How Much Is Tesla Solar Roof Cost

Pricing: Solar Roof Vs Solar Panels

You may have seen recent headlines that Tesla drastically increased their solar roof price. Weve also been playing around with their online solar quote tool and will walk through an example of Tesla solar roof pricing vs a traditional solar system below. Upfront disclaimer Based on the nature of Teslas solar quote tool, it is difficult to illustrate an apples-to-apples price/savings comparison, were in more of an apples-to-crabapples territory here.

So, lets start with what we do know. Our average home solar system size in 2021 is 8 kilowatts with a turn-key cost around $25,000 before incentives. That 8 kW system will generate approximately 11,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, saving its owner around $1,040 annually or $86 per month. These estimates are specific to North Carolina taking our local utility rates, state solar production potential, and estimated rise in utility cost into account. To learn more about these factors, check out our blog on what to watch out for on a solar proposal.

When we built a solar roof sized to 8kW in Teslas online solar roof design tool, Tesla listed the price as $56,755 before incentives, generating 12,087kWh per year, and saving its owner $2,112 annually or $176 per month. While we did have to game Teslas system to reach the same 8 kW solar size by tweaking the monthly electric bill cost, there are a few issues with how Tesla has calculated production and savings.

How Much Does The Solar Roof Cost +

Pricing is still evolving but our general guidance is that a new Solar Roof is likely to cost between $1500-2000 square before incentives. This figure is highly dependent on the size of the photovoltaic system chosen and the complexity of the roof design and number of obstructions on the roof deck. We are optimistic about developing expertise and methods of installing this more efficiently over time to hopefully bring this price down in the future. We have an online configuration tool to help you estimate the price of your project.

A single Powerwall battery storage system installation runs between $11,000 – 13,000 depending on whether other electrical upgrades are necessary. Additional Powerwall units can be added for around $9,000 to increase storage and backup capacity.

Tesla Solar Panels Vs Tesla Solar Roof

Tesla Solar Panels can be installed on top of existing roofs and are significantly cheaper than a Solar Roofthough still expensive compared to other solar panels on the market. The same two-story, 2,000 square foot house from the articles introduction would only need to spend $26,900 to have Tesla Solar Panels installed.

However, these panels would only generate 8.16 kW instead of the Solar Roofs 11.28 kW, making it more difficult to be self-powered. Powerwall also comes with the Tesla Solar Panels if you are interested in storing your energy.

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Solar Roof Durability Vs Solar Panel Durability

Tesla is extremely confident in the durability of its solar roof. Elon Musk has stated that the Tesla Solar Roof has an infinity warranty or for the lifetime of your home, whichever comes first. While the durability of the new solar tiles has not been successfully field testing, there are videos online of the Tesla Solar team launching hail and other heavy objects at the solar tiles to show their durability. Based on a video recorded in a Tesla owned factory, it seems the solar tiles are stronger than a tempered-glass solar panel.

Standard solar panels, however, are usually warrantied by the manufacturer for 25 years and the panels typically will last longer than the warranty. The expected lifetime of solar panels has also been field tested, unlike the solar roof.

The biggest question here is what is going to happen when solar tiles start degrading and losing their efficiency? When solar panels need to be replaced or corrected it is a pretty simple replacement. But what happens when there are solar tile problems? How much of the roof is going to have to be replaced? It seems that making any corrections to a Tesla Solar Roof is going to be very expensive and labor-intensive.

Is It Worth It To Get A Tesla Solar Roof

If youre willing to pay the high price point, need to replace your roof and like the idea and sleek aesthetic of Teslas solar shingles, then it may be worth it to get a Solar Roof. Otherwise, Teslas Solar Panels, or even traditional solar panels, may make more financial sense while still increasing your homes energy efficiency.

Teslas solar options are significantly more expensive than other renewable energy alternatives on the market, and the company has had a record of changing quoted prices for the Solar Roof fairly regularly. However, if you have the finances and do not mind integrating your home into the Tesla system, a Solar Roof is a good long-term investment for your home.

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Solar Roof Replacement Cost: A Simple Breakdown For Homeowners

Solar power continues to grow as people and homeowners find more sustainable ways to live to help the environment and save money on energy costs over time. One of those ways people are living sustainably is by installing solar roof panels.

Solar roof panels can power your entire home without the reliance on the electrical power grid. This can save you a lot of money over time, depending on your location and usage. Google has created a fun tool called Project Sunroof that allows you to plug in your address and determine how much money you could save switching to solar power, plus a customized solar analysis including estimated cost.

If you find that you could make back the money you pay for the installation of solar panels over time, then youll want to start looking into companies and the cost to replace your roof with solar panels. This post should help you get a ballpark idea of what that solar roof cost may be.

