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Is Tesla Installing Solar Roofs

Can You Go Off

How to Install a Tesla Solar Roof 2021 Review

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.

Teslas Latest Solar Stumble: Big Price Increases

The company is charging tens of thousands of dollars more to cover roofs with its much-anticipated solar shingles, angering some customers.

Tesla solar shingles were installed on an addition at Dan Reichers home in Warren, Vt., this month.Credit…Caleb Kenna for The New York Times

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By Ivan Penn

On an October evening five years ago, Elon Musk used a former set for Desperate Housewives to show off Teslas latest innovation: roof shingles that can generate electricity from the sun without unsightly solar panels.

After delays, Tesla began rolling out the shingles in a big way this year, but it is already encountering a major problem. The company is hitting some customers with price increases before installation that are tens of thousands of dollars higher than earlier quotes, angering early adopters and raising big questions about how Tesla, which is better known for its electric cars, is running its once dominant rooftop solar business.

Dr. Peter Quint was eager to install Teslas solar shingles on his 4,000-square-foot home in Portland, Ore., until the company raised the price to $112,000, from $75,000, in a terse email. When he called Tesla for an explanation, he was put on hold for more than three hours.

I said, This isnt real, right? said Dr. Quint, whose specialty is pediatric critical care. The price started inching up. We could deal with that. Then this. At that price, in our opinion, its highway robbery.

Tesla Solar Panels And Solar Roof Could Dominate The Energy Market In The Us

The company, according to Musk himself, nearly went bankrupt during the Tesla Model 3 ramp up from mid-2017 to mid-2019, and the stock traded as low as $35. But here on the cusp of 2021, the transformation from car company to a vehicle for every investor’s dreams is complete.

Tesla stock trades at a multiple of sales that puts even the best tech companies to shame. Of the FANMAG stocks everyone is so enamored with , only one trades for more than 10 times sales . Amazon, the stock all value investors have shunned due to its insane valuation is the cheapest of the bunch at just 4.7 times sales. Tesla stock, meanwhile, trades at a nose bleed inducing 21.5 times sales. Not being a mere car company allows investors to imbue the company with qualities that cannot be quantified. A clear example is in the Solar PV industry, where Tesla is a strong player.

As per the latest information from SEIA , the U.S. installed 5.7 gigawatts of solar PV capacity in Q2 2021 is expected to reach 108.7 GWdc of total installed capacity, enough to power 18.9 million American homes. The US officially surpassed 3 million installations across all market segments, the vast majority of which are residential systems. Before the investment tax credit fully phases down under current law, the solar industry will continue to break annual installation records every year for the next three years at least.

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Does The Tesla Solar Roof Qualify For The Solar Tax Credit

Yes, the portion of costs associated with the active solar shingles and the battery qualify for the 26% federal solar tax credit.

For example, if you have a $50,000 Tesla solar roof and $20,000 of it represents the cost of the inactive roofing materials, only the remaining $30,000 for the solar shingles and Powerwall would qualify for the federal tax credit. Once the 26% tax credit is considered, the solar and battery costs would drop to $22,200, and the total cost for the entire roof would fall to $42,200.

Alternative Energy Southeast Now Offers Thetesla Solar Roof In Georgia

Tesla unveils easier

Considering a new roof? Get the ULTIMATE in new roof design.

The Tesla Solar Roof offers a beautiful new roof as well as clean solar power for your home. Its an all-in-one solution.

If youve been looking for a solar power option but have been limited because your Home Owners Association prohibits solar panels consider the Tesla Solar Roof.

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Low Return On Investment

But lets say the stars align. Youre in the market for a brand new roof, and youre looking to go solar as well.

The Consumer Reports analysis couldnt conclusively state it would be a good investment even under these ideal circumstances.

For a two-story home in Texas, where the A/C might run 300 days a year, the $73,400 in tax credits and energy savings fall short of the $86,100 cost to install the Solar Roof. In that scenario, the homeowner would find themselves $12,700 in the hole. Even with substantial energy savings, they would actually lose money over the life of the warranty.

Things look slightly brighter for a small ranch-style home in sunny California, where energy costs are sky-high. Consumer Reports estimated a $56,800 Solar Roof might earn the owner $41,800 in net savings over the systems life.

