Solar PV Contractor of the Year 2024
Pat and Martin Williams
Residential Tesla Powerwall
When Martin and Pat Williams decided to add to their home renewable energy system, a Tesla Powerwall was the obvious choice
With both Pat and Martin out at work all day, the Tesla Powerwall would allow them to store the energy from their solar PV rather than selling it back to the grid – a huge step towards energy self-sufficiency.
Returning to SunGift for the installation was an easy decision for Martin and Pat, who had a solar PV and solar thermal installation installed by the company in 2011.
Martin says: “From the beginning in 2011 SunGift were excellent, Gabriel talked us through the solar panels and solar thermal system and he was great. Every other person we’ve dealt with since has been equally good.”
Everything you want from a company, Sungift seem to provide. Why would you go with anyone else really?!
Harvesting energy during the day allows the Williamses to use the Powerwall’s stored energy at their own leisure
Powering the oven for dinner even when the sun isn’t shining, or powering their emersion heater first thing in the morning.
They have also switched to a “time of use” tariff which provides cheaper electricity at off-peak times, for example overnight. Their Tesla Powerwall can be fully or partially charged during these less-expensive times, making it possible to benefit from the stored low-cost power throughout the day. This can be particularly useful on rainy days when the solar panels wouldn’t be able to charge the Powerwall to full capacity.
The Tesla Powerwall was fitted in November 2019, and the couple were impressed to find that despite the shorter days it still provided a good proportion of their energy, charging to between 50-60% even during less bright weather. By the time spring came around the Powerwall charged up to 100% most days.
Seeing how much the Tesla Powerwall has charged is quick and simple to track through the Tesla app, which also tracks what proportion of your energy use is self-generated.
Martin says: “Our main benefit from the Tesla battery and solar panels and solar thermal heating setup is the feeling of sustainability and self-sufficiency.”
And as for any questions about the new addition to their home? That’s easy – SunGift’s experts are only ever a call or an email away. “Every time I’ve emailed with a question I’ve had a detailed and useful reply” Martin mentions.
“Everything you want from a company, Sungift seem to provide. Why would you go with anyone else really?!”