Does Tesla Manufacture Solar Tiles

As well as traditional solar panels, Tesla also supplies solar tiles, which blend into your roof seamlessly.

Whilst the Tesla website insists that the company creates solar tiles in its factory in Buffalo, New York, there has been a lot of scepticism around this claim. In fact, in a bid to figure out how accurate this claim is, PV Magazine looked into the tiles origins and found that they were shipped from China.

A close up of Tesla’s solar panels. Photos courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

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Why Should A Home Go Solar

Given the extensive costs and considerations pertaining to Tesla solar, is solar energy even worth it for your home? The upfront costs of these systems are a serious hurdle for many homeowners, but if you have the capital available, there are numerous reasons to consider going solar:

• With the climate crisis worsening, installing solar on your home is a direct way for you to reduce your home’s carbon footprint and potentially even start a trend of neighbors adopting clean energy after seeing you do so.
• Monthly power bills can be high and volatile, so the more energy you can generate self-sufficiently for your home, the less you’ll pay in utility bills.
• In many areas, the owners of a solar system can sell their excess energy back to the utility company, which can give you a greater return on your solar system investment.
• Rooftop solar combined with energy storage is a great way to reduce how likely your home is to be impacted by power outages.
• Installing solar panels ups the market value of your home, and with a sleek Tesla solar system, they can also make a home more aesthetically appealing.

While the high costs to install may be frustrating, it’s important that potential customers research or talk to experts about available tax incentives that come from federal, state and local governments. These incentives come as credits, rebates, low-interest loans and other tools to help make solar power accessible to more homes.

Tesla Solar Roof Available In Central Oregon Bend Resident Says Extra Cost Is Worth It

BEND, Ore. — A new way to do solar roofing has arrived in Central Oregon, and it’s backed by Tesla, the high-profile electric car maker.

Jake Hermeling is the first Central Oregon homeowner to have a Tesla solar roof built on a house.

I think the beauty of the product is that you cant tell its solar, Hermeling said Monday.

The roof has solar tiles that are designed to look like shingles, instead of the typical solar panels.

Most people come by, they have no idea, Hermeling said.

The roof was installed by Greenlee Roofing, a Bend-based company that received clearance from Tesla last January.

The company’s website said the solar roof tiles are “are more than three times stronger than standard roofing tiles.”

A few other companies have clearance throughout the state, but Director of Sales Hobie Smith said Greenlee is the first and only in Central Oregon.

Smith said a roof like Hermelings would roughly cost $18,000 to $20,000 for typical shingles. The solar roof is close to $25,000 to $30,000 more.

But Hermeling said having a “net positive house,” with the opportunity for a tax rebate, is worth the upfront cost.

As I was factoring it into my build cost, it was not a difficult decision for me, on the financial side, he said.

Smith said the solar roof could eliminate a homeowner’s typical monthly energy cost.

Everything that he would be spending per month, whether it be $150 to $200 per month, hes gaining back, Smith said.

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How Does The Cost Of Tesla’s Solar Roof Compare To Traditional Solar Panels

When you look at the cost per watt of Teslas solar roof, $1.80 per watt, its actually much lower than the average cost of solar in the United States, which, as of October 2021, is around $3.00 per watt.

However, the Tesla solar shingle roof isnt just solar panels, it’s a roof plus solar panels. So, to get a better idea of how solar shingles compare to conventional solar panels, we have to look at the price of replacing your roof versus getting solar installed.

Lets use the same house from the earlier example. By using the average cost of asphalt shingles in the U.S., it would cost around $16,000 to replace the homes 2,000 square-foot simple complexity roof.

So, how much would a traditional solar panel system cost? By using the average cost per watt of solar in the U.S., an 8.18 kW solar panel installation with one battery would cost $35,040, before the federal tax credit.

That brings the total cost of installing a traditional solar system and replacing the roof to $51,040. After the federal tax credit, this would come out to about $41,929.

So how did this compare to the cost of Teslas solar roof? It comes pretty close, and will depend on the exact materials used, but the Tesla solar roof is slightly more expensive.

Why Every Other Media Source Is Wrong About The Tesla Solar Roof Price Increase

As a Certified Tesla Installer, we feel its our responsibility to clear the air and call out some lousy reporting. The price of Tesla Solar Roofs has not skyrocketed. Homeowners are not being misled with low quotes. Heres an inside look at whats really happening with the price of Tesla Solar Roofs.

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Ceo Elon Musk Claims Installing The Solar Tiles Would Be As Cheap As A Regular Roofso We Do Some Number Crunching

Can you really install a solar roof on your home that would cost about as muchor even lessthan a regular roof? Thats the claim Tesla CEO Elon Musk made Friday when he announced plans to create Solar Roof tiles that will “look better than a normal roof, generate electricity, last longer, have better insulation, and actually have an installed cost that is less than a normal roof plus the cost of electricity.”

