Tesla Energy app Powerwall 2.0 STRANGE energy peaks up to 9.8KWH when no one is home


Hello, I'm on my 3rd week of activated Solar and Powerwall 2.0

I have 16 Panels on the roof and 1 PowerWall 2.0

When using the Android Tesla app to monitor power flow, when I click on my home icon to view home energy draw/requirement I see HUGE pulsing spikes up to 9.4KWH with very short durations.

Is there a problem with the monitoring equipment?

Basically I do not see the Powerwall, the solar panels, OR the PG&E grid supplying any power to fulfill the requirement that house says it is drawing. This leads me to believe there is a measurement error in the hardware.

after looking at this for 2 weeks the high pulse trend seems to follow the solar production curve, but extends way beyond what my solar or Powerwall can deliver >9.4KWH and the utility is clearly not filling it up due to the graph I see from Grid usage.

it seems like it can be 3 things:
1. app has a bug
2. inverter hardware has an error or malfunction ?
3. My house has an AC problem, shorting etc ?? seems unlikely because the 3 power sources are not actually supplying anything close to the 9.4KWH demand that is being shown in the app.

here are some app screenshots I have taken

If the power draw being shown for the home in the app is real, I would think I would see an energy source or combination of sources being used to actually supply the demand.

is my hardware defective ?

rfactor | 14 mai 2018

There are a lot of devices in the home that take very large peak currents but modest amounts of power while running. Air Conditioning motors and compressors, well pumps, and pretty much anything else with a motor. Even incandescent lamps have a large inrush current for a few milliseconds. Although the app seems to show readings in five minute increments, it may well be programmed to show the peak reading during that interval, even if the peak lasts only milliseconds to a few seconds.

Most likely everything is OK and those peaks don't represent real energy use.

cookfamilly | 15 mai 2018

True, I was going over what I have in the house that could be causing those peaks, but they happen every day and have almost the exact same profile and happen when no body is home, no AC,heat,stove, dryer etc. ( home in idle mode lol) the peak trend seems to follow the solar production trend curve which is piquing my interest.
I'm a design engineer for a power converter company, so maybe I am just looking too much into this data.

mcdonalk | 15 mai 2018

Could the peak be your Tesla vehicle automatically charging?

cookfamilly | 15 mai 2018

I do not yet have a Tesla vehicle, If I did then it would explain that level of power usage in my humble opinion.
I really just wanted to see if others were experiencing similar un-explained spikes before I actually call Tesla

rfactor | 15 mai 2018

If you're a design engineer for a power converter company, I have a project for you! A decade ago I did what I called the "PriUPS" project, where I used my '05 Prius to power my house in emergencies. I didn't have solar at the time, and the industry has moved on a bit. Nonetheless, I still think there would be a need for a power converter that I conceptually specified. Any interest?


FloridaDave | 16 mai 2018

@cookfamilly The only time I see spikes that high are when the water heater turns on during heavy usage. But I'm concerned with how often they are that high when no one is home and how long of a duration they are having. for me to get a spike that high I have to have a shower running, dryer running, AC on, and stove on. I would look at the water heater first and then call Tesla and see if they might be able to help track down the issue.

Teslafarmer | 16 mai 2018

There are devices that can be put in your circuit box that will measure the invidual circuits. This is troubling.

mflash | 17 mai 2018

do you have the ac/hvac system on keeping your house a constant temp? If not then It can also be your frig as it attempts to keep your food cold and freezer frozen. If your house temperature warms during the day then cools at night, then you would get those draws on the same curve line as the sun projects on your house. If you run a nest that turns off cooling/heating when your not home, the fridge would compensate because it needs to maintain a specific temp.

cookfamilly | 17 mai 2018

Thanks for the ideas everyone.
1. I have a tankless water heater, gas powered
2. last night I was thinking it oculd be my central AC & Nest keeping my house cool as the sun rises etc, this kinda explains the spike curve matching the solar production, as it shows the curve of the sun to my house during the day.

So this morning I have shut down my AC system and un-plugged my nest off the wall ( to make sure my kids don't turn it on today) and I will take a look at the spikes today to see if they are different or similar.

I really wish the Tesla app gave more detailed data, I realize it's eye candy suited for most people. but man, lol as an engineer I wish we had more access to high resolution data lol ( rolls eyes)

I'll post back tomorrow with the results from today.

cookfamilly | 18 mai 2018

Here is the data from yesterday.

This was with noone home, central air disabled, no electric stove/oven operation, no laundry, no electric car, gas powered tankless water heater.

The duration of the peaks is over minutes. I'm not sure why 1 of the other 3 energy sources are not filling in the demand for those peaks. They must not be real. Time to call the big T

cwied | 18 mai 2018

Have you tried turning the Powerwall to backup-only mode for a day to see if your electric meter reports the same spikes? Measurement error does seem to be the most likely explanation, but that might confirm it.

cookfamilly | 18 mai 2018

@cwied That is a good idea, ill give that a shot for a day

cookfamilly | 21 mai 2018

With the powerwall set to 100% backup only, the large spikes have gone away ! and looks like what I would expect to see. Time to call Tesla and have them fix that.

This is when I shut the Power Wall to backup only after 12:00

sonnyh85 | 21 mai 2018

Hi David, You're getting weird spikes in the early am from the solar. That should not happen. Call Tesla for sure.
Good Luck

jeff | 14 juin 2018

That screen shot of your app is very strange doesn't usually come in a smoothe sine-wave curver like that, it spikes during 10am-2pm or so, and then the panels should go into an idle mode that goes on and off to keep the battery topped off, if you are running basically on the battery. The graphs look very strange compared to what I see on my android using the Tesla app. I assume yours is up to date?

jeff | 14 juin 2018

excuse my spelling!

eskmowelder | 17 avril 2019

Having this same issue, what was your solution @cookfamily ?