Thats not bad, but its still a far cry from a traditional PV system, which can pay for itself 2-3 times over during the life of the warranty.

The premium you pay for Tesla-branded roofing materials eats into most, if not all, of the money you save from reduced energy bills. The end result is that it takes ideal circumstances to break even on the investment.

One of the main selling points for solar is its viability as a long-term investment. Its not uncommon to see a 200-300% return on investment from a traditional solar array.

With the Solar Roof, Tesla aims to upsell a product you dont need , eating away at the value of your investment into solar energy.

Solar Roof Gutter Replacement

That upper roof layout is always going to be a challenge. Getting a downspout on that upper gutter, preferably with an elbow or two before it dumps into your lower gutter will help somewhat. Elbows will also get the water into the lower gutter and moving the right direction.

If 5″ gutters work for you now, then there is no need to upgrade to 6″ gutters, unless the roof is so steep that the rain water overshoots the gutter. Overshoot is a height of gutter, and a width of gutter issue. A gutter that is too low will not catch heavy/fast flows, nor will a gutter that is too narrow.

My thought is doing it now has the advantage of not having to have anybody working up on your new roof but I would be concerned about the new gutters in some way being incompatible with the new roof, particularly if you are adding new downspouts from the upper to lower roof. Waiting ensures you won’t have that issue, but do make sure the gutter replacement company is properly insured and understands the roof type. I believe the biggest concern is really not so much the walking but dropping things or trying to anchor ladders Waiting also means you can see how your gutters perform with the new roof before making a decision.

Moderator, Model 3, Tesla Energy Forums

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Tesla Solar Roof Estimate

Rather than directly publishing rates, Tesla provides a Solar Roof calculator on their website that estimates the cost of installing a solar roof on your home. The calculator is based on your current electricity usage and the size of your home, among other factors. We ran three basic estimates to give you an idea of the price differences. Each estimate includes a roof replacement, but does not factor in any incentives.

FYI: All estimates were run on July 13, 2021.

Size

Tesla changes their prices depending on a number of factors, including those listed below.

Breaking Down The Price Of Teslas Solar Roof

Tesla Solar Roof Install | Ep2

Tesla solar roof systems are designed entirely with Tesla-exclusive equipment. With every Tesla solar roof install you can expect at least these four things:

  • Active solar shingles
  • Tesla Powerwall
  • Tesla solar inverter

Heres the breakdown of how each of these pieces of equipment contributes to the total price.

1. Active solar shingles

Cost: $1.80 per watt

Teslas active solar shingles are tempered glass shingles, containing solar cells that generate electricity. It costs about $1.80 per watt to install the active shingles. Each shingle is 15 by 45 and designed to have a similar look to slate shingles.

If you installed a 7 kW Tesla solar roof, the active shingles alone would cost $12,600 before incentives. The bigger the solar system you need, the higher the total price will be.

See what solar incentives and rebates you qualify for

2. Inactive shingles

Cost: $13.30 per square foot – $20.75 per square foot

Teslas inactive shingles do not contain solar cells, they simply cover your roof like a traditional shingle and allow the active solar shingles to blend in with the rest of the roof. Because the inactive shingles do not generate electricity, they are priced per square foot, not per watt.

The price youll pay for the inactive shingles varies depending on how complex your roof is. Tesla divides roofs into three different complexity types, each with a very vague set of criteria:

3. Tesla Powerwall

Cost: $10,500

Watch out for design change fees!

4. Tesla solar inverter

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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.

Tesla Roof Tiles Vs Lg Solar Panels

LG stands by its products with a 25-year product warranty and a performance warranty. They guarantee a minimum power output of 86-88.4 after 25 years. Unlike the Hanwha 315 tiles used for Teslas solar roof, the expected lifetime of LG panels has been field tested. See below for a direct comparison.

If you want to own a Tesla solar roof, youll need to provide a large payout. Not to mention a huge amount of patience, as it could take years for the solar roof to get installed. Another point to note is that roof tiles replace an existing roof. This narrows the market to homeowners who either need a new roof or are willing to pay to remove a perfectly good roof and replace it with tiles. For flat roof homeowners, this is not a concern since flat roofs do not require traditional roofing to begin with.

