MONTICELLO · SAN JUAN COUNTY · EMPIRE ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION
When the grid drops, does your Monticello home actually stay on?
Tesla solar and Powerwall 3, designed around the right utility rulebook for your address and the way Monticello homes really run: a furnace, the fridge, full freezers and the lights.
Monticello, Utah runs on Empire Electric Association, not Rocky Mountain Power, so the rebates and connection rules are different here. Ask Solar Mike, a Utah Tesla solar and Powerwall 3 specialist, designs for Empire Electric Association's rulebook and for a furnace, the fridge, full freezers and the lights.
Free 45-minute Zoom with Mike. Bring a recent bill if you have it. No utility account number needed.
Tesla product photography
- Electric utility
- Empire Electric Association
- Step one
- Confirm the utility on your bill
- Permits
- Monticello City Building & Zoning (San Juan County Building Department performs county permitting)
- Wattsmart battery rebate
- Does not apply on Empire Electric Association
WALK YOUR PROPERTY IN AN OUTAGE
What stays on at your
Monticello home?
Monticello sits at about 7,000 feet at the foot of the Abajo Mountains, with cold, snowy winters. Heat is the load that cannot wait here, so we design backup around the furnace first. Tick what you refuse to live without. The planner adds the energy and the peak power, then gives you a preliminary Powerwall range to bring to your Zoom.
Whose name is on your power bill?
Planning estimates using typical residential loads. Your nameplates, your panel and your utility's requirements decide the real design.
WHY TESLA HERE
One system.
One manufacturer.
One answer when it matters.
Backup is a chain: panels, inverter, battery, the gateway that disconnects you from the grid, the app, the EV charger. In most quotes those links come from three or four companies.
Tesla builds the whole chain. Powerwall 3 has the solar inverter inside it. The Gateway, the app and the Wall Connector are designed to work as one system, under one manufacturer's warranties. When the grid drops, there is no question about which brand's box was supposed to react.
Mike learned this at his own house. He bought solar, then added batteries. When his neighbors posted about losing power, his lights and appliances kept working. That is the standard a Monticello design is held to: what do you want to keep doing when the lines go down?
Mike's experience, paraphrased. Backup coverage and duration depend on your system and loads.
| When the power is out | Tesla integrated system | Mixed-brand battery system | Portable or standby generator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switchover | Automatic through the Gateway | Automatic if the brands' controls are configured to work together | Manual start, or automatic with a transfer switch |
| Refuel | Sun recharges the battery each day | Sun recharges the battery each day | Propane, gas or diesel on hand |
| Who owns a fault | One manufacturer, one app, one warranty path | Depends which brand's component failed | Engine service and fuel supply |
| Everyday value | Works every day, not only in outages | Works every day | Sits until needed |
A mixed-brand system can work well. The difference is who is accountable when one part stops talking to another.
CHECK THEIR HOMEWORK
Monticello runs on Empire Electric Association, not Rocky Mountain Power. Your quote should know the difference.
Most Utah solar quotes are written for Rocky Mountain Power. Monticello homes are on Empire Electric Association, which has its own application, its own rules and no Wattsmart battery incentive.
Different utility. Different application. Different rebate. Different value for the power you send back. A quote that assumes the wrong one is wrong before the design starts.
A family doctor can read your chart. You still want the surgeon for the operation. Confirming your utility, then designing Tesla for that rulebook, is the operation we do.
Your utility's rulebook
- Empire Electric Association is not Rocky Mountain Power. It runs its own solar interconnection application and its own rules. Source ↗
- Empire Electric Association offers net metering to its members.
- Its published rules limit a system to 120 percent of annual energy use, bank excess kilowatt-hours forward and settle once each spring at the Annual True Up.
- The system must meet Empire's Interconnection Standard and pass a state electrical inspection, and we confirm the Utah terms with Empire before design.
- Empire Electric Association reviews the application and must approve the system before it operates. We confirm the current terms with the utility before we design.
- The Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart battery incentive does not apply to Empire Electric Association customers.
- Building permit: Monticello City Building & Zoning (San Juan County Building Department performs county permitting). Source ↗
- Look at the top of your power bill. It will name your utility.
- Your neighbor's utility is not proof of yours. Service territories in Utah do not always follow city limits.
- Bring the bill to your Zoom. Confirming the utility is step one of every Monticello plan we build.
USE THIS ON ANY INSTALLER, INCLUDING US
Seven questions that separate
a specialist from a generalist.
Ask them on your next quote call. Mark each one. A specialist answers without calling you back.
Mark the questions above as you hear the answers.
Product image · not a Monticello homeEXAMPLE MATH FOR A MONTICELLO HOME
The price, shown honestly.
