the price could be in the neighborhood over $80,000 plus. That is about the cost on a high end EV or gas car! This video by the way was my second time interviewing him. You will find the first one on this channel as well. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. help an army vet out. Thanks!
@@Waldorf9651 Thanks for the swift reply. His setup is very unique which is awesome. I'm sure he took his time in calculating the cost recovery. I heard the Tesla Powerwall last only ten years which brings to mind the future replacement cost. My situation wouldn't require such massive inventory of Powerwalls, but his own power grid is what he can afford and always has power for his family, I will definitely subscribe as most of my family is military related. Thanks and have a great succssful day.
@@loneapple440 - Thanks again and for your support!
How much did the system run?
James G - At the time of purchase ONE powerwall cost between $7,500 - 8,000 Multiply that times 7. Did not get the cost of the solar panels or install... Thanks for watching! If you can, please help a 21 year retired army vet out, by subscribing to my channel. Thanks for your comment!
Does anybody else see what’s looming on the horizon? The tremendous amount of money needed to restructure our complete electrical grid is going to do away with credits being given then the rates themselves will have to rise astronomically. California is already considering doing away with credits.
This is the exact conversation I have with my buddies about the whole "ELECTRIFICATION" movement. People keep jumping on this idea that it's cleaner and better, but have not given the thought to what the strain will be on the electrical grid and the cost for the electrical companies to sure up the infrastructure. You know that cost is coming to the consumer some way or another. It's not as simple and straight forward as they are selling the idea to people. Plus the ROI is usually never at play unless you plan to live in the home your whole life, deal with lots of outages, and bank on those batteries lasting for a VERY LONG TIME.
Until this video I didn’t know what a power wall was, never heard the term.
PeteGregory517 - Well, Thanks for watching. Subscribe if you can!
How do you know when you are on power wall or on grid ?
The power flow will be in a different direction instead of going to the grid it will be pulling from the grid.
He literally showed us in the video..... 5:57
We just installed two Tesla power Wall batteries. Previous homeowners installed 45 solar panels. During the day the batteries get charged to 100%. By noon extra power is sold back to power company. Be AWARE THAT SOME power companies only by power back at half the cost for which they charge.
@Traveling-with-Maria-R: Thanks for your comments. I too have a Powerwall so I know exactly what you are talking about. My monthly utility payments are fairly low. Thanks for watching!
I've got 10 Powerwalls and the over the air updates suck. I'm off grid and everytime they do an update it screws up my system. If you want to come over and see the setup you're invited.
Matthew Spaccarelli - I'm interested. Which state do you live in? If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
@@Waldorf9651 California. We have the largest off-Grid Powerwall system.
@@matthewspaccarelli5007 Man, I thought you would be in my neck of the woods! I only have one Powerwall in my 3200sq home. I had it since 2017 and it red. It's just me and the wife and I have had no issues with it thus far. So Leon and I are in Maryland. He lives somewhat near BWI airport and I live in the southern part of the state. Again thanks fro watching my video. Please pass on my channel to other who may it all things EV. By the way and short story about my UA-cam channel name:: My first 20 videos were pretty bad. One viewer wrote, "Your video is a waste of my time", thus a new channel name was born.The official name of my UA-cam channel is "Don't waste your time, this video may not be for you." UA-cam has a limit on the title when it's posted on sites like Facebook. It appears on every video I have posted. Currently I have over 200 video now. All of my videos are without any negative comments!
Excellent vid. Currently our power suppliers in the UK DO pay for energy from domestic power walls. I guess from the few comments that I read, there is a lot of resistance to solar, EV's and power walls in the US.
Its only going to get better. Currently we in the UK get 80% of your power from renewables. The thing about windfarms (I have 5 within 1 mile of my house) is they are inefficient. Their efficiency rises if there is storage. They are building a very large battery close by to store that energy.
You got to realise that using ICE is going the way of steam locomotion, and its happening in real time. in the next year or so you will see gas stations close down as EV sales rise. You guys realise what supply\demand does. In 5 years time, its gonna cost $100\gallon for gas.
You can have a gas powered car, the only thing is...you will not be allowed to run it.
Berty - Hello UK!!! Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
I have a 15kwh Solar edge setup with 2 Solar edge batteries and I don’t touch the grid ..with my Solar profile set to max consumption
intanettrappin- You are doing a great job.If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Depends on your power company. Mine will give credits, but will not pay you more than what you would have owed them, and at the end of the year when it trues up, you lose the excess credits.
