Compass Solar is proud and excited to announce that we are now fully certified to sell the Powerwall, an exclusive branded Tesla backup battery, to complement your solar power system in your home or business.
Here, we’ll introduce the Tesla Powerwall, how it works, its cost-saving benefits, and how Compass Solar can help you, as a homeowner or business owner, easily integrate the Powerwall into your existing solar power system.
We’ll also explore why — given the surge in energy prices for Northwest Florida residents since the Florida Power & Light/Gulf Power merge — now is the time to act to shave money off of your monthly energy bill.
You’ll do your part to protect the environment with a high-powered solar panel system from Compass Solar.
What is the Tesla Powerwall and what are its standout features?
Tesla’s Powerwall is a rechargeable battery that stores and distributes energy gathered from your solar panel system for maximum energy usage efficiency and constant energy on demand.
Here are the standout features of the Tesla Powerwall that should inform your decision
- 13.5 kWh storage capacity. This storage capacity is superior to the industry average of around 10 kWh and is generally enough to power the typical family home for half of a day.
- Up to 9.6 kW continuous power output (when off-grid). That means that when the power goes out – for example, due to a hurricane or other natural disaster – the Powerwall has the capacity to power appliances like your refrigerator and potentially bigger ones like an air conditioning unit. For the purposes of comparison, most solar power batteries have a significantly lower continuous power output rating at 5 kW.
- Multiple, versatile, and easily adjustable operating mode options (Solar Self-Consumption, Backup Only, and Time-Based Control Mode. Backup Reserve, Self-Powered, Time-Based Control, Self-Consumption Only, Preconditioning). Depending on the environmental conditions and your current power usage, you can toggle between various modes to keep your home powered day and night and save maximally on your power bill.
- Excellent mobile app for monitoring energy usage and flow in your property digitally in real-time. Use your Tesla account credentials to download and access the Tesla mobile application.
- The Storm Watch feature. The Powerwall monitors National Weather Service messages and automatically powers the battery fully when an alert for extreme weather is issued – so you don’t need to scramble to adjust your settings when a hurricane is approaching.
- Performs even in low temperatures with the “preconditioning” setting to preheat the cells before firing up.
- Lithium battery cells are produced in the United States at the Gigafactory Tesla facility in Nevada.
Competitive pricing compared to other AC-coupled battery systems.
• Solid 10-year Tesla warranty
Tesla Powerwall is inverter agnostic (and why that’s a big benefit for homeowners)
One of the biggest benefits to property owners who already have a solar power system installed in their home or business is that Tesla’s Powerwall is inverter agnostic – meaning that, because it is coupled with AC, it can be connected to any inverter without the need for extra materials.
For total protection during power outages, homeowners should install one Powerwall unit for each 7.6 kW AC of solar in the backup circuit.
You don’t need to get a new solar panel system or re-install any of the major component parts to integrate a Tesla Powerwall into your home solar panel system.
Our experts at Solar Compass are trained in the smooth installment of Tesla backup batteries, so you don’t need to worry about any extra technological hassles.
Power bills for Northwest Floridians surge after FLP/Gulf Power merger
If you live in Northwest Florida, you’ve surely noticed a surge in your monthly energy bills.
Florida Power & Light purchased Gulf Power in 2019 and then merged the two into a unified electrical utility at the start of 2022:
“A new year means new changes when it comes to how residents of Northwest Florida will handle their power bills. On January 1st, Gulf Power is transitioning to Florida Power and Light. This means that all communication and customer bills will now be coming from FPL.”
Despite initial promises that the merge would result in “lower costs for customers,” the opposite has happened: power bills for Northwest Floridians have surged:
“January was the first month former Gulf Power customers in the Panhandle made payments to FPL after the companies merged last year. It also was the first month a rate increase took hold for FPL customers… [Mary] Brewster, who has lived in DeFuniak Springs for four years, said her bill went from $184 in December to $291 in January. Her February bill is projected to be $394.”
That’s a more than doubling in rates in just a few short months!
The surge in energy costs will likely continue. Without any recourse or daylight at the end of the tunnel, the only viable option for Northwest Floridians to ensure that there is to take their energy needs into their own hands.
A solar panel system from Compass Solar lends citizens full independence from the grid – so no matter how high FLP hikes the rates, you will continue to reap inexpensive and boundless energy from the Earth’s one true renewable resource.
Can you go off-grid in Florida?
As we’ve explored in previous blog posts, going off-grid in Florida is fully feasible and totally legal – with the rare exception of a handful of cities and counties that require residents within their jurisdictions to jack into the grid.
Here are some key points to consider:
- Rural areas outside of incorporated cities are generally friendlier to off-grid living than urban areas.
- You might be required to stay connected, depending on where you live, to the grid, but that doesn’t mean you have to use the public utilities for your power. Solar power systems in both residential and commercial purposes are fully legal in Florida.
- Before you install a solar panel system, local law may require that you jump through some regulatory hoops before you can install your system. Compass Solar is available to advise customers on the relevant regulations in their particular jurisdictions.
Contact Compass Solar
We’re always available to help our Northwest Florida neighbors with any and all questions related to Earth-friendly, money-saving solar panels and the various components that make them work.
Contact Compass Solar for more details on the Tesla Powerwall system and how to get your own installed in your home or business. If you’ve been considering getting a solar backup battery from a trusted provider, there has never been a better time than now.