One homeowner in southeast England was left without power after a nearby fire knocked out electricity service, despite having two expensive Powerwall batteries.
Here's what to know
On Reddit, the original poster explained that an 11.25-kilowatt solar panel array, two Powerwall 2 batteries, and a Gateway were already installed when they bought the house in February 2026.
But despite owning the backup equipment, the home's power didn't stay on during the fire-caused outage.
The OP said the "system was persistently offline for extended periods," and despite Tesla support diagnosing the problem and an installer coming to fix a wired LAN connection, issues remained.
"Until yesterday everything was working as expected but I've noticed that the network connection keeps dropping. ... Nothing I can see has changed. Hardware and software all seem OK; app settings haven't been altered."
Commenters streamed into the thread to add some suggestions on how to fix the issue.
"Check your tariff by going to settings -> Utility Rate Plan," the top comment read. "It's likely your tariff setting needs to be updated which is causing the random charging."
Another suggested, "Switch off [the] Powerwalls and internet router. Restart everything again. Probably just a reset it needs."
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When done right, adding battery storage can help protect your home during outages and provide more energy independence. It can also help save money on energy by storing electricity for later use.
Homeowners exploring battery storage options can use EnergySage to learn about home batteries and get competitive installation estimates. EnergySage has teamed up with electrification brand Qmerit to help homeowners get the best price on home battery storage solutions.
Another company offering strong battery backup options is Pila, whose plug-and-play batteries are priced at a fraction of what a whole-home backup system would cost. Pila batteries can also protect individual appliances, like refrigerators, when the grid goes down.
Where can I learn more?
Other homeowners have reported similar trouble getting backup power during outages.
• A Powerwall owner said their home was in the dark for hours while the tech displayed outage warnings.
• A Florida homeowner's Powerwall failed during a hurricane blackout after a $60,000 solar purchase.
• A Florida homeowner paid $65,000 for solar and Powerwalls, then backup fell to 1%.
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