I_AM_HUGO - Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
It's absurd how states sell the idea of green energy and then the power companies F you. They sure did us in CA with the corrupt CPUC in bed with the power companies. Luckily I was grandfather into NEM 2
How much does each powerwall cost and how long to recover that cost?
@@christophercharles3169 - At the time I shot this video the Powerwall cost was $8000.00. Now I am hearing that is between 9 to 12 thousand! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
@@Waldorf9651 So does your state offer any financial support in terms of tax credits or grants for installing the solar panels and or the back up battery packs?
Pretty cool. Do you know what the power companies will pay you for power? My guess is not the much. And, just like NET metering, eventually, they will come out ahead. Truth is that you never get your return on the powerwalls at the current prices. The will also degrade over time and by the time you make money on them, you'll be looking to replace them. That said, love it. I would ge them too if I had money to burn.
Ron - Thanks for watching. I have a Powerwall as well and we live in the same state. After interviewing Leon, I met my local power company rep at an energy event my county. I asked the question of how much could I charge my neighbors. He didn't quite know the amount (maybe $40.00 per household - depending on their use). These so called micro options are still new and no one has it figured it out yet. If you can, please subscribe to my channel. I have her 230 videos and I drop a new one every Saturday morning. Check out the first time I interviewed Leon with his Powerwalls. Thanks for your support and helping a 21 year army vet.
Our township has the following law : you pay them for net metered power, but they take any excess power from you at no cost. You are not allowed to 'profit from solar'. Any excess power your system makes, they take at no cost to the utility & you are paid $00.00 nothing. THIS IS THE LAW.
@SeeJay_Oceans: Wow. The guy i interview told that his power company will use him as a test bed. He will let me know when that happens.
When are they coming for Canadians/Quebecers? I want Powerwall so badly
Franz Jules - You may want to reach out to Tesla. Also EnPhase has a whole home back power as well. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
This might be a silly, possibly even a stupid question or comment. But, I am curious about how "clean" or "perfect" the output of the Tesla inverters is, compared to power utility electricity. In other words, is the output of the PW's a "genuine" sine wave, or is it just a high grade "stepped" or "synthetic" sine wave, like you'd get from a cheap $100 inverter/ups like you'd buy at the computer store? Pure sine wave inverters cost a lot more than a synthetic sine wave inverter. Not really expecting an answer, just throwing this out for discussion or "thinking about". Congratulations to Leon, it is really cool to see someone with such an "all in" commitment to this advanced tech in the real world. 15 years from now this will seem absolutely routine, and nearly everybody will have it (hopefully). He'll have bragging rights........
Douglas2 Lee - There is no question that is silly or stupid, however my response will be (LOL!!!). What you asked is way over may pay grade. What I can say with a quick research is that the Powerwall is not clean. The frequency is not stable enough. You are right Leon is a cool guy and ahead of his time. When I grow up, i want to be like him. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
@@Waldorf9651 subscribed.
@@douglas2lee929 Thanks!
Whom has time to monitor this? - if you dont have a net monitoring KPI to do this for you...
I recommend living somewhere the grid is reliable 😂. I lost power 1 time in ten years. Go to Virginia 😉. Data center alley. MD is right next door and their infrastructure is abysmal 😆
@walkerdarin2003 - Thanks for watching. If you can please subscribe. Leon lives in Maryland where his area loses power. In fact PEPCO has him in a test program where he is hook up to 8 or so homes. I am planning to interview him in the future after he gets his two Cybertruck.
I have a Power Wall and 4Kw of solar. In combination they have eliminated my electric bills. How much electricity does he use.
Matthew Huszarik - This video was shot over a year ago...si I can't answer your question. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Maybe it's different in MD but here in CA, you don't get a monthly payment per. power wall for virtual power, you only get paid if there is a power failure and they use power from your system. Would be nice but PGE isn't giving up shit they don't have to.
sundance2005 - In Maryland we don't get paid (yet) either. Leon is betting that his power company will have the infrastructure set up, so his neighbors will pay him when an outage occurs. I live in a different area in MD. I asked my power company about loss of power = neighbors will pay me $$$. I was told it MAY happen in 5 or 6 years from now.
This is because Cali is starting to wake up to fact that this model doesn’t pan out economically. The regulations and laws are changing rapidly to ratchet back the subsidies and rates that they pay customers for their electricity from solar panels.
