How Long Do Tesla Solar Roofs Last
The Tesla Solar Roof is designed to be the markets best long-term solar roof investment.
The warranty for tiles, power, and weatherization, as mentioned previously, all cover you for 25 years . However, that doesnt mean you should expect the Tesla Solar Roof to need replacement by the stated times.
Teslas BIPV system was introduced in 2017 so, not enough time has passed for accurate case studies. However, because of the aforementioned tested fire, hail, and wind ratings, we can expect Tesla tempered glass shingles to hold out significantly longer than conventional roofing.
Alternatively, looking at the life of most solar panels, we can consult this study on photovoltaic degradation rates. The analysis concludes that top tier panels retain more than 90% of the original output after 25 years. Whats more, is that in terms of physical durability, solar panels typically last much longer than conventional roofing material.
What Are Tesla Solar Roof Tiles
The Tesla Solar Roof is a seamless way of integrating Solar PV technology into homes across the globe. Available in 4 different styles , Tesla have cleverly manufactured a Solar Panel, that looks exactly like an ordinary roof tile. Each roof tile includes a highly-efficient solar cell, which has been developed in partnership with Panasonic, to work just the same way as a Solar Panel does.
In the long run, Tesla declares that their solar roof will work out cheaper than a regular roof. Due to its ability to generate electricity from a free energy source . This makes the Tesla solar roof tile perfect for homeowners who want to power their home using solar energy in style.
Specifications
- Dimensions per Solar Tile: 15 inches by 45 inches .
- Suitable for Roofs of a pitch between 9.5-59°
- Leading fire, wind and hail ratings.
- Able to withstand winds up to 166 miles per hour.
- App Monitoring and Powerwall Solar Battery Pairing.
- Tile warranty: 25 years .
- Power warranty: 25 years .
- Weatherization warranty: 25 years .
Consider The Tesla Solar Roof If:
- You have the financial means to make a substantial investment into a new roof
- You like to get your hands on cutting-edge technology and dont mind joining the waitlist
- You dont mind performing more regular maintenance on your solar panels
- You live in a populated region with access to Tesla-certified installers
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Can You Go Off
While it may be difficult to go completely off-grid with a Tesla Solar Roof, if you have enough Powerwalls, it is possible to reach a high level of self-sufficiency. Ultimately, whether or not you can go off-grid will depend on your initial Solar Roof and Powerwall investment, and how much energy you use throughout the year.
Can The Tesla Solar Roof Work With A Flat Roof
Unfortunately for homeowners with flat roofs, the Tesla Solar Roof will not be an option for you and your home. The minimum roof pitch eligible for a solar roof installation is 3:12 . This puts the Tesla solar roof at a disadvantage considering solar panels can work on all roof types. All it takes for solar panels to be effective on flat roofs is a tilted racking system.
Solar aside, tiling is not recommended for flat roofs due to leaking potential. This is a very real risk considering the wiring components located inside the solar tiles.
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Is A Tesla Solar Roof Cheaper Than Tesla Solar Panels
The main draw to the Tesla Solar Roof is two-fold: the cost per Watt and the added roof durability.
Teslas Solar Panels offer a cost per Watt of $2.01, which is highly competitive and below the national average. However, the Tesla Solar Roof is a newer technology that beats its standard solar panels in efficiency at $1.80 per Watt. Both of these prices are calculated before incentives and tax credits.
Not only do you get more efficient solar, but you also get a brand new beautiful Tesla roof. Homeowners looking for a solarized roof should see this as a no-brainer.
Are Solar Roof Tiles For You
The Tesla Solar Roof is an option for homeowners who are concerned about the aesthetics of their rooftop because the tiles look like a traditional rooftop. The tiles do come with a high price tag, though, and will make a Tesla Solar Roof cost prohibitive for many homeowners. Solar panels are still a reliable, tested, and durable option for homeowners who are looking for a great return on investment.
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Additional Costs And Upgrades
Depending on the current infrastructure present in your home, Tesla mentions that it may be necessary to perform additional upgrades during installation. This includes services such as extra electrical work or installation of a Solar Roof on a shed or deck. Prices are quoted directly to you upon inspection, but it is important to note that they are not included in the Solar Roof calculator estimate.
Pros Of Tesla Roof Tiles
Design: The most noticeable difference between solar panels and the Solar Roof is design. Tesla offers four different styles to choose from textured, smooth, Tuscan, or slate styled solar roof tiles. The tiles mimic the look of a traditional roof so your neighbors wont even know you have solar on your house . If you want to maintain the aesthetics of your rooftop, the Solar Roof tiles are a great option for adding solar energy to your home.
Warranty and durability: Tesla roof tiles are made with tempered glass that is more durable than standard roofing tiles. Tesla stands behind the durability of their product with an infinite warranty . We dont know the full details of their warranty, but thats quite a bold offer.
