Buying House with Tesla

[HappyPants]

Hello everyone!

What a great source of info, been looking at previous posts trying to get as educated as I can.

I am buying a house with existing Tesla solar.

Does anyone have any input on the below data? It seems the 2.65kW is much smaller than what I'm seeing listed on Tesla's site, but I honestly don't know what it all means.

I appreciate your tips or factual data!


2022-05-26_19-23-07.jpg

[J.P.M.]

To get sufficiently educated in the fastest and most efficient way possible, get a copy of "Solar Power Your Home for Dummies". You'll learn more in a few hours of reading organized material than a lot of time getting it incomplete, piecemeal and probably sometimes incorrect here by picking through forums.

Without the background a lot of what you will guess at will make the process of reading through forums and learning stuff a lot like trying to get into an elevator that's already gone up feet. The read will be like a step ladder.

Also, after the read, asking the questions here that your read creates will result in better questions and better answers for less time and toil.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

[Mike 134]

If it's existing, make sure the seller pays off the lease (if it's leased) or factor that into your offer price. As to it's output it's small doesn't add any value to the house in my own opinion.

[HappyPants]

Thank you for the replies. I really appreciate it. Starting at the bottom of the knowledge ladder is daunting, even after scouring the Tesla site.

@ Mike - Seller says 2 cars are powered by it in addition to the whole house, does that sound incorrect? You say its small output, and I agree based on the kW specs listed on the Tesla site, something doesn't add up here.

I don't know if my answer will come from Barnes & Noble, and I am one of those RTFM kind of guys, so I will go read.

Seller says system is paid off.

[Mike 134]

Thank you for the replies. I really appreciate it. Starting at the bottom of the knowledge ladder is daunting, even after scouring the Tesla site.

@ Mike - Seller says 2 cars are powered by it in addition to the whole house, does that sound incorrect? You say its small output, and I agree based on the kW specs listed on the Tesla site, something doesn't add up here.

I don't know if my answer will come from Barnes & Noble, and I am one of those RTFM kind of guys, so I will go read.

Seller says system is paid off.

Ask to see the last 12 months of his electric bills. You'll have your answer.
Just an FYI my electric bill shows what I used from the utility and how much credit they give me for excess power I generate on a cloudless cool sunny day.

[J.P.M.]

Thank you for the replies. I really appreciate it. Starting at the bottom of the knowledge ladder is daunting, even after scouring the Tesla site.

@ Mike - Seller says 2 cars are powered by it in addition to the whole house, does that sound incorrect? You say its small output, and I agree based on the kW specs listed on the Tesla site, something doesn't add up here.

I don't know if my answer will come from Barnes & Noble, and I am one of those RTFM kind of guys, so I will go read.

Seller says system is paid off.

Your needed primer knowledge can come from the book. It's a quick read and will pay real dividends. Getting knowledge from vendors is analogous to letting the fox guard the henhouse.

[HappyPants]

Well this sure opened my eyes.

tesla small priceing.jpg

[HappyPants]

Ask to see the last 12 months of his electric bills. You'll have your answer.
Just an FYI my electric bill shows what I used from the utility and how much credit they give me for excess power I generate on a cloudless cool sunny day.

Yeah I'd love to see the bills. I guess my big question is, is it possible that 2.6kW sustains 2 vehicle chargers and powers the whole house (1600sqft)

I don't have electric cars, so I don't know what to expect. Seller has had 2 EVs for 3 years I believe. So assume my bills will be marginal.

Thank you as well J.P.M - I appreciate the knowledge nuggets.

[Mike 134]

Yeah I'd love to see the bills. I guess my big question is, is it possible that 2.6kW sustains 2 vehicle chargers and powers the whole house (1600sqft)

Possible? Sure if you live like a hermit in the dark and have lots of sunny days, drive the cars at night so you can recharge them during the day. (unless there are batteries with his system).

[Ampster]

Yeah I'd love to see the bills. I guess my big question is, is it possible that 2.6kW sustains 2 vehicle chargers and powers the whole house (1600sqft)

I don't have electric cars, so I don't know what to expect.....

It all depends on how much the EVs are driven. I have two EVs and have a 7kW system. Ask to see the bills. March or April will be more representative and may have historical data. The seller should make a representation in writing that the panels are owned by the seller and not leased.
If in California the Title Insurance policy should also be clear of any lien.

[J.P.M.]

Yeah I'd love to see the bills. I guess my big question is, is it possible that 2.6kW sustains 2 vehicle chargers and powers the whole house (1600sqft)

I don't have electric cars, so I don't know what to expect. Seller has had 2 EVs for 3 years I believe. So assume my bills will be marginal.

Thank you as well J.P.M - I appreciate the knowledge nuggets.

The bills will tell you what someone else paid. Depending on the information in those bills, they may or may not be less than helpful. Besides, everyone's lifestyle is different and that difference is why a look at prior bills has limited use.

Bettter to get a PVWatts model output and compare that to your annual usage.

Read the book before tackling PVWatts as one way to begin to get an idea of how to frame that question which might be better asked as:
How much of my electrical load will a 2.6 kW PV system offset ?

The answer depends on several variables. You'll need to understand what those variables are, which of them apply to your situation and in what ways they apply to your situation in order to answer that question.

[Mike 134]

The bills will tell you what someone else paid. Depending on the information in those bills, they may or may not be less than helpful. Besides, everyone's lifestyle is different and that difference is why a look at prior bills has limited use.

EXACTLY why he needs to look at the bills. Seller states the solar system covers his usage so the bills should read zero other than the fixed "ready to serve" charges.

[HappyPants]

Seller says his electric bill is $230 a month, have not asked for 12 month stack of bills yet, we're in escrow so I'm trying not to be too much of a PITA.

My mortgage will be $400 less than my rent so life is good.

[Mike 134]

Seller says his electric bill is $230 a month,

@ Mike - Seller says 2 cars are powered by it in addition to the whole house, does that sound incorrect? You say its small output, and I agree based on the kW specs listed on the Tesla site, something doesn't add up here.

Well at least you know your hunch was right and his solar system only "offsets" a small portion. Better than nothing.

[J.P.M.]

EXACTLY why he needs to look at the bills. Seller states the solar system covers his usage so the bills should read zero other than the fixed "ready to serve" charges.

Unless the OP lives like he's off grid, there's little likelihood a 2.65 kw systm will produce more than ~4,000 kWh/yr - and that's in a moderately sunny climate.

The bills area result of usage. Usage numbers in kWh are what's used to determine what system size is desired to produce a desired result. The system that meets the criteria (which may be more or less than actual annual usage) can then designed.

Or, in cases like the OP's an existing system of a fixed size can be "rated", that is, it's approximate annual output be estimated and then subtracted from the OP's actual usage. Then, an annual bill can be estimated.