FAQ
Getting started
Section titled “Getting started”Do I need a Tesla account to use Grid Getter?
Section titled “Do I need a Tesla account to use Grid Getter?”Yes. Grid Getter connects to Tesla’s API and requires a Tesla account with at least one commissioned Powerwall. It doesn’t work with Tesla vehicles alone — you need a home energy product (Powerwall, solar, or both).
Does Grid Getter work with Tesla Solar Roof?
Section titled “Does Grid Getter work with Tesla Solar Roof?”Yes, as long as it’s connected to a Powerwall. Grid Getter reads and controls the Powerwall — the Solar Roof integrates with the Powerwall and shows up in the same data.
Does Grid Getter control my Tesla car?
Section titled “Does Grid Getter control my Tesla car?”No. Grid Getter only connects to your Tesla energy products (Powerwall, solar). It has no access to your vehicles, charging schedule, or vehicle data.
Is my Tesla password stored by Grid Getter?
Section titled “Is my Tesla password stored by Grid Getter?”No. Grid Getter uses Tesla’s official OAuth authorization. You log in to Tesla’s website directly during the connection process — your Tesla password is never sent to Grid Getter. You can revoke Grid Getter’s access at any time from your Tesla account under Account → Third-Party Apps.
What if I have multiple Tesla sites?
Section titled “What if I have multiple Tesla sites?”You can connect multiple sites to one Grid Getter account. Each site has its own automations and settings. Switch between sites using the site selector in the navigation.
Automations
Section titled “Automations”What’s the difference between the three automation types?
Section titled “What’s the difference between the three automation types?”- Custom Schedule: Runs one action at a specific time. Simple, great for operational mode changes and Storm Watch control.
- Peak Time: Manages battery reserve during your utility’s peak rate hours. Specifically designed for time-of-use electricity plans.
- DemandGuard: Monitors your live grid draw and reacts in real time to prevent demand charge spikes. Requires the DemandGuard plan.
See Automations Overview for a full comparison.
Why didn’t my automation run?
Section titled “Why didn’t my automation run?”Check these first:
- Is the automation enabled (toggle on, shown in green)?
- Is today included in your days of week schedule?
- Is the current month included in your months schedule?
- Is your timezone set correctly in Settings → Profile?
- Is your Tesla connected? (no banner at top of app)
See Activity Log → Automation Logs to check if an error was recorded.
How many automations can I have?
Section titled “How many automations can I have?”| Plan | Active automations |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 at a time |
| Premium | Unlimited |
| DemandGuard | Unlimited |
You can create more automations than the limit — just enable/disable them as needed.
Can I change an automation’s type after creating it?
Section titled “Can I change an automation’s type after creating it?”No. Once an automation is created, its type (Custom Schedule, Peak Time, DemandGuard) is locked. Delete it and create a new one if you need a different type.
Why does DemandGuard require its own subscription tier?
Section titled “Why does DemandGuard require its own subscription tier?”DemandGuard checks your live energy data continuously during demand periods — multiple times per minute, every day it’s scheduled to run. This uses significantly more API calls than standard monitoring. The separate tier reflects the additional infrastructure cost of running it at scale.
Billing and plans
Section titled “Billing and plans”Is there a free trial?
Section titled “Is there a free trial?”Yes — all new paid subscriptions include a 7-day free trial. You won’t be charged until the trial ends. Cancel before the trial ends and you won’t be billed.
What happens to my automations if I downgrade?
Section titled “What happens to my automations if I downgrade?”- Downgrading from Premium to Free: All but one of your automations are deactivated (not deleted). Re-enable one, and the others stay saved for when you upgrade again.
- Removing the DemandGuard add-on: Your DemandGuard automations are paused (not deleted). They resume if you re-add the DemandGuard tier.
Can I cancel anytime?
Section titled “Can I cancel anytime?”Yes. Open the Subscription page, pick Free, and confirm. You keep access to paid features until the end of your current billing period. Change your mind? Hit Resume Subscription on the Cancellation pending banner any time before the period ends.
I subscribed through the App Store — how do I manage my subscription?
Section titled “I subscribed through the App Store — how do I manage my subscription?”Through Apple, not Grid Getter. Go to Settings → [Your name] → Subscriptions → Grid Getter on your iPhone or iPad.
Why is there a “DemandGuard add-on” on top of Premium?