Rooftop solar can be completed in just a few months for New Yorkers. Our turnkey process and strong relationships with city departments makes qualifying, permitting, and installing a breeze. Not to mention our competitive warranties and product quality. Were very proud to extend to local homeowners the convenience, environmental impact and attractive financial return that solar ownership promises.

Questions? Reach out to our team at 347-318-4771 or schedule your free consultation here.

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Tesla Solar Roof: Panels With Style

The Tesla Solar Roof introduced a new way to bring solar power into the home when it was launched back in 2016. Rather than installing a number of solar panels onto the roof of a home, Tesla decided to turn each individual roof shingle into a solar panel.

Made with tempered glass that the company says is three times stronger than traditional roof panels, each panel acts as a solar array while in turn replacing the roof of your home.

Due to the fact Tesla is, in essence, replacing the entire roof of your home with their solar panels, the Solar Roof can be an expensive investment. Although the product has experienced a difficult launch so far, Tesla earlier this year announced a renewed focus on delivering the product to customers.

In a new strategy, the company is currently only offering the Solar Roof to customers in the US who order the system in conjunction with a Powerwall battery.

A Review Of Current And Upcoming Solar Shingle Products And We See Where Tesla Is At With Their Solar Roof Also: Great Conventional Alternatives To Solar Shingles

Tesla partners with other companies to install solar roof ...

Are you interested in home solar panels but think theyre ugly? Some people think that solar panels can look pretty cool, but theres no doubt that conventional solar panels draw attention to themselves, which may not be something you want for your home.

While you can take steps to improve the curb appeal of solar panels, some homeowners simply dont like their look no matter how sleek and professional a job the installer does.

If this describes you, solar shingles might be the product for you. Solar shingles come in shapes and colors to mimic conventional roofing products, but they have solar cells embedded in them which means that you can have a quite normal-looking roof that generates kilowatts of electricity.

Solar shingles are only a small niche of the overall home solar market, but consumer interest spiked when Tesla introduced their Solar Roof. Tesla was not the first company to enter the market, but they are the largest. They were innovators by creating a glass-faced solar tile that is a complete roof replacement

Tesla has a rabid following, and new Tesla products instantly go viral. The Solar Roof was no exception, and its entry into the market spurred a lot of interest in solar shingles. Some companies already had solar shingle products, while others were seemingly inspired by Tesla to develop competing products.

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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:

Tesla Solar Roof: What You Need To Know

Deployment of Tesla’s Solar Roof product has been slow with significant delays. According to PV Magazine, there may only be 100 Solar Roof systems connected to the grid so far, even though the product has been available for three years. The wait may be worth it for some who value the differentiating elements of the product. Other homeowners may want to start seeing the benefits of clean solar energy now, including seeing solar savings in their pocket.

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Tesla Solar Roof: Time Lapse Video Shows What Installation Is Really Like

The Tesla Solar Roof made it onto the roof of a new house in just four days, as seen in a new video.

A new video shows the Tesla Solar Roof being installed at incredible speed.

But it is not as fast as the ambitious electric-vehicle company would like.

In a one-minute video, shared by account and CEO Elon Musk over the weekend, the company showcases the four-day installation of a 15-kilowatt solar roof on a house. The 4,000 square-foot roof, completed by Weddle and Sons Roofing, was installed on a house in Auburn, Kansas.

The video demonstrates the install speed of one of Tesla’s most fascinating products, which offers solar panels made to look like regular roof tiles. Weddle and Sons Roofing lists itself as a certified Solar Roof installer for Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska, plus areas of Missouri, Iowa, and Oklahoma.

The certification program is part of an effort to get the roof installed on more houses, basically letting third parties do the install instead of Tesla. Electrek reported last month that Good Faith Energy in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area and Sunpro in the South have also been certified.

Weddle and Sons can install it fast, but what’s the end result like?

Weddle and Sons are part of this new initiative. Musk explained at the October 2019 event that it would work with third-party installers to speed up the process. This was a marked difference from how it sells cars, where it skips third-party dealerships in favor of its own stores.

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