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Configuring your Powerwall in the Tesla App

A quick overview for new Sunrun solar and battery customers.

What's best for you?

The best Powerwall setup for you depends on your utility rate structure and local net metering policies, as well as your personal preferences. If you’re in one of the groups above, we will push our recommended settings to your battery automatically.

Self-Powered

Who's it for

  • We especially recommend new Hawaii and Illinois solar customers to choose this option and to optimize utility bill savings.

Overview

  • Self-Powered is an operational mode where the battery prioritizes sending stored power to the home whenever solar generation is insufficient to meet the home's demand, or during the night when the sun isn't shining.
  • This mode is generally the default.
  • We especially recommend new SCE, PG&E, or SDG&E, Hawaii and Illinois solar customers to choose this option and a lower backup reserve (e.g. 20%) to optimize utility bill savings.

Backup Only

Who's it for

  • Generally recommended in the Northeast and (with Virtual Power Plant participation) for Puerto Rico customers. Not recommended for most other customers.

Overview

  • Powerwall can also be configured to reserve 100% of power for outages, by selecting Self-Powered mode and maximizing your backup reserve.
  • Not recommended for most customers.

Time-based control

Who's it for

  • For customers on a Time-of-Use rate, this is often a good choice.
  • For SCE, PG&E, or SDG&E Solar Billing Plan customers, a specific version of these settings will be pushed to your battery automatically.

Overview

  • Time-Based Control is a mode that leverages Time-of-Use plans where energy prices may vary depending on the time of day, the day itself, the month, or the season.
  • In this mode, your battery can provide power to your home and export to the grid at certain times based on your utility rate.
  • 20% backup reserve recommended.