Home integration - uses beyond F-150 Lightning?

[MoonWhaler]

I'm considering installing the home integration with my charger through Sunrun. As we know, it's expensive (pre-design estimate was $9400), so I'm trying to weigh potential value to my home vs other projects I could put the money into. I am admittedly not knowledgeable about or experienced with generators, battery backup, or solar.

Is this only useful with the lightning? Could potential new owners of my home use it with a generator, powerwalls, solar, or something else? Does it add any value to an owner without a lightning?

We lose power somewhat frequently (we live in the woods with above-ground power lines) and I'm trying to justify it, but it's also very possible that I move in 5-10 years. I'm not sure I can justify doing the install if it doesn't have any practical use for someone who doesn't own a Ford Lightning. Thanks for any info/advice!

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[SkyeFox]

You could look at setting up a manual generator input with a manual interlock kit for much less money. It would allow you to use the 30A/240V outlet in the bed of the truck (if you got pro power) to back up your house manually.

I personally cannot justify the Sunrun system anymore considering that it is very limited on the amount of solar you can use with it and the excessive install costs.

 

[RickLightning]

I'm considering installing the home integration with my charger through Sunrun. As we know, it's expensive (pre-design estimate was $9400), so I'm trying to weigh potential value to my home vs other projects I could put the money into. I am admittedly not knowledgeable about or experienced with generators, battery backup, or solar.

Is this only useful with the lightning? Could potential new owners of my home use it with a generator, powerwalls, solar, or something else? Does it add any value to an owner without a lightning?

We lose power somewhat frequently (we live in the woods with above-ground power lines) and I'm trying to justify it, but it's also very possible that I move in 5-10 years. I'm not sure I can justify doing the install if it doesn't have any practical use for someone who doesn't own a Ford Lightning. Thanks for any info/advice!

Here's a big point to consider in using the Lightning for this purpose. Is it in the garage, fully charged, when you need it?

I just installed a whole house generator (I do not have a Lightning at this time). I bought the 22kW generator from Costco, picked it up (saves $200), and had it installed. My total out of pocket cost was right around $10k (impacted by having to run gas over 60 feet). My point is, I would not pay $9,400 for the capability with the Lightning given it must be in the garage plugged in, and full, to be of any use. I want piece of mind when I'm not home also.

As to whether what you install between the charger and the fusebox and whether it can make the transition to generator / powerwalls / solar easier / cheaper, I can tell you that the transfer switch for the generator is under $1k, and that the house current has to go into it, which isn't anything like what the Lightning setup is to my understanding.

 

[MoonWhaler]

Thanks - yeah, I think I need to go the transfer switch route. It just seems crazy to pay for almost 10k for something that is only useful for someone living here who also has a Ford Lightning. It sounds like the use case is way too specific to justify the cost.

 

[RickLightning]

Thanks - yeah, I think I need to go the transfer switch route. It just seems crazy to pay for almost 10k for something that is only useful for someone living here who also has a Ford Lightning. It sounds like the use case is way too specific to justify the cost.

Yes.

Unless you don't care about money, which is the reality for some people. They want the capability to brag about it, but it's not justified.

I do think that the efforts that Ford is making, like where they are working with a utility company to provide the capability for powering a group of homes with 2 Lightnings in an outage IS worth doing. The question down the road is whether this technology is so widely adopted that all sorts of EVs do it.

 

[adoublee]

Thanks - yeah, I think I need to go the transfer switch route. It just seems crazy to pay for almost 10k for something that is only useful for someone living here who also has a Ford Lightning. It sounds like the use case is way too specific to justify the cost.