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Ennogies Take On Going Solar
Now, before we proceed to Ennogies solar roof offerings, lets take a moment and appreciate a simple point they made on why it is beneficial to have solar rooftops.
On their website, Ennogie justifies the price of solar roof tiles by arguing that rooftops are bound to get replaced sooner or later. Therefore, why not make it earn you money than depreciate and incur costs. Ennogie drives this point home well using the illustration below.
In hindsight, this cost-benefit analysis may seem to be common sense. However, it is a good reminder that it is better to earn back investment through solar panels or solar tiles rather than just losing money through simple roof depreciation.
These New Solar Tiles By Tesla Are More Efficient Than Ever Before
Tesla is introducing a new solar roof tile that is more efficient and powerful. It comes at a time when Tesla is attempting to mainstream its solar goods.
When it comes to the solar roof, Tesla has had its ups and downs. The products attractive design has earned it widespread acclaim. It has undoubtedly substantial advantages over conventional solar panels, including the capacity to access markets such as new residences and properties in need of a roof replacement in the near future. It has, however, proved difficult to get it to market.
New Solar Roof tiles can deliver a 22% increase in power, resulting in more energy offset
Tesla Solar
Tesla has struggled with durability testing, with prices shifting dramatically as the business understood the challenges of developing a streamlined product for such diverse applications as rooftops.
Tesla upped the price of its Solar Roof tiles significantly earlier this year in an update to its configurator and quote estimations, as well as introducing a new roof complexity factor. However, despite the price rise, the business claims that demand for the solar roof remains robust and that installations are speeding up. The Tesla Solar Roof is finally getting traction after years of delays, with a dramatic increase in installations in the last several quarters.
Datasheet for the new solar tile
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Solar Roof Efficiency Vs Solar Panel Efficiency
The brand new solar roof will be entirely manufactured in the United States. Tesla plans to manufacture all of their solar tiles at their Buffalo facilities using solar cells provided by their partner, Panasonic. Peter Rive, the CTO at SolarCity had previously claimed the efficiency of one of their solar tiles was equivalent to a standard panel. However, according to SolarCitys website the colored film of the solar tile allows the cells to blend into the roof while minimizing solar efficiency loss. While it appears this would mean the efficiency of solar tiles would be lower than those of solar panel, this isnt necessarily the case.
Currently, Panasonics N3300 HIT modules have an efficiency of 19.7%. The have developed solar cells as efficient as 23.5% in their labs. The solar industry average for solar panels is approximately 16%, while Pick My Solars installers come in at around 19.5%. So even if the colored film of the solar tiles lessens the efficiency by a few percentage points, the solar tiles efficiency still may be equivalent to that of standard solar modules.
When it comes to the efficiency of Teslas solar roof in comparison to standard solar panels, there is no clear cut winner. Just make sure that if your home is very limited in regards to roof space, you go with the highest efficiency module possible to power your home.
Expensive When You Factor In Equipment And Labor Costs
The primary reason you dont see many homes with Tesla Roof tiles is that it isnt practical in terms of cost. Solar roof shingles costs substantially more than solar panels. If your primary reason to go solar is savings, solar roof tiles may not make much financial sense. Solar roof tiles often make the most sense when you are planning to replace your existing roof. It would be best to consider the home value and reduced energy costs to assess whether a roof comprised of solar roof tiles makes sense for your goals.
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Does Tesla Solar Roof Increase My Homes Value
Yes. The company takes great pride in increasing both the quality and value of its customers homes. So whether you are looking to sell your home for profit, use it as a vacation home, or hand it down to future generations, the added sustainable energy production carries on its value to all parties.
How Do Tesla Solar Roofs Add More Value To Your Home
Everyone these days desire to live in a highly efficient home. Increasing electricity bills making people crazy. We already have the solution with us. The only problem with the solar roof system is there are only a few players in the business who offers quality services.
Even you decide to install the solar roof system in your home, you have to wait in the queue for your turn.
Solar roofs are highly energy-efficient. It lowers your electricity bills and pays off your overall expense of installing a solar roof over time. In few years, your home would enjoy free electricity with less maintenance cost.
With that, you are supporting global warming. As a citizen of society, you are taking your step to control carbon emission and protect our earth.
As we move to the new generation of solar panel, the more efficient it will become, which will produce an extended amount of solar power every day.
Also, every solar panel comes with a backup battery storage system always connected to the solar system.
Modern batteries are efficient for storing electricity. During the day, the battery gets charge using the power generated through rooftop solar panel and transfers the energy generated from the system through connected cables.
When you come back in the evening, the batteries will be sufficiently charged to power your home and appliances.
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What Is The Tesla Solar Roof
Before we get into the specifics of the Tesla solar roof, lets go over what exactly the solar roof is. Tesla and their subsidiary SolarCity designed the solar roof to look like a traditional roof, however, some of the shingles are photovoltaic – meaning, they are able to generate solar power.
