Advanced Settings

Powerwall has various Advanced Settings and capabilities that impact how the system exports and imports energy to and from the grid. These settings may have other effects with your utility. If these are not clear, confirm with your Certified Installer before adjusting Advanced Settings in the Tesla app.

Energy Exports

Some utilities allow Powerwall to send energy back to the grid and claim credits during peak times. If ‘Energy Exports’ is not available in the Tesla app, your utility does not allow Powerwall to export energy to the grid for any Time of Use purposes.

How It Works

If your Powerwall is allowed to send energy to the grid, the following energy export options will be available in the Tesla app:

When set to ‘Solar,’ your Powerwall will only use stored Powerwall energy to match your home load consumption when the price of energy is expensive. Use this setting if you want to earn credits while also keeping energy stored in your Powerwall to reduce reliance on the grid.

When set to ‘Everything,’ Powerwall will send both solar and Powerwall energy to the grid and will continue to discharge to your set Backup Reserve. Use this option if you want to maximize savings.

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Permission to Export

If you have at least one Powerwall 3 or Powerwall+ with an integrated solar inverter, Powerwall can control how much solar is exported to the grid. When exporting to the grid is permanently not allowed, you will see a ‘Grid Exporting Restricted’ message.

How It Works

When Powerwall is eligible to export to the grid, the following options will be available in the Tesla app:

When set to ‘No,’ Powerwall will charge from solar production. When Powerwall is fully charged, solar output will be reduced to match your home loads, preventing export. This will reduce overall solar generation and reduce your reliance on the grid. Generally, Permission to Export is granted by your local utility. You will also see a banner on the energy graphs screen to explain the system behavior.

When set to ‘Yes,’ Powerwall will not adjust charging or solar production to prevent export. Before setting Permission to Export to ‘Yes,’ consider if all approvals have been issued by your utility, often called permission to operate (PTO):

• If Tesla was your installer, Permission to Export will automatically be updated to ‘Yes’ when PTO is granted.
• If your system was installed by a Certified Installer, you will need to change this setting to ‘Yes’ when PTO is granted. 

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Grid Charging

Powerwall can charge from the grid under certain conditions. Since the beginning of 2023, the availability of the Grid Charging setting in the Tesla app is set by your Certified Installer by default. If your Certified Installer changed the default setting during Powerwall commissioning, you will see a ‘Grid Charging Restricted’ message – this is most common when the utility prevents charging, or when the system is owned by a third party.

How It Works

When Powerwall can charge from the grid, the following options will be available in the Tesla app:

When set to ‘No,’ Powerwall will only charge from solar. This will increase your Self-Powered performance and reduce your reliance on the grid.

In the U.S., this setting is intended to comply with the previous Investment Tax Credit (ITC) guidance from the Internal Revenue Service of charging your Powerwall primarily from solar for five years. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) removed the renewable energy source charging requirement on January 1, 2023, allowing energy storage systems to be charged from the grid without impacting ITC eligibility. Consult with a tax professional for any guidance regarding the ITC.

When set to ‘Yes,’ Powerwall will only charge from the grid if there is insufficient solar available to maintain the Backup Reserve or if there is a financial benefit when in Time-Based Control mode. Consider your energy goals and consult your tax advisor regarding any tax-related impacts before enabling Grid Charging.

Note: Regardless of this setting, Powerwall can charge from the grid to preserve itself when it has low energy, uses Storm Watch mode or is a part of the Tesla Virtual Power Plant program.

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Preconditioning

When temperatures are low, all batteries have a reduced ability to charge. To help Powerwall counteract this, Powerwall uses Preconditioning. Preconditioning, in combination with Tesla’s unique liquid thermal management system, allows your Powerwall to operate at lower temperatures than any other home battery.

How It Works

When temperatures are below freezing, Preconditioning turns on and heats your Powerwall to improve operation and charging performance. To heat itself, Powerwall draws a small amount of energy, which then allows higher-power charging. During a cold night, your Powerwall automatically preheats before sunrise so that maximum solar energy can be captured during the day.

The following should be also considered when using Preconditioning:

• You cannot customize this mode because Powerwall is designed to detect its internal temperature and know when to enable Preconditioning.
• During Preconditioning, the Power Flow screen may show energy flowing to your Powerwall from solar or the grid. This is normal behavior, and the energy is only being used to heat, not to charge.
• During winter months, a small amount of your Powerwall capacity is reserved to improve performance in cold weather. This may change your visible total capacity in the Tesla app. Rest assured, your total capacity has not changed — this small reserve is just set aside to improve performance.

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