Maximizing a small system with insulation upgrades - my story
I had a 7.38Kw system with PW3 installed last year before the energy rebates expired. Designed and installed by Tesla . The system was estimated to only offset 65% of our electricity use, and for the first several months we were seeing it cover about 70% of our use. We wanted more, but they said the roof would not fit more than 18 panels
However - I wanted to see if I could cover closer to 100%. I live in a warm climate so, the largest electric use is air conditioning. We had a fairly new AC, but it ran 10 hours a day in the warmer months. so my next thought was, maybe I needed more insulation. Sure enough, my attic had about R30 and I upgraded it to about R60.
While we haven’t hit summer heat yet, it’s getting hot here and the AC is running about 40% less than the year before for the same months, and our electric bill is consistently at the minimum for our utility company (like $30)
Also bought a Model Y during this time! Still hitting those minimum bills.
TLDR: All that to say, if your system is “too small” and heating or cooling use a lot of energy, consider upgrading your insulation!