@@refuztosay9454 - Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
I have two PW and I think the perfect number is 3-4 PW. 7 is overkill.
Johnny Wang - I agree, and I only have 1 for a 3,500 soft home. However, he said one day his power company will covert into a micro station. When his community power is down, he can receive money from his neighbors by send power to them. He figures 80 buck per home. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
WOW! He have BIG $.
Qui Le - If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
My comments why the power walls so expensive?? Why should I sell power back to the grid?? The power utilities have folks at a disadvantage especially when power goes out. I would never install them in a townhouse but on a single family home instead if living their for awhile or long time. But it's good idea to have power if the lights go out.
all barrow - Your last sentence sums it up. Thanks for watching! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
I’m waiting to buy the power wall 3 with LFP batteries
TheEmrickman - I hope you get them...It may be a while. Thanks for watching and if you can please subscribe!
@@Waldorf9651 Done!
Early adapter...pay a lot for ineficiencies
I wish the powerwalls were cheaper.. they're really really overpriced. They're a fantastic product, but man that price isn't.
Whatta - I agree, however in time the Powerwall will pay for itself. I have one a currently my bill is negative $350.00, If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the sub....
Do you prefer Tesla over the other suppliers?
Arthur Glover - Thanks for your question. To be clear I do have a Powerwall since 2017. Leon who I interviewed in this piece has seven. Then I received my Powerwall, that was the only one in the game. Since then there are a few more including Generac, EnPhase IQ, and EverVolt. I have a couple of friends that have the EnPhase IQ and they love it - like I love my Powerwall. Which ever you decide, you can go wrong. If you can, please help a 21 year retired army vet out, by subscribing to my channel and thanks for watching.
Thank you for your reply and thank you for your service I'm a 23-year retired Navy vet, who's vice is music. I have two keyboards and an electric piano and I teach piano to some of my neighborhood children who can't afford the high cost of music lessons. Go Navy - Beat Army
@@ArthurGlover - Thank you for your service as well. I was born in Norfolk, Va - proud grad of Norfolk State University '84 as a mass communication major. I was on the radio back in the day. Before my college days, I played the trumpet but was God awful (3rd seat/3rd section). Now I work for the US Capitol (Architect of the Capitol) as their first appointed personal property manager. BTW, just got my 100% disability in November after trying 7 times! Be safe out there!
Great, until the power company decides to stop paying you for your excess energy. & what is the payback? How long will the battery wall last/cycles? Does it all pencil out in the end.
T S - Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Just asking the question how much did it cost him to install all of that
He did not tell me, but I'm thinking north of $80,000 (back in 2021).
@@Waldorf9651 I have a £400 generator I could run forever and not spend 80.000 dollars lol
Yes if you look at opportunity costs. A $420 per month on $80,000 investment is a 6% return. Could do that elsewhere plus that is not factoring in depreciation. He is paying for the cost of his power up front and probably not determining his actual cost per kWh. A battery with some type of generator is a good idea for power outages but it doesn’t have to be that big or that expensive. There are other alternatives now.
@@jonnelson9760 - Yes I do have a few friends that have the EnPanse whole home back up power unit. Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Go Tesla
robert Biggs - Thanks for watching! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing.
What’s is the expected ROÍ?
juan sanchez - Who knows! It's dependent from home to home and how much power he is using. He is in a small townhome, while I live in a 32,00 sqft home. Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
I know Leon! My friend from church.
Frankly, the future is all homes having more than 7 (equivalent) so we can always pull from solar + low cost grid times.. and run off of battery during high cost times. If it wasn't so crazily overpriced (in comparison to buying EVE LiFePO4 batteries which are about 1/3 the price for same amount of storage) you'd see a lot more people with this. They need to bring this down to about $2K per battery to make it economical enough for more people to do this. The cost is way too high for most of American home owners
Kevin Duffey - I agree with pricing (I have 1 myself). However with anything new - there is always a huge price to pay if you are an early adapter to a new product. Thus born the saying..."there is a price to pay, if you want something new." Love your comments! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
@@Waldorf9651 You got a sub. :). Keep the content coming.
@@b3owu1f - Thanks!
If this was the case, there would no longer be peak/off peak hours. They do need to bring them down to around $2-3K per battery, at that point, I'd be a customer. Until then, Tesla modules from salvaged Tesla's is more economical.
