A look at Tesla Powerwall in Vermont Homes

A modern piece of technology is running inside a Vermont log home. Andy McMahan is one of 102 Vermonters who have a Tesla Powerwall already up and running and about 1,200 others are on a waiting list.
"I feel like a guinea pig, to a little point, but someone's got to do it," said McMahan.
McMahan says just days after her powerwalls were installed, a wind storm knocked out power for thousands of Vermonters, including her.
"This went on, went off, went on, went off and we're like oh boy," said McMahan. After a call to Tesla's customer service and a few flipped switched McMahan says the lights came back on. Despite the hiccup the first time around, she says the next time she lost power, she didn't even know.
"The seamlessness is just, you know, you don't have to go out and start a generator," said McMahan "It's quiet, doesn't use fuel it's what it is, it's powered by the sun."
McMahan has solar panels to recharge her Powerwall after GMP pulls power during peak time, but Green Mountain Power reps says she isn't left uncharged if a sunny day isn't in the forecast.
"We're always making sure we're always looking at things like the weather, make sure that in those cases we would be ensuring that the storage devices are fully charged and ready for the customer to use," said GMP CEO Mary Powell.
It's something GMP CEO Mary Powell says is common sense and will be even easier to accommodate once more Powerwalls are installed, but the walls currently running are already making a difference.
"Having those 100 signed up is like virtually disconnecting, like taking 500 homes completely off the grid. That's the equivalant," says Powell "so you can only imagine when we get up to 2,000 and when we go further."
Back in McMahon's home, she signed up for two Powerwalls and pays 15 dollars a month for each through the program. Normally it costs between 7 thousand to 8 thousand dollars to order one from Tesla's website.
"If these continue as good as they are, if there wasn't a lease agreement, I would buy one," said McMahan.
People who use the Powerwalls have an app on their phone that shows them when their Powerwall is being used and how charged it is.