Adding a rooftop solar array to your home or business can be exciting and expensive. As such, it might be tempting to cut corners to keep costs down — but some upgrades are simply much cheaper to do while your solar system is being installed than they are to add later, and we’ve got some prime examples right here.

Just like it’s often cheaper for your mechanic to handle small add-on jobs while the bumper is already off and the engine is already exposed, there are a handful of home energy upgrades that are far easier and less expensive to take while your solar system is being installed that they would be later, if only because that work often means reopening permits, calling electricians back out, or even removing and reinstalling panels — all of which adds labor hours that can get really expensive really fast fast.

To help you navigate which jobs may be worth doing now, here’s a list of common upgrades home solar customers commonly regret skipping:

1. Smart panel upgrade

My solar panels work fine … but now I can’t add an EV, heat pump, or backup battery without redoing everything.

PEOPLE WHO SKIP THIS STEP

Even if your home solar setup is working perfectly, skipping a panel or service upgrade can create headaches down the road for homeowners looking to electrify everything, eventually. Upgrading from a 100A service to 200A, installing a smart panel (like those available from Leviton, Schneider, or SPAN), and adding load-shedding capabilities for future electrification projects makes a ton of sense while your electricians are already there.

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Plus, making these changes often requires shutting down the solar array, reopening permits, and calling in the electricians again once the system is live — disruptive and expensive costs that are much easier to handle during the initial installation.

2. Battery-ready electrical (without a battery)

I didn’t think I’d need a battery … until we started getting more outages, our utility started TOU rates, and an EV showed up in my garage.

PEOPLE WHO SKIP THIS STEP

Even if you’re not installing a battery now, homeowners who skip the steps needed to make their homes “battery-ready” often regret not pre-installing a transfer switch, leaving space for battery breakers, or choosing a battery-compatible inverter. Once the system is live, adding these features usually means fresh permits, scheduling another building inspection, and paying for duplicate electrician labor — all before you even purchase a battery.

So, while it may make sense to wait on the right battery, itself as battery prices continue to come down and more competitors enter the market, any savings you might gain from waiting will almost definitely get eaten up by duplicate labor costs.

3. Whole-home energy monitoring

I have solar now and my energy bill is lower … but I still don’t know where most of my electricity is being used.

PEOPLE WHO SKIP THIS STEP

Even after they start to see savings from their home solar setup, many homeowners struggle with knowing exactly how their electricity is being used, and a smart, home energy monitor can help clear things up.

While some of these systems are easier to install than others (see the Sense Home Energy Monitor video, above), adding home- or circuit-level energy monitoring during the initial solar install can be less expensive than adding them on later, for the same reasons given for skipped steps 1 and 2: avoiding the duplicate labor costs that you’ll have to pay to get the job done later, without adding any value to the end result that you’ll end up living with.

4. Roof repairs and solar prep

My roof was fine … until we added the solar panels.

PEOPLE WHO SKIP THIS STEP

This one came on my radar while I was writing up that no-cost solar program from BGE. Simply put: even if your roof seems perfectly fine today, you could regret not doing any solar-specific roof prep ahead of or during your rooftop solar installation.

Simple upgrades like putting fresh underlayment below the array area, improving flashing, or beefing up the structure beneath the planned panel layout can prevent costly headaches later, as removing and reinstalling panels a few years down the line is one of the priciest “oops” moments in residential solar.

As always, however, don’t take my word as gospel when it comes to any of this electrical or construction stuff. Your best resource is a reputable, vetted solar electrician who has seen and done this all before — which is just one of the reasons we recommend getting multiple quotes and asking lots of questions if and when you decide to move forward.

Original content by Electrek; featured image by QMerit.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

An engineering student managed to reverse-engineer Tesla’s Robotaxi app and collect data that shows the autonomous but supervised ride-hailing system in Austin consists of no more than a few vehicles (~5) operating at the same time.

In our report, ‘Tesla Robotaxi launch is a dangerous game of smoke and mirrors‘, from earlier this year, we reported that we expected Tesla to rush a “Robotaxi” service in Austin to give Elon Musk a win after years of missed deadlines and promises regarding autonomous driving.

Competitors, such as Waymo, are rapidly expanding their own robotaxi networks, making it harder for Tesla to maintain the impression Musk crafted that it is the leader in autonomous driving.

