Review for Tesla Energy

Office location: 7256 Sam Houston PKWY W, Houston TX, 77085

04/24/2025
be prepared Houston, TX

Works well, except when something breaks

I have had my Tesla solar system with powerwall version 2 units and SolarEdge inverter for about 4.5 years. I had a little bit of trouble getting them to design the system so all the panels would be on the southwest roof, since they used google to check the roof and said roof vents were in the way - I relocated the roof vents and Tesla had to come back to check before they would change the design. Installation was fairly smooth. I did not have to wait very long after installation for the system to be connected, unlike others who said it took a long time. Things start breaking.... I was disappointed though when my SolarEdge inverter stopped working not just once, but twice. Both times it took Tesla months to come out for the first visit and then another appointment weeks later because they didn't bring parts to replace it on the first visit. Then the Tesla Gateway 2 stopped working recently and it took 6 weeks for them to come for the first visit (6 weeks was actually one of the quicker response times). The issue is that Tesla only has one technician covering the Houston, Austin, San Antonio area which could be a lot of customers. On the plus side, Tesla Energy has a phone number you can call for support Monday through Friday and talk to a regular person, unlike their car repair where you need to book service via the app. Others have mentioned it being hard to contact Tesla for support, but I haven't had that issue. I also had to replace the small unit that communicates with the SolarEdge inverter - the small gateway. Initially Tesla said my internet router was to blame because the unit kept saying "no server", but when the Tesla technician replaced the Energy Gateway, I mentioned to him about the other gateway device and he brought a replacement which worked right away. One major drawback I've noticed with Tesla powerwalls is that I can only charge them with solar power, so if the SolarEdge inverter breaks or the Gateway breaks, I'm stuck with no battery backup (once the batteries get used up) for at least a month and a half. That defeats the purpose of a backup power system because the backup system is not supposed to go down that often or if it goes down, it should be repaired quickly. I end up using my smaller 2 kwhr Bluetti battery more often than I should because the Tesla powerwalls are often out of commission due to the solar charging not working. I think there is an option to charge the powerwalls with grid power, but I would need to give up selling excess power to the grid.