I mean, it is a 4kW to 10kW solar inverter... and a high voltage stationary battery energy storage inverter. Also, it will theoretically meet a standard to work with other V2H vehicles but that is not a firm yes on cross-compatibility as I recall.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Tough question but based on my experience with Ford/SunRun so far, would not do it. My installation is “complete” but I haven’t paid a dime for it yet because it does not work. Ford and the outside hardware and software providers simply cannot get their act together. My install was beyond disastrous, is currently sitting with a stop work order from the local municipality, after SunRun fired their local subcontractor, who completely FUBARED the initial try. The second team, and actual SunRun group, came in reapplied out everything the first sub did, reinstalled it, seemingly okay, but when they tried to get it to run the house, it connected and failed numerous times. They haven’t been able to sort it out, have been back once, are three hours away in Orlando, so a big commitment to come each time. Lots more detail, but suffice it to say that I am in an reasonably urban spot with good power, a gated community on the intracranial waterway in Florida, with an existing Tesla charger, so was able to use my truck with a TeslaTap mini throughout, so can be patient. But at it stands right now, my truck was delivered in July, they started the install in September, and it’s almost December, and the system does not work. I’m sure they’ll figure it out, but right now there’s finger pointing going on between techs at Ford, SunRun, the various equipment suppliers, etc. It’s obviously now software, I suspect in the truck (but I do finally have PAAK - yay!). Bottom line - too early.

 

[MoonWhaler]

Tough question but based on my experience with Ford/SunRun so far, would not do it. My installation is “complete” but I haven’t paid a dime for it yet because it does not work. Ford and the outside hardware and software providers simply cannot get their act together. ...

Very helpful - sorry to hear about your experience. Hopefully they get you sorted so it works and eventually figure out how to make this cheaper and/or useful for people without this specific truck (so it will at least add some value to the home).

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Very helpful - sorry to hear about your experience. Hopefully they get you sorted so it works and eventually figure out how to make this cheaper and/or useful for people without this specific truck (so it will at least add some value to the home).

This is what SunRun’s subcontractor left after a week working onsite - not one wire run in the conduit except a temp hookup to the charger itself. Hard to believe anyone would install a charger at knee level. I was motorcycling in South America while they did the work…

This is after SunRun came in, tore out the first team’s “work”, cleaned everything up, reinstalled the slatwall the first guys stupidly tore off, and put the system up correctly, with reinstalled Tesla charger. The Ford charger is on the facing wall behind the photographer:

The wall before any work began:

As it is today, infrared view seen from the MyQ garage cam (allows Amazon to do inside home deliveries), showing Ford charger on right, Tesla charger on left, HIS on left.

What happens within two minutes of power going off at main switch and truck starting to run house. It “works” with home receiving about 1.4 kw, lighting & refrigerators are on, but not for long.

This is the initiation screen after power goes out. Mine gets past this… then craps out.

Another fun day in SunRun-Ford land: I suspect the original contractor, who did have a permit, dropped a dime on the new team. He was quite livid about being fired despite his clear incompetence. Not sure what happened here, as a notary came by on Nov 3 to have me sign new permit applications, now there will be fines and fees. The inspector who handed it to me was not happy at all.

 

[PiMatrix]

Thanks for the pictures of the install. When I heard Sunrun had assigned an outside local contractor who had never installed a HIS system before that is when I cancelled them. Amazing after all this time they still do not have their act together. At least the layout is alot more professionally done than the first install. Does the system throw an error code when it shuts down?

Is the breaker panel to the left of the main panel near garage opening a critical loads panel that they installed and you specified which circuits you wanted powered? Did they limit you to 40A per 120V phase on that panel or did they derate load for likely use and allow more breakers? I assume they put the 200A disconnect between the main panel and your critical loads panel? On the Ford charger did they run two EMT conduits to the charger, one for the AC power and one for the 400V DC and control back to the HIS?

Sounds like it will be working soon!

 

[Terik2005]

You could look at setting up a manual generator input with a manual interlock kit for much less money. It would allow you to use the 30A/240V outlet in the bed of the truck (if you got pro power) to back up your house manually.

I personally cannot justify the Sunrun system anymore considering that it is very limited on the amount of solar you can use with it and the excessive install costs.

I was thinking this exact thing. And I just seen this video on TikTok demoing a soft start system for ac compressors to lower the initial draw to use ac with a generator. I monitored my ac startup using my energy monitor and I'm getting the highest rating during startup in for my whole house is 39 amps for 1 sec. Do you think the breaker will trip for that one second spike? It's about 25% over the rating.

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