We suspected that the Robotaxi program in Austin, located in Texas, a state with some of the most lax regulations regarding autonomous driving, would be more about optics than the actual launch of Tesla’s long-promised autonomous ride-hailing service.

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The service “launched” as a pilot in June, Tesla claims to launched the Robotazi app “for all” in September, CEO Elon Musk claimed to have since “doubled the size of the fleet” in November, and Tesla expanded the service area several times:

During those 6 months, Musk also made several wild predictions, including claims that the Robotaxi fleet in Austin would reach “500 vehicles” by the end of the year and that the Robotaxi would “cover half the US population” by the end of the year.

The CEO also said that Tesla would remove the safety drivers inside the vehicles in Austin by the end of the year.

If you are only following Tesla’s official channels, you would think that everything is going as planned: Tesla launched Robotaxi as a pilot with safety drivers in June, opened the service to “all” in September, and doubled the fleet in November. Now, Tesla accumulated enough safety data to remove the safety drivers and rapidly expand.

However, the reality is that Tesla is barely operating its Robotaxi in Austin.

This morning, Electrek spoke with Ethan McKanna, a 19-year-old engineering student at Texas A&M, who reverse-engineered Tesla’s Robotaxi app to track the availability of the network.

He made it available in an online tracker.

McKanna’s tracker has found 32 different Tesla Model Ys used in the Robotaxi network in Austin. It’s far from 500, but it is in line with the previous claim of “doubling” the fleet.

But what the tracker exposes is that while Tesla is “adding” vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet, it doesn’t mean that they are all or even the majority of them are in operation most of the time.

In fact, McKanna’s data points to Tesla using fewer than 10 Robotaxis at the same time, and that’s if they are using any at all:

This is speculative on my part, but it’s my best guess based on the little data we have and can collect. One person I talked to who scoped out the depot and recorded videos told me he believes there are 1-5 out at a time. The highly sporadic wait time shifts and my experience of consistently getting the same vehicle multiple times when I use the service in the data all corroborate that.

For example, over the last week, McKanna’s tracker showed that Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin was unavailable about 60% of the time:

The young engineer explained how he obtained this data:

I reverse-engineered the robotaxi app and found the APIs to be able to fetch prebook eta estimates from Tesla. I have a server where every 5 minutes I ping Tesla at ~10 points in both service areas, pull the wait time, and store it. If a wait time is offered, I count it as available, if “high service demand” or any other type of error is shown, it is marked as unavailable.

Anyone using Tesla’s Robotaxi app in Austin would often get a notification that the service is unavailable due to “high service demand”, but this is not precisely the case.

McKanna’s tracker can ping 11 different locations within the service area in Austin, and as the chart above shows, it is often shown to be unavailable everywhere, even within the official working hours.

Here are the current wait times at the time of publishing this article (~1 PM Austint time):

This suggests that either no vehicles are in operation or only a handful are concentrated in a specific area of the service map, and they are all pre-booked in advance, which is unlikely considering ride-hailing services are about quickly matching demand with supply.

Rather than being a “high service demand” situation, it is more about being a low or no supply situation.

Electrek’s Take

Based on Tesla’s official channels and paid influencers/investors, the Robotaxi service appears on the surface to be progressing as planned:

• Tesla launched as a pilot in June with a handful of cars available to a handful of influencers/investors
• Tesla expands the fleet and service area in August
• Tesla opens the Robotaxi app “to all” in September
• Tesla doubles the fleet in November
• Now, Tesla is about to remove the safety monitors and expand rapidly

The reality is that while Tesla is doing the “easy things” for optics, such as adding more vehicles to the fleet and expanding the service area, the actual service barely exists.

What is the point of having a fleet of 30 vehicles if you are only operating 3-6 at a time?

What is the point of “opening the service to all” if you are only able to offer a few rides per hour?

What is the point of removing the safety monitor if you already have a crash rate higher than human drivers, with the safety monitor presumably preventing further crashes?

The point is optics. Elon Musk is trying to maintain the illusion that Tesla is leading in autonomy and giving himself a win on some predictions after a full decade of missed deadlines.

The concerning part is that it poses a safety risk to all road users.

