The Tesla Energy Plan (TEP) is an energy tariff specifically designed for homes with solar and Powerwall installed, offering 100% clean electricity. Installing solar and Powerwall and joining can yield savings up to 64% compared to Big Six tariffs, based on electricity consumption of 8,000 kWh/year.
With TEP, solar panels and Powerwall, you could reduce your electricity bills by up to 64% compared to Big Six (the companies providing 95% of energy in the UK) tariffs. We base this on households without solar panels consuming 8,000 kWh/year from the grid. Your individual savings will depend on several factors, including your current energy supplier and tariff, consumption and solar panel installation. Calculate your savings on Octopus Energy’s website for free.
Tesla’s authorised retail partner, Octopus Energy, administers the plan. By joining the TEP, you also join Tesla’s UK Virtual Power Plant. Tesla optimises your Powerwall’s performance, connecting it to a growing network of homes across the UK to support the stability and resilience of the grid. By supporting the grid’s energy needs when it needs it most, you benefit from ongoing savings and the most competitive rates on the market.
Reduce your electricity bills
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Protect your home from power cuts
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TEP is a ‘symmetrical’ tariff, meaning the 24/7 import rate and 24/7 export rate are the same. The symmetrical import/export pricing varies according to location
TEP offers the lowest flat import rates – and export rates more than 100% above the best fixed Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff – on the market as of May 2021
One or more ‘Powerwall 2’ batteries and any size MCS-certified solar panel installation up to nine kWp per Powerwall installed
Residential electricity supply
Compatible smart meter (supplied by Octopus Energy at no additional cost)
Any eligible household may join TEP as long as their annual consumption of daytime energy (from 07:00-19:30) remains less than 9,500 kWh per Powerwall-installed. Most households consume far below 9,500 kWh total (including outside of 07:00-19:30). Additionally, this consumption limit only applies to kWh imported from the grid. Solar panels and Powerwall installations can enable total annual consumption beyond this limit.
To find your total daytime consumption, check your energy bill. A total daytime consumption of 9,500 kWh per year typically equates to a total annual consumption of 15,000 kWh. For assistance checking your energy consumption levels, you can request more detail from your tariff provider.
If your daytime consumption exceeds 9,500 kWh per Powerwall per year, Octopus will contact you offering a choice of other smart tariffs better suited to your needs. If you don't respond, Octopus will move you to their Flexible tariff. To significantly reduce daytime consumption, you can schedule charging of electric vehicles or usage of large appliances to occur outside of the 07:00-19:30 window. This practice also helps lower demand during peak hours, further reducing national carbon emissions.
Yes. TEP involves import and export tariffs, which requires a smart meter. If you do not have already one, Octopus will install one at no cost. Please note installation may take up to three months in rare cases. To receive your free smart meter installed by Octopus Energy, sign up for TEP here.
You can transfer onto TEPtoday by switching your retail plan. If you need a smart meter, Octopus can have one installed at no cost. To begin, your switch here.
To be eligible for TEP, you must have both solar panels and Powerwall installed. To install solar panels, you need a minimum of 24m2 – about the size of a parking space – available on your roof. The area should be clear of shading from trees, chimneys or other buildings to maximise energy generation. To assess system sizing and receive a quote, you can contact your local Tesla Powerwall Certified installer here.
Yes. TEP combines solar with Powerwall to maximise your savings. Powerwall must be the only battery system installed on the property. Both versions of the Powerwall 2 gateway, Non-Backup Gateway 1 and Backup Gateway 2, are compatible with TEP. If your Powerwall installation is already scheduled, you can begin your switch and smart meter installation now by completing the switching form. For existing Octopus Energy customers completing the form above, you will remain on your existing tariff until Powerwall installation completes. If you are not yet an Octopus Energy customer, Octopus will switch you to their supply, arrange your smart meter installation (if required) and place you on a temporary tariff until your Powerwall is installed.
Unfortunately, you require solar panels and Powerwall to be eligible for the TEP.
To support the grid and provide lower rates, TEP has your Powerwall export surplus energy. This exporting to the grid can conflict with ‘smart’ immersion heater controllers, or any other ‘smart’ loads tapping into your excess solar generation. For example, some ‘smart’ devices can monitor a house for solar energy being exported to the grid, then switch on a load to absorb that excess. In the case of the Powerwall exporting to the grid, these ‘smart’ devices might not be able to distinguish between solar exports or battery exports. To avoid these conflicts, you must turn off any diversion of excess solar to ‘smart’ devices when joining TEP.
Electric vehicle chargers that use solar excess to trigger vehicle charging can also conflict with TEP. To avoid these conflicts, you must turn off any diversion of excess solar to ‘smart’ vehicle chargers.