@@b3owu1f Thanks!
We got 3 different systems over few years
Dashawn - Wow! thanks for watching! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Out of interest how much do you pay per kW in the US for off peak rates? In the UK 7.5p per kW is as good as it gets. Tesla retail is opening up in the UK soon as we will then be able to have VPP as they have in Texas. More PW the better!
@leer663 - It depends which state and city you live. The national average is $16.29 per kW. However Leon, the guy I interviewed both live in Maryland. Our state average is $13.92. I have one Powerwall and Leon as you saw have seven!!! Thanks for watching and the best to you and yours out there in the UK!
Thank you. Can you confirm those prices are to fill up a PW from zero? Otherwise your off-peak rates are crazy expensive? Thanks,
@@leer663 - Since I have a Powerwall and I'm off the grid AND my local power company gives people who have solar and or Powerwalls credits, my bill in the negative. So I am not tracking how much I am paying. I checked my power company website and it says "0.08334 per kW hours". My county does not have off peak hours. It's mainly a co-op.
Whats the name of the salesman who put 7 units in a townhouse?
Kevin CinnamonToast - I interviewed Leon well over a year ago. I'm afraid I don't have that info. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Lithium Ion batteries wear out. Here in california they don't pay you for access to your batteries, and the discount rate is around 20 cents per Kwhr, which is dreadfully expensive. California is artificially increasing the cost of energy because they think punishing people with high rates is a good idea.
Edward De Jong - I have heard that California is expensive on everything. I hope things will level off there. I love the truth in your comments! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Then move to a welfare solar-hating confederate red state 🙄
So if the power companies are PAYING customers, how long do you think it will be before they go bankrupt and there is no power company to pull power from? And what is a "virtual powerplant"?
Justin Case - Thanks for watching. One point I would like to bring up. I have a Powerwall and I interviewed my local power company (which aired two weeks ago) about Powerwalls and electric companies paying me when the powerwall goes out. I was told (a least in my city) in 5+ years, my neighbors (who live next door and across the street from me) will have to sign up to pay me when the power goes out - not the power company.
@@Waldorf9651 Okay. Still not clear on how all of this works. But I'll stay open to learning more as time passes. Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated.👍
Actually, paying electricity producers of solar power by power companies is far cheaper than buying electricity at high demand times from grid providers. The case for EVs that can power the grid has been effective as well as a type of energy storage the power companies do not have to buy, operate and maintain. This person is an exceptional case as he paid a substantial amount of $$$ to have such a large system. Thanks
@@Rhaman68 - Thanks for your comment! If you can, please help a 21 year retired army vet out, by subscribing to my channel. Thanks for watching.
Soooooo I'll take a lil shot at this ... Speaking for my power company which is a co-op they collect money for ALL users of electricity thru a distribution fee. This fee goes toward the maintaining and needed expansion of the system. For 1 year before our Tesla Model 3 we used 0 electricity from the grid but, paid every month a distribution fee to contribute to the maintenance of the grid. Now if there is a need for more electricity then the grid can handle the power company can pull from the powerwalls and also facilitate all of the cost and payment. It very well could be in the form of a credit on your bill similar to net metering and having a zero or negative balance that's paid out every April. The power company still has a place and honestly is still cheaper and cleaner than firing up a peaker plant.
It says one Tesla Powerwall costs $14,200. That is insane! It sounds like a setup for a wealthy person that just wants to 'go green', but is not going to save you money in the long run. someone in comments put is great if your power is not reliable. no thanks, if my power is that unreliable, I am going to just and move to place that has more reliable power (the only exception would be is I have a business that is specific to a geographic area where I am making HUGE money, again then I would spend $100,000 on a good power backup setup and not worry about it costing that much.
John S - I did a quick search and found the same pricing! Wow! I had mine since 2017, and the price was barely above $8,000. That is insane. You may want to check out enPhase whole home back up power. It should be much cheeper! Thanks for watch. If you can, please subscribe to my channel. Thanks for your comment and watching!
Awesome, hope Tesla battery is safe then GM EV car.
Mr7141983 - Thanks for your comment. I have one Powerwall in my home, and I hope that it is safe!
they use different battery chemistry... also different suppliers. GM uses LG which has the most battery recalls in the business.
@@8ettieP46e - I love your comment! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Letting the power company have rights to your micro grid kinda defeats the purpose.
Unless your splitting up your system.
Can’t hate on the dude for taking a proactive stance!
