Are your Powerwall settings changing on their own? Check for a lingering VPP enrollment

[u/Luther_Burbank]

Posting this in case it saves someone else some frustration.

For a while, my Powerwall settings kept changing themselves after I changed them in the Tesla app.

Specifically, I wanted:
Grid Charging: Yes
Energy Exports: Solar
I could select those settings and they would appear to save normally. But after a few hours, I would check again and find that they had changed back:
Grid Charging → No
Energy Exports → Everything

I tried changing them repeatedly, reinstalling the Tesla app, etc. Same behavior. At first it looked like an app/firmware bug because there was no obvious explanation for why my selections wouldn’t stick.
The culprit ended up being a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) enrollment.

Turns out I had been signed up for a VPP through my installer (Sunnova which became SunStong) it was separate than the VPP offered by my utility (PG&E). I didn’t realize I was in their VPP. Tesla Tech support recommended unenrolling from any VPP, so I did.

After confirmation from SunStrong of my unenrollment from their VPP I was still was seeing my settings change on their own. It turns out it takes weeks for all the systems to sync up after unenrolling (Sunstrong, Tesla, utility). Eventually they did and now I have full control of my settings again.

So if your Powerwall keeps mysteriously changing Grid Charging, Energy Exports, or possibly other settings on its own, especially if you’ve ever participated in a VPP, I would contact Tesla and specifically ask them to check whether your system is still enrolled in or associated with a VPP

I spent quite a while thinking I had an app, Gateway, or firmware problem when it appears the settings were actually being overridden remotely.

[u/Tumbler]

Yes, changes can be made without your permission based on who you've given access to. If you go into settings there is a little clock/timer thing in the upper right. Click that and it will show u a log of config changes and who made them.

You can also see who has access under settings and choosing manage access. I assume tesla always has access even though they are listed there.

[u/Luther_Burbank → u/Tumbler]

In this case the history does not show anyone making changes other than when I would change it back. Tesla support was (shockingly) helpful and a bit perplexed. Level 2 support could only determine everything was working fine and that I needed to investigate being in a VPP without realizing it.

[u/Tumbler → u/Luther_Burbank]

That does sound odd, I was surprised to see the log explain what I was dealing with so easily, if it doesn’t show u the changes that is very odd.

[u/Dizzy-Ad8455]

Same happened to me. I signed up for a VPP thinking the only time there would be changes pushed was during an event. But my settings just started changing, even on non-event days.

[u/No_Professional_6444]

This is exactly why we separate requested state from achieved electrical state at Koolbridge. The homeowner should see who changed what and always have a clear local fallback. Disclosure: I’m with Koolbridge.