This way, homeowners could enjoy the benefits of solar energy without sacrificing the aesthetic of their home.
Teslas solar roof consists of two types of textured glass tile shingles:
When you choose to install a Tesla solar glass roof, your entire roof will be replaced with a combination of active and inactive solar shingles. The active solar tiles contain solar cells, so they can produce solar energy for your home to use. The inactive shingles function has regular shingles, and do not produce any electricity.
Tesla solar roof systems also include a Tesla solar inverter and can be paired with a Tesla Powerwall battery.
Tesla Launches New Solar Roof Tiles With More Power Higher Efficiency
Tesla is launching a new solar roof tile with greater efficiency and higher power capacity. It comes as Tesla is trying to make its solar products mainstream.
Tesla has had ups and downs when it comes to the solar roof.
The product has been widely recognized for its beautiful design. It undeniably has significant advantages over regular solar panels, with the ability to penetrate markets like new houses and homes that need a roof replacement relatively soon.
However, it has been hard to bring it to market.
Tesla has had issues testing for longevity, with prices fluctuating widely as the company realized the difficulties of create a streamlined product for such different things as roofs.
As we previously reported, Tesla significantly increased the price of the solar roof tiles earlier this year, after introducing a new roof complexity factor.
But the company claimed that the demand for the solar roof was still strong after this price increase, and that installations are accelerating.
Now we learn that Tesla is making a significant upgrade to its solar roof with a new, more powerful, solar tile.
Electrek has obtained a datasheet for the new solar tile that Tesla has started to include in solar roofs designed for customers.
Tesla previously used its SR60T1 tile, with a 58.5-watt capacity, in solar roof designs.
Now the company is now producing quotes and starting installations with a new SR72T1 solar tile.
The new tile features a higher max power output of 71.67 watts:
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What Makes Tesla Solar Panels Different
One striking difference between Teslas solar panels and other solar products is how they look on the roof. Images of Teslas solar panels portray a product with a sleek all-black finish, consistent with Teslas reputation for impressive design. However, Tesla isnt the only company that offers an all-black solar panel premium panel manufacturers LG and SunPower have been producing black panels for years, as has Teslas new manufacturing partner, Panasonic.
What is more distinct is the design of the system as a whole. The Tesla website states, Our solar panels blend into your roof with integrated front skirts and no visible mounting hardware. SolarCity acquired Zep Solar, a company that manufactures low-profile solar panel mounts, back in 2013. The Tesla solar panel system likely includes or in the future will include a version of Zeps previous mounting design.The system also includes skirts that create a beveled edge wrapping around the solar panel installation, which makes the system appear visually more integrated into the roof. While neither the skirt nor the low-profile mounting panels are Tesla-exclusive innovations, its clear that Tesla has dedicated significant resources to creating an aesthetically pleasing panel installation.
Increase In Home Value And Homes Sell Faster
A new solar system is similar to a home renovation because a solar panel system can increase its overall market value. A solar energy system is the best home improvement renovation because it is the only one guaranteed to pay you back. If you saw two identical homes, one with solar and one without. Wouldnt you pay more for the home that costs less to maintain every month?
Based on past data, homes with solar power can be sold for 3% more than homes without. This increase in home value applies to both solar shingles and solar panels. Besides, when analyzing previous home sales, the data has shown that homes with solar energy systems sell faster than others. When getting solar roof tiles, not only can you benefit directly from the solar energy system, but it will improve your home valuation as well.
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How Do The Savings Of The Tesla Solar Roof Compare To Traditional Solar Panels
Now we know the cost of a solar roof compared to a traditional solar installation and roof replacement, but how do the savings stack up?
A traditional 8.18 kW solar system in California will produce around 17,688 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. Based on an electric rate of $0.19 per kWh, that would save about $3,360 per year, and about $97,000 over the 25-year lifetime of the system.
Teslas production estimates for the solar roof would bring yearly savings to around $2,354 and the lifetime savings to $66,270.
The lower solar production from the solar roof is mainly because solar shingle orientation is determined by the slope of your roof. Rack-mounted solar panels are able to be oriented for ideal solar generation, giving you higher energy bill savings. So, you could actually install a smaller traditional solar panel system and still cover your electric bill.
Can I Cancel My Tesla Solar Roof
Customers who have ordered the Tesla Solar Roof installation and paid in full, including the deposit, can cancel and request a full refund through the respective Tesla Account. However, past cancellations reported online that Tesla keeps the $100 deposit.
Parties seeking a full refund after installation must go through a few more steps but will find the policy overall very generous. To do so, submit a formal written cancellation request to the Project Advisor within one week of your BIPV systems activation. Following the cancellation, Teslas staff will remove your Tesla Solar Roof for free.
Additionally, they will be sure to seal and waterproof your existing roof. No additional repairs for wear and tear or aesthetics will be provided.
Unfortunately, the Tesla Powerwall and any other prior construction done are nonrefundable.
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