Yes. TEP works on three-phase households with a vector-sum three-phase smart meter. Octopus Energy can arrange this installation for you at no additional charge. Backup power from Powerwall 2 during grid outages is single-phase only. Your local Tesla Powerwall Certified installer can help assess your specific case and give further advice regarding three-phase installations.
Yes. Both renters and owners can join TEP. Renters will need to obtain proof of approval from the property owner to install Powerwall and solar panels.
Moving to the Tesla Energy Plan means:
You will keep your generation tariff, which equates to most of your FiT income.
Your export tariff will switch to a 10-12p/kWh rate, depending on location. Octopus will contact you before your new export tariff activates to help you cancel your existing FiT.
If leaving TEP and/or Octopus Energy, your generation tariff will remain the same and your export tariff will switch to the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) rate offered by your new tariff provider. Octopus Energy will require a copy of your Microgeneration Certificate Scheme (MCS) certification to add you to TEP. There is no requirement to switch your FiT generation contract to Octopus.
Yes - Octopus can manage the switch for you once you’ve joined online within 14 business days of signing up to your original retailer.
The full terms and conditions for the tariff are available in the switching form.
Yes. Changing your offer or switching retailers instigates no Powerwall hardware impact, tariff exit fees or contract lock-ins.
No – you have full flexibility when it comes to gas supply with TEP. You can contract your gas supply from a different supplier or from Octopus, which offers you carbon neutral gas under the Super Green Octopus tariff.
Switching to Octopus from a different retailer takes 17 days. Once you switch and have a smart meter installed, your export agreement and TEP enrollment will complete within two-three weeks, and your Power Flow screen will display a ‘Tesla Energy Plan’ icon.
TEP integrates Tesla products with an innovative retail electricity plan. Building on its world-leading hardware, Tesla software automatically optimises the use of your Powerwall battery system to maximise your energy savings.
Octopus Energy will provide all electricity retail services, including account management and friendly customer support. Octopus Energy is a UK based, 100% clean energy provider renowned for its innovation and industry-leading customer service. It is the only retailer ever rated with five stars in every category by Which magazine. You can also opt-in to supply natural gas from Octopus if you sign up for TEP.
Tesla needs to control your Powerwall to manage how and when you use your solar and stored energy. This helps reduce the wholesale market cost of the electricity you consume, giving you the best rates available and supporting the grid during peak demand. Together with all other Powerwall owners signed up, you become part of Tesla's UK Virtual Power Plant. This automatic import and export management allows us to give you the most competitive import and export rates on the market.
TEP customers will have the same visibility as a normal Powerwall owner, including battery percentage, Power Flow, Energy Usage, Performance and Backup History, if you own a Backup Gateway. TEP replaces your ‘Customize’ menu with our intelligent, automatic system to optimise your tariff rates.
Import and export activity will be determined automatically by our software. We base this on factors like historical energy use patterns, solar generation forecast and wholesale energy prices. Everything is optimised to maximise your savings.
Tesla’s advanced software optimises imports and exports to maximise your savings – topping up your Powerwall with free solar energy and the lowest-priced grid energy, then selling excess energy from solar and Powerwall when prices are highest. This simply results in higher import and export volumes than you would see with standard manual energy management. With ‘symmetrical’ import and export rates per kWh both to and from the grid, this valuable support you offer the grid helps reduce your net costs.
Your warranty will continue to protect your Powerwall usage, ensuring that:
Powerwall will remain free from defects for 10 years after installation
Powerwall will provide an energy capacity of 13.5 kWh at installation and retain at least 80% capacity 10 years after installation
For Tesla’s full warranty policy, review your Powerwall´s purchase contract.
Individual Powerwalls have back-up capability as a standard feature to keep your lights on and appliances running during a power outage. As part of TEP, customers will keep 20% of energy capacity reserved per Powerwall for backup. This energy reserve provides the typical customer with 2-4 hours of power per Powerwall. To enable this functionality, customers must have a Powerwall Backup Gateway installed. If a grid outage occurs with your Powerwall at more than 20% reserve, you can still use all of your available capacity at that time. If the grid has been unavailable for at least five minutes, the Tesla app will alert you so you can manage energy usage accordingly. A second notification will arrive once power returns. To set notification preferences, go to ‘Settings’ and select ‘Notifications’ in the Tesla app and ensure your device settings have notifications enabled. To learn more about managing your settings, visit our Support page .
If joining TEP with Storm Watch already enabled in your Tesla app, this functionality will continue by default. Once under the plan, Storm Watch cannot be enabled or disabled from the Tesla app. If you want to enable or disable Storm Watch mode once in TEP, please email our Support team at EnergySupportEMEA@Tesla.com and include 'Enable/Disable Storm Watch’ in the subject line so we can prioritise your request. Learn more about Storm Watch.
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