How much does a Powerwall cost?
It widely depends on the location, there are different state and local power company financial incentives on top of the current Federal tax break.
jim carson - About 9 - 12 thousand. The price varies depending on the outsourcing of the contractor who is doing the install. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
@@Waldorf9651 Thanks, is that a piece?
@@Moondoggy1941 per item - yes.
@@Waldorf9651 Ouch.
You would need to use 2100 kwh for this to make sense. This is why some types of people end up poor. I love tesla but look at your bill and see what you use.
im not hating on the guy, but how many years until he makes his 70k+ back? 10+ years.
Hell by then, wont the battery capacity dwindle.
I think something like this would be cool for an off grid power solution.
TheNortoriousNemo - You bring up a good point! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
Forward thinking smart guy
TC - If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
I was watching waiting to hear how much money he spent on the power walls, installation and all. And how many decades before he breaks even and turns into profits? You’re NOT saving money until you that day. Ha! This would only be an investment if living in remote places where grid utility isn’t too reliable so you’ll always have power.
Isaac 84 - Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
We was kings
Crump - If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
I have 4 x Powerwall and adding 2 more
george giorgio- Congrats! If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
'06
A Phi!
Powerwall boxes are now 13.5 KWHs, cost, depends on where you live, but a box installed typically will run you $13k installed, with a small discount for additional boxes. So 13.5 x 7 = 94.5 KWH. 7x13= $91K. A 100KWH Tesla battery at retail sells for $25K or $250 per KWH. Powerwall is costing you $963 per KWH. Tesla will not let you buy the powerwalls without the solar install, so by the time you do a complete 7 box with a large solar install this dude could be sitting on a $150K investment. Why not just buy a 150 lightning with the 130KWH pack? That should cost you $95K or so, plus you have another vehicle to drive. Musk is a Con Man and never misses an opportunity to rip people off, hopefully he'll at least throw in a flame thrower!!!!!!!
22infinity - You have a great points. however, this video was made wayyy before the Ford F150 Lightning came out. Thanks for watching!
@@Waldorf9651 - Always appreciate early adopters, they pave the way, and often pay the price, for the millions that will follow. Thank you for your dedicated service to humanity, have a wonderful "clean" life.
V2G could be great but I don't think I'd use it to make money unless it was a significant amount because who wants to put extra cycles on their vehicle battery? It's a gamble with future costs of battery replacement and utility of your vehicle. Personally I'd wait 5 years because in that time we'll probably have far cheaper batteries for home storage (less dense storage so not the best for vehicles). Ten years for sure. We will also have ex-vehicle batteries that have reached their 80% useful capacity limit but are still perfectly good otherwise. Power companies are already doing trials with such batteries as storage.
What Elon made you a promise? You can buy from other suppliers. I see it as the Government ripped me off. They changed the metering rates. In CA now no reason to buy a powerwall.
This is massive overkill. Unless he has a huge 3 phase supply charging these would take too long. Judging by his solar production the solar system he has is not large enough to come close to charging those units in a day. I’d say 3 Powerwalls too many.
mitchtoeroek2085 - Well that was then and this is an update: He power company reached out to him as a trial program. Since his area loses power often, he now feeds his power to his neighbors. They will get a monthly bill in which he will get a small portion. I will follow up with him, when he gets is two Cyber Trucks! Thanks for watching and please subscribe to my channel!
@@Waldorf9651 Thanks for the reply. I like what he’s done but doubt having seven of these bad boys was a great financial decision. I’d also love to see a picture of his switchboard. Here in Australia this wouldn’t work. Once the grid is down solar/battery systems must isolate from the grid and not send power back to it. It’s called islanding. Also 7 x Powerwalls would be capable of total charging/discharging of 7x5000Watts. Thats 35000Watts. To do this on a single phase house supply you’d need a very serious consumer mains. A standard single phase connection to a home in Aus is 63amps which equates to about 14500watts continuous power. Does he have a 3 phase or 2 phase connection to the home? I’m genuinely interested as it looks like he relies on grid charging as that solar system producing 2.6kW would take days to recharge them all. The day looked overcast when filming. What size solar system? What do you pay per kWh in the states in this location. I design these systems so am interested in the thought process of this design. ✌️
@@mitchtoeroek2085 - I can tell that you are in this line of work. I will call him this weekend and see if he can answer your questions.
