How a Tesla Powerwall 3 works with Idaho Power net billing, Avista net metering and KEC peak charges, from a certified Powerwall installer in Boise and Post Falls.
Updated September 2026
Short answer
Idahome Energy is a certified Tesla Powerwall installer serving Boise, the Treasure Valley, Mountain Home and North Idaho. Powerwall 3 is a 13.5 kWh home battery with a built-in solar inverter. What it is worth to you depends on your utility. On Idaho Power, it stores midday solar that would otherwise be exported for about 3 cents per kWh. On Kootenai Electric Cooperative, it can lower the peak-use charge. On every utility, it keeps your essentials running when the grid goes down.
Powerwall 3 is Tesla's current home battery. Each unit stores 13.5 kWh and has a solar inverter built in, so a new solar and battery system needs less separate equipment on the wall.
It is rated for indoor or outdoor installation and for operating temperatures from -4°F to 122°F. Tesla's warranty on Powerwall 3 is 10 years.
Systems can be expanded. Additional Powerwall 3 units or Tesla Expansion units can be added for homes that need more storage.
Idaho Power credits exported solar at its export credit rate under Schedule 6. As of January 1, 2026, that is 15.68 cents per kWh during summer on-peak hours (June through September, 3 to 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except holidays), 3.39 cents during other summer hours, and 2.90 cents from October through May.
Power your home uses as it is produced saves the full retail rate. So for most of the year, a kWh you store in a battery and use that evening is worth far more than the same kWh exported at about 3 cents.
A battery shifts midday solar into the evening and keeps it inside your home. That is the main reason more Treasure Valley solar projects now include one.
KEC credits exported solar one kWh for one kWh. Net-metered members also pay a $32.50 monthly service availability charge and a peak-use charge of $6 per kW during 6 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. The first 5 kW are at no charge.
Solar produces little during those morning and evening windows. A Powerwall set to cover them keeps the demand KEC measures lower, which is why batteries tend to earn more for KEC members than for many other North Idaho homes.
Avista and Clearwater Power credit exported solar one-for-one. Because exports are already credited at full value, a battery on these utilities is mostly about backup power and energy independence rather than bill savings.
For homes in Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Lewiston, Moscow and Sandpoint that see weather-driven outages, or that rely on a well pump, that backup can matter as much as the savings.
When the grid goes down, Powerwall 3 disconnects your home from the grid automatically and keeps the loads it is set up to back up running. Your solar keeps recharging it during the day.
We size backup around what you actually want to keep on: typically the furnace fan, refrigerator, internet, lights and, in rural areas, the well pump.
Idahome Energy is a certified Tesla Powerwall installer. The Idahome Energy team manages every project from design and utility paperwork through permitting and final inspection, and our highly vetted installer partners complete the field work, backed by our warranty.
We manage Treasure Valley and Mountain Home projects from our Boise office and North Idaho projects from our Post Falls office. Before recommending a battery, we confirm your utility and review your actual usage history. If a battery does not make sense for your home, we will tell you.
Tesla works with trained Certified Installers. Idahome Energy is a certified Tesla Powerwall installer based in Boise, serving the Treasure Valley and Mountain Home, with a second office in Post Falls for North Idaho.
Each Powerwall 3 stores 13.5 kWh. Homes that need more can add more Powerwall 3 units or Tesla Expansion units.
It often helps. Idaho Power credits most exported solar at about 3 cents per kWh, so storing midday solar and using it in the evening is usually worth more than exporting it. We model it using your own usage history before you decide.
Yes. KEC charges $6 per kW of demand during 6 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., after the first 5 kW. A battery that covers those windows can lower that charge.
Usually, yes. We review your existing system and electrical panel first. If your solar is on a prepaid lease, note that a battery added later does not get the prepaid lease discount.
Powerwall 3 is rated to operate from -4°F to 122°F and is rated for indoor or outdoor installation.
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