Section titled “Why is there a “DemandGuard add-on” on top of Premium?”DemandGuard is an advanced feature with distinct infrastructure requirements. Rather than making the full service more expensive for everyone, we offer it as an add-on so users who don’t need it pay only for what they use.
Data and privacy
Section titled “Data and privacy”Can I export my energy data?
Section titled “Can I export my energy data?”Yes, on Premium and DemandGuard plans. Go to Settings → Data and click Request Data Export. You’ll receive a download link via email and in-app notification.
How long is my data kept?
Section titled “How long is my data kept?”Your data is kept for the lifetime of your account. When you delete your account, all associated data is removed within 30 days (backup systems may retain it up to 90 days). The one exception is product analytics, which ages out on its own schedule — see Data & Privacy.
Can I delete my account?
Section titled “Can I delete my account?”Yes. Go to Settings → Account and click Delete Account. You’ll need to confirm by typing “delete.” This is permanent and cannot be undone.
Does Grid Getter track how I use the app?
Section titled “Does Grid Getter track how I use the app?”Yes, and you can switch it off. Two things are on by default: crash reports, which fire when something breaks, and product analytics, which records which features get used along with a session replay. Anything you type is masked before a recording leaves your device.
Each has its own switch under Settings → Data → Privacy, and under Settings → Privacy in the mobile apps. The switches are per device, so turning analytics off in your browser leaves your phone alone. See Analytics and crash reporting for the detail.
Technical questions
Section titled “Technical questions”How often does the dashboard update?
Section titled “How often does the dashboard update?”Every 60 seconds. This reflects Tesla’s API data refresh rate.
Does Grid Getter work if my internet goes out?
Section titled “Does Grid Getter work if my internet goes out?”No. Grid Getter is cloud-based and requires an internet connection to communicate with Tesla’s API. If your internet is out, automations won’t fire during that time.
What happens during a Tesla API outage?
Section titled “What happens during a Tesla API outage?”Grid Getter can’t read data or send commands during Tesla API outages. Automations that fire during an outage will log an error. They won’t retry — the next scheduled run will attempt normally.
Is Grid Getter an official Tesla product?
Section titled “Is Grid Getter an official Tesla product?”No. Grid Getter is an independent application that connects to Tesla’s official API. It’s not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Tesla, Inc.
Why can’t I set a battery reserve between 81% and 99%?
Section titled “Why can’t I set a battery reserve between 81% and 99%?”Tesla’s cloud API silently caps the Powerwall backup reserve. Any value between 81% and 99% is quietly forced down to 80%. The API reports success, so nothing looks wrong, but Tesla holds 80% instead of the number you picked. Only 0–80% or exactly 100% take effect. This is a Tesla platform limit, not a Grid Getter choice.
Grid Getter handles it for you. Pick a value in that range on any reserve control and it snaps to 80% — the highest level Tesla honors without forcing the battery to charge. 100% is not a neutral hold: it tells the Powerwall to charge to full and pulls power from the grid, the opposite of what you want during a peak or demand window.
The correction is applied in three layers so it stays consistent everywhere:
- In the app — the dashboard reserve control and the Peak Time, DemandGuard, and Battery Protection reserve fields snap a dead-zone value to 80% as you set it, so you never save a number that won’t stick.
- On save and on open — an automation’s stored reserve is coerced when you save it and again when you reopen it, so a value written by an older app version doesn’t linger.
- On the server — Grid Getter’s backend coerces every reserve it stores or receives, so web, iOS, Android, and older app versions all land on the same value and nothing invalid reaches Tesla.
To keep your battery near full during a window, set the reserve to 100% for a true “charge and hold full.” Or use DemandGuard with the Advanced hold strategy: when it holds a high-but-not-full battery (81–99%), it switches your Powerwall into Backup mode instead of pinning a reserve, so the battery stays put at its exact charge level without being forced to charge from the grid.
One more Tesla quirk Grid Getter works around: a Powerwall that reads exactly 100% can quietly drift back down a couple of percent while idle (Tesla recalibrates its charge estimate). If DemandGuard held it with a 100% reserve, that drift would make Tesla start charging from the grid mid-window — the worst moment for a demand spike. DemandGuard watches for this: if the grid starts charging the battery to satisfy one of its own holds, it lowers the hold to 80% (Autonomous) within about a minute and records why in your Activity Log.
Still have a question? Contact support →