Gross first. Every line visible.
Here is how one installed Powerwall 3 adds up. One line depends on your utility.
only when the agreement is signed at the first appointment− $2,000
paid by the utility after enrollment, Rocky Mountain Power addresses onlyNot available on Empire Electric Association
Example math, not an offer. Decide later and the standard price applies, $2,000 higher in this example; the 30% instant rebate and any utility incentive are unchanged either way. Final pricing depends on design, utility approval and equipment at the time of install. No savings are promised.
THE EVIDENCE ROOM
What is verifiable.
What is in writing.
No adjectives. Things you can check, and things you get on paper.
CHECK US
Public records
- 3,000+ solar and battery installs; a partial map is below
- Utah DOPL contractor license #14015846-5501
- Listed in Tesla's public Certified Installer locator
- 4.9 stars across 46 Google reviews
IN WRITING
Installer and program warranties
- 30-year workmanship
- 10-year bumper-to-bumper
- 10-year roof penetration
- No-cost labor on manufacturer warranty repairs for the program term (25 years solar, 10 years battery)
- 24/7 monitoring and insured installation-damage repair
Manufacturer: 25-year Tesla solar panel warranty and 10-year Powerwall 3 warranty, inverter integrated.
THE YEAR-6 ANSWER
Ask Solar Mike $0 Transfer Guarantee
With the pre-paid PPA the system is scheduled to transfer to you around year 6. We put it in writing: your buyout cost at the scheduled transfer is $0, and if the PPA provider charges more, Ask Solar Mike covers the difference.
After install you receive: a commissioning receipt, registration proof, monitoring handoff, an ownership record, a named escalation path and written change-order control.
“The process has been beautifully painless and convenient for me.”Tracey Jones · West Mountain, Utah · Published customer review
“8 months later it is doing a great job.”Tristan Wright · Published customer review
WHERE WE HAVE INSTALLED
Our Utah installs,
on the map.
A partial map of where we and our installation crews have completed installs. It opens on all of Utah. We design Tesla systems for Monticello homes and install statewide.
MONTICELLO QUESTIONS
Clear answers.
Sources attached.
Who provides electricity in Monticello, Utah?
Empire Electric Association. Monticello is not Rocky Mountain Power territory, so solar here follows Empire Electric Association's own interconnection rules. We still confirm the utility on your bill before we design anything.
Does the Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart battery rebate apply in Monticello?
No. Wattsmart is for Rocky Mountain Power customers, and Monticello homes are on Empire Electric Association. The 30% instant rebate through the Tesla pre-paid PPA program is not tied to your utility.
Why is my Monticello electric utility based in Colorado?
Empire Electric Association of Cortez, Colorado bought the Monticello electric system in 1980 and serves the town and surrounding area. Its net metering questions page does not separate Utah members from Colorado members. Ask Solar Mike confirms the Utah terms with Empire before design.
Can a Tesla Powerwall 3 run a well pump or air conditioner?
Often, yes, and it is decided by the nameplate, not a guess. Powerwall 3 delivers 11.5 kW of continuous power and is rated for 185 LRA motor starting. Ask Solar Mike reads the nameplate and confirms the design at site verification.
How many Powerwalls does a Monticello home need?
It depends on what you keep running and for how long. Each Powerwall 3 stores 13.5 kWh. Essentials such as heat, refrigeration, lights and internet often land in the one-to-two range. Air conditioning, a shop or EV charging move it higher. The planner on this page gives a preliminary range.
I have 400A service. Does that change the design?
Yes. Ask Solar Mike designs for 200A and 400A service panels. A 400A home is an engineered gateway decision. Whether you get whole-home or essential-load backup is confirmed at site verification.
Who issues the building permit for solar in Monticello?
Monticello City Building & Zoning (San Juan County Building Department performs county permitting). Ask Solar Mike handles design, contracting, permitting coordination and project management.
What happens at year 6 of the pre-paid PPA?
The system is scheduled to transfer to the homeowner around year 6. The Ask Solar Mike $0 Transfer Guarantee puts it in writing: the buyout cost at the scheduled transfer is $0, and if the PPA provider charges more, Ask Solar Mike covers the difference.
NEXT STEP FOR YOUR HOME
Schedule your Monticello
Tesla Home Plan
Free 45-minute Zoom with Mike to review your loads, your utility and your roof. You leave with a clear Tesla solar and Powerwall 3 plan for your exact address.
Free 45-minute Zoom with Mike. Bring a recent bill if you have it. No utility account number needed.
Prefer to type? Ask Sarah in the chat, or call (385) 312-0904.