We’re kicking off this week’s Green Deals (and our lead-up to Christmas) with Bluetti’s newly launched Member Day Sale that is taking up to 50% off power stations and accessories – plus, offering coupon/gift card promotions. Among the group, we spotted the AC200L Portable Power Station bundled with an alternator charger 1 at $999. From there, we also have Segway’s Xafari and Xyber e-bikes at their lowest prices starting from $1,800 as part of the brand’s ongoing Christmas Holiday EV Sale, as well as EcoFlow’s latest 48-hour Christmas flash sale offers starting from $799, a collection of Govee smart appliances, and much more waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals from last week that are collected together at the bottom of the page in our most recent Electrified Weekly roundup edition.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Bluetti Xmas Member Day Sale takes up to 50% off power stations and accessories + bonus rewards – all starting from $199

With its Christmas Sale having come to an end, Bluetti has switched to a short-term Member Day Sale that will run through the upcoming holiday with up to $1,549 savings on a select lineup of deals for subscribed members alongside coupon/gift card promotions. One notable inclusion is the AC200L Portable Power Station with an alternator charger 1 at $999 shipped, which sadly cannot stack our exclusive code from the previous sale for additional savings, but does beat its Amazon pricing by $300. This bundle would fetch $1,999 without any discounts, with the cuts we’ve seen over the year having gone as low as $949 back during October’s Prime Day event. This bundle only dropped to $1,099 in the previous sale, with an even greater 50% markdown here landing the price at the second-best rate we have tracked, complete with $1,000 savings. Head below to browse the full lineup of promos and deals while this sale continues through the week.

As I mentioned, there are some coupon/gift card promotions during Bluetti’s Member Day Sale, giving you the chance to trade-in Bluetti bucks for the extra savings options. You can choose to use your points/bucks to score up to $100 off coupons or $100 gift cards when exchanging anywhere from 2000 to 10,000 points/bucks.

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Bluetti’s AC200L power station is an solid backup power solution that covers devices and appliances at home during emergencies, on trips, at tailgates, and more with a 2,048Wh starting LiFePO4 capacity. Of course, there are ample expandability options here, with it reaching 4,096Wh with a B230 battery, 6,348Wh with two B210 batteries, 7,168Wh with a B500K battery, or as high as 8,192Wh with two B300 batteries. With 11 output ports to utilize (4x AC, 2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, 1x car port, 1x TT-30), it delivers up to 2,400W (and surges higher to 3,600W) power to devices, appliances, and even your RV.

A standard AC outlet can put it back to 80% battery in around 45 minutes, or by using its max 1,200W solar input, you can recharge completely in 1.7 to 2.2 hours via the sun. There are also options to use your car’s auxiliary port, add an alternator charger for faster speeds from your car, connect a gas generator, or use AC and solar recharging simultaneously.

Bluetti’s Member Day Sale power station offers:

Bluetti’s Member Day Sale accessory offers:

• Alternator Charger 1: $199 (Reg. $399)
• 200W Solar Panel: $399 (Reg. $499)
• 350W Solar Panel: $649 (Reg. $849)
• B300K Expansion Battery (2,764.8Wh): $1,249 (Reg. $1,699)
• B300K (2,764.8Wh) for AC200L/AC300: $1,249 (Reg. $1,699)
• B300K (2,764.8Wh) for AC500: $1,299 (Reg. $1,699)
• B500K Expansion Battery (5,120Wh): $1,999 (Reg. $2,999)

You can also browse the full Bluetti Member Day Sale on the landing page here.

Save up to $600 on Segway’s Xafari and Xyber e-bikes at their best prices starting from $1,800 through Christmas

Looking in on Segway’s continuing Christmas Holiday Sale, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the brand’s two e-bikes that are down at their lowest prices. For a little while longer, you can hop on the Xafari All-Terrain Cruiser e-bike for $1,799.99 shipped, while the more thrill-packed Xyber e-bike is down at $2,899.99 shipped. These two models usually go for $2,400 and $3,300 at full price, with discounts having slowly dropped lower and lower over the year until hitting these same rates during Prime Day in October, with the deals repeating for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and now this Christmas sale. You’re looking at $600 and $400 markdowns here, which give you the lowest tracked prices to date.

If you want to learn about these two e-bikes’ capabilities, be sure to check out our original coverage of these low prices here.