Tesla’s Solar Roof tiles would be made of glass over a photovoltaic substrate. Unlike aftermarket solar panels, they stand in for traditional roofing materials and look like the real thing from the ground.

Thats an important distinction, aimed squarely at one of the hurdles to the wider adoption of solar: the questionable aesthetics of those black silicon panels. Tesla unveiled four styles: smooth glass tile, textured glass tile, Tuscan glass tile, and slate glass tile.

“People like the idea of being energy efficient, but solar panels can be an eyesore,” says Giovanni Bozzolo, a partner at Roof4Less roofing in Seattle, Wash. To be able to combine the energy savings with aesthetics would be a very big thing in the industry. But the pricing has to be right.

Musk didnt provide specifics on how much the tiles will cost, and a company spokeswoman told Consumer Reports, we havent released details on pricing when we followed up.

How Long Does It Take To Install A Tesla Solar Roof

Fortunately, the third version of the solar roof sold in 2021 features larger tiles that dont need to be cut on site. It also has fewer pieces of hardware per tile. This means it can be installed more quickly than earlier iterations.

To give you some idea of the entire process, heres a certified installer doing a 4-day install time lapse. Some customers report up to 10-14 days.

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Tesla Solar Roof Is Becoming A Legitimate Bargain Against High

Tesla took a while before it was able to start a serious ramp of its Solar Roof tiles, but it appears that the wait will be worth it. As the electric car maker continues to expand its Solar Roof installations in the United States, it is starting to become evident that the aesthetically-pleasing solar shingles are a bargain in its class. At its current prices, Teslas Solar Roof presents savings compared to high-end roof options plus a traditional solar system.

The Tesla Solar Roof is actually one of the least expensive in its class of building-integrated PV options. While its true that the Solar Roofs competitors are fewer than, say, the Model 3s rivals in the EV segment, the flagship shingles do have some competition. These include DeSols Power Tiles, as well as the Luma Solar Tiles, both of whom adopt the same concept as the Tesla Solar Roof. The Solar Roof undercuts both competitors in price.

The Tesla Solar Roof is estimated to cost about $2.11 per installed watt, as noted by Green Building Advisor. This is far more affordable than the price of the DeSol Power Tiles, which stand at about $7 per installed watt. Even the Luma Solar Tiles, which are closer in appearance to Teslas Solar Roof V3, command a price of about $4.50 per installed watt. But this is not all, as the Solar Roof could be a reasonable alternative to a setup that involves traditional roofing materials and conventional solar panels as well.

Traditional Solar Panels With An Energy Storage System

As of 2021, you can expect to pay $3,000 per kilowatt of solar panel capacity, and this includes other system components and their installation. You will pay around $15,000 for a 5-kW system, and $30,000 for a 10-kW system. If you want to enhance the system with a 10-kWh home battery, you can expect to pay around $10,000. When combining this battery with the 10-kW solar array, the total price is around $40,000.

Thanks to the two-year extension of the 26% federal tax credit, you can deduct $7,800 from the solar system and $2,600 from the battery. However, keep in mind that the battery is only eligible if you charge it EXCLUSIVELY with the solar panels, and not with electricity from the grid. The potential tax credit that can be claimed is $10,400, reducing the net cost to $29,600.

In April 2021, Tesla decided to bundle its products into packages, and you can no longer buy them separately.

• This means you can buy a Tesla solar roof + Powerwall for your home, or their normal solar panels + Powerwall. Unfortunately, Powerwalls can no longer be purchased alone.
• If you already have solar panels installed, your only option is purchasing a battery from another brand.
• However, this is not a problem because there are excellent alternatives, such as the 9.3-kWh LG Chem RESU and the 10-kWh sonnenCore.

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Tesla Solar Roof Cost Varies By Roof Design

The cost of installing a Tesla roof varies significantly depending on your homes design. In April 2021, Tesla confused and frustrated many of its customers when it sent emails with increased prices to customers that had already signed contracts based on their initial quotes. While the company blamed these price hikes on underestimated roof complexity, Tesla has yet to provide a full explanation as to where its calculations faltered. The company did add a roof complexity estimate to its solar roof calculator, which adjusts the systems price based on the roof complexity. On its website, Tesla divides the complexity into three categoriessimple, intermediate, and complexbased on the following criteria:

• Simple: single-level roof, uncrowded mounting planes, few obstructions , low pitch
• Intermediate: multi-level roof , more crowded mounting plane, more obstructions , higher pitch
• Complex: multi-level roof , heavily crowded mounting plane, many obstructions , steep pitch

You can start to estimate the cost of the Tesla Solar Roof for your property by using Teslas solar roof calculator.