Dreaming of going off-grid? Here's the financial reality of a Powerwall. Will a Tesla Powerwall actually fit into your budget? Tesla/Screenshot by CNET High energy bills and new tax incentives have more people turning to solar power for their homes. With a 30% federal tax credit and other local perks, installing a residential solar system has never been more appealing. And with the right setup, all you need is a battery to store that energy for later use. That's where the Tesla Powerwall comes in. It's become one of the most talked-about options for solar storage, but before you jump in, it's worth understanding what it actually costs, and what you're getting for the price. Fortunately, the Powerwall 3 is considerably cheaper than other batteries on the market. In fact, the Powerwall 3 is the cheapest it has ever been, costing about $1,065 per kilowatt-hour of energy storage, according to a report from EnergySage. Since the Tesla Powerwall 3 is a 13.5 kWh battery, you're looking at about $14,400. Can solar panels save you money? Interested in understanding the impact solar can have on your home? Enter some basic information below, and we’ll instantly provide a free estimate of your energy savings. In this quick guide, we'll take a closer look at the Tesla Powerwall 3 to help you decide if it's a worthwhile purchase. "The thing about batteries is they have a 10- to 15-year lifespan, and a lot of the time homeowners finance for 25 years," Garrett Mendelsohn, founder of Solar Bootcamp, told CNET. "So you're financing a product that's not going to really be doing anything by the end of the 25 years and paying interest on it." Let's dig into the details to help evaluate what makes sense for you. What is the Tesla Powerwall? Put simply, the Tesla Powerwall is a big battery that can be mounted inside or outside of your home. It can be hooked up to charge an electric vehicle in your garage, provide backup power, store excess solar energy from a connected solar array or all of the above. You can also connect multiple Powerwalls together for more capacity to do all these things at once. A Tesla Powerwall solar battery, like any other solar energy storage system, can keep your essential systems online during grid outages, help maximize your net metering savings or even be your primary source of power if you have an off-grid setup. Considering Solar Panels?