EcoFlow’s next 48-hour flash sale drops expanded DELTA 2 Max bundle to second-best $1,469, more from $799

As part of its ongoing Christmas Holiday Sale, which only lasts a few more days, EcoFlow has launched another 48-hour flash sale with up to 60% savings on four offers, one of which gives you the DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station with a smart extra battery for $1,469 shipped, beating out its Amazon pricing by $30. It boasts a $3,298 full price tag, though you can often find it starting around $2,149 at Amazon. We’ve mostly been seeing the price kept down at $1,499 since November, with a short-term dip to the $1,424 low during the final week lead-up to Cyber Monday. If you missed out on that low, you’re getting the next-best price here through December 23, with $680 off the going rate ($1,829 off the MSRP).

If you want to learn more about this particular power station, or browse the full lineup of deals that are lasting through December 23, be sure to check out our original coverage of this flash sale here.

Fertilize your garden with Govee’s smart electric kitchen composter at a new $150 low, more from $27

Through its official Amazon storefront, Govee is now offering its Smart Electric Kitchen Composter lower than ever at $149.99 shipped. It’s been cascading down from roughly $300 since the end of November, when we saw it drop and hold at $200, which was the lowest price at the time. Now, thanks to the $50 additional price cut, you’re looking at a total $150+ savings here that goes lower than ever for a new all-time low rate.

If you want to learn more about this eco-friendly device, or browse the full lineup of the brand’s other devices getting discounts, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.

Best Winter EV deals!

• Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (camo) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $3,048 (Reg. $3,298)
• Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (sage or fig) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $2,948 (Reg. $3,298)
• Heybike Hero 750W Mid-Drive Carbon-Fiber All-Terrain e-bike: $2,099 (Reg. $3,099)
• Segway Xyber e-bike (at lowest price): $2,900 (Reg. $3,300)
• Lectric XPedition 2.0 35Ah Cargo e-bike w/ $893 bundle: $1,999 (Reg. $2,761)
• Ride1Up TrailRush German Mid-Drive e-bike: $1,995 (Reg. $2,095)
• Heybike Hero 1,000W Carbon-Fiber All-Terrain e-bike: $1,899 (Reg. $2,599)
• Tenways Wayfarer e-bike with $366 bundle: $1,899 (Reg. $2,199)
• Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike with DELTA 2 station: $1,898 (Reg. $2,198)
• Segway Xafari e-bike (at lowest price): $1,800 (Reg. $2,400)
• Aventon Aventure 3 Smart All-Terrain e-bike: $1,799 (Reg. $1,999)
• Aventon Aventure 3 Smart Step-Through All-Terrain e-bike: $1,799 (Reg. $1,999)
• Velotric Summit 1 Versatile Multi-Terrain e-bike w/ 160 bundle: $1,799 (Reg. $2,059)
• Lectric XPedition 2.0 26Ah Cargo e-bike w/ $744 bundle: $1,799 (Reg. $2,543)
• Lectric XP Trike2 750 Long-Range eTrike: $1,699 (Reg. $1,799)
• Aventon Level 3 Step-Over Smart Commuter e-bike: $1,699 (Reg. $1,899)
• Aventon Level 3 Step-Through Smart Commuter e-bike: $1,699 (Reg. $1,899)
• Lectric XPeak 2.0 Long-Range Off-Road e-bike: $1,599 (Reg. $1,699)
• Aventon Abound Cargo e-bike: $1,599 (Reg. $1,999)
• Ride1Up VORSA Modular Multi-Use e-bike: $1,595 (Reg. $1,695)
• Navee’s new XT5 Pro Long-Range Off-Road Electric Scooter: $1,400 (Reg. $1,500)
• Lectric XP Trike2: $1,399 (Reg. $1,499)
• Lectric XPeak 2.0 Standard Off-Road e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,499)
• Lectric XPedition 2.0 13Ah Cargo e-bike with $346 bundle: $1,399 (Reg. $1,745)
• Heybike ALPHA All-Terrain e-bike with $266 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,699)
• Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $518 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,817)
• Lectric XP4 750 LR Folding Utility e-bikes with $514 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,813)
• Lectric XP Lite 2.0 JW Black LR e-bike with $350 bundle: $1,099 (Reg. $1,449)
• Heybike Hauler Dual-Battery Cargo e-bike with $89+ bundle (new low): $999 (Reg. $1,413)
• Lectric XP4 Standard Folding Utility e-bikes with $227 bundle: $999 (Reg. $1,226)
• Lectric XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes with $350 bundles: $999 (Reg. $1,349)
• Segway ZT3 Pro All-Terrain Electric Scooter: $850 (Reg. $1,000)
• Segway E3 Pro Electric Scooter: $600 (Reg. $700)

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.