@@mitchtoeroek2085 Sorry about the delay, I finally caught up with him. Here are his answers to some of your questions. From Leon: "All USA homes that are built in the 80's have 3 phase; thus that what he has. Cost of the Powerwall a few years ago was $6,500. Because he bundled (purchased the Powerwalls and solar roof) Tesla dropped the Powerwall to $5,000 per unit. Today the new Powerwall cost $11,500 per unit. You are correct in your statement - 35,000 watts along with 5,000 peak hours. He has an EV plan that cost 3 cents per kWh. the size of his system is 5.44 kW and it takes 6 days to fully charge."
Bought a Tesla in 15. What a POS! Couldn't wait to get rid of it. Back to gas forever.
Cj Krause - I purchased mine in 2015 as well. I am not having any problems with mines. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
This is crazy. Let's take the cost of all this BS and don't forget the "opportunity cost" of the interest that money could have earned starting with the car, power walls, and installation costs and show me where the big savings come from! My electric bill is a WHOPPING $70 a month. My gasoline is about $100. If I saved 80% using this system of his, I'm looking at around $140 a month??? How many years payback just to break even??? Ridiculous. Now take all that and DOUBLE my energy costs and make HALF the cost for the system and it's still a joke!
Roger Dodger - Not to get in the fray, I have just one comment. I interviewed Leon well over a year ago when this posted. Back then my electric bill was about $100.00 per month for a 2 AC unit 3200sq ft home. Since then my son has moved out and how I average about $25.00 per month. I have one Powerwall and it really boils down to usage per home. Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
@@Waldorf9651 Yes, everyone is different. I'm a proponent of using a heat pump, installing extra insulation, buying an OLED television, and lighting with LED. At least in my case, the return on investment is much faster. I looked at the cost of ONE power wall. Shocking! It's just a ridiculous financial choice in my case, and I'd have to see the hard numbers to think it works for most people. BTW...look up what an IBOND is paying right now. Think of that money being out there instead of a power wall, solar installation, etc...
@@rogerdodger8415 When I got my Powerwall back in 2017, it was 7.500. I will check out IBOND. Thanks!
@@Waldorf9651 That's a fabulous price. I think they're 9-12 now. Seven of them at even 7k is 49 thousand in savings needed to just break even and like I said...put the 40 into an investment and it's really hard to see where he came out with saving on his install. HE is an early adopter....I'm a mid to late one. I wait until costs come down, but you seem to have gotten yours cheaper than now. Nice talking with you!
@@rogerdodger8415 Be safe out there - and thanks again!
$100K in Tesla Powerwalls, but doesn't bother to buy a couple gallons of paint for the garage wall?? #priorities
Leon Long - I have not seen Leon in two years; I will ask him the next time I speak with him. Thanks for your comment. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
I don't get it how are you saving money and or making money off that system because that stuff is not cheap 7 power walls plus solar panels on back and front of house that system cost had to have been over $130,000 with labor costs. Electricity is not that expensive. Compared to the cost of these systems and a lot of times electric companies charge a minimum access fee even if you don't use the service. The only way it makes sense to invest that much if your electric bill is over $2k or more a month. If not you basically pre-paid for electricity for the next 20-30 years
TheG4 - If Leon sells his home, he will definitely make more money in his home than without have the Powewalls. However, it may not be enough to cover his overall cost. So he has to live what he chose, and I am comfortable with that. If you have the time, please subscribe to my channel. Help a 21 retired army vet out by subscribing. Thanks for watching.
@@Waldorf9651 Yeah I get what you are saying however sometimes people can over invest in a house and this look like one of those cases. Someone who invest that much in a house more than likely don't plan on moving anytime soon. Because that's not something you can just pack up and take with you. My thing is how is someone saving money when you have to invest 100k+ you are basically just pre-paying for the electricity upfront and plus as technology gets old it gets less efficient. If his concerns was the power outages than a whole house standby generator would been a better investment because that actually makes power not just storage. And it would have been a lot cheaper it would have been around 10-12k for a 24kw generator which is more than enough to power that condo.
that house is literally a bomb.. those lithium batteries gonna explode one day
How many cell phones, tablets, laptops, robot vacuums, battery backed up devices (remotes), bluetooth devices (headphones), toys, fans, etc. old and in use you got laying around? 7 professionally installed batteries don't seem so bad in comparison.
@@jeffweingrad4658 lol ur an idiot....ima just leave it at that