What Is The Cost Of Tesla Solar Roof Tiles

Are They Worth It

Lets compare the cost of a Tesla Solar Roof vs Jinko solar panels:

Please note that this is an apples-to-oranges comparison with regards to solar panels, as were not factoring into account the additional cost and installation of roofing required.

Heres an estimate of the cost of Tesla Solar Roofs vs solar panels across different metrics.

From a pure price and output comparison, its clear from this example that solar panels out beat the Tesla Solar Roof in both cost per watt and meterage, but also power output per square meter. In other words, you get more bang for your buck with solar panels than Solar Roofs at this point in time.

Scenario : Youre Interested In Going Solar And Also Need To Replace Your Roof

While this is a less common scenario, it may fit you if your current roof is coming up on the end of its useful life. This scenario may also fit you if youre in the process of building a new home from scratch, and havent picked out your roofing material yet. In this scenario, unlike the first one, you are on the market and actively shopping for both a new roof and a solar panel installation.

If this description fits you better, Teslas Solar Roof may make more financial sense. In this case, you have the option of either replacing your roof first and then installing traditional solar panels, or combining both actions with the installation of a Tesla Solar Roof.

In our example, lets assume a $5 per square foot cost for an asphalt shingle roof replacement for your home in California. Based on these criteria, lets see how your new solar panel and roof replacement will compare to a new Tesla Solar Roof, based on varying roof size:

So, in this case, the cost of new solar panels and the cost of a roof replacement and a new Tesla Solar Roof are most comparable if your roof is only 1,500 square feet. However, as explained above, its important to note that your ROI will likely still be lower because the efficiency of the Tesla Solar Roof is probably lower than that of solar panels and your system size is smaller meaning your electricity bill wont go down as much as it could.

What Is A Tesla Solar Roof

Designed to maximize your homes energy production, the Tesla Solar Roof is the first of its kind to enhance your homes aesthetic while lowering your energy bill. The Tesla Solar Roof is constructed with a combination of glass solar tiles, glass roofing tiles, and architectural-grade steel tiles. The innovative roof is also built to be energy independent with its Powerwall, a compact home battery so it can be available throughout the day and even at night. Lastly, the solar roof is built to last. Each solar tile remains intact within all-weather conditions, ensuring your home stays protected rain or shine.

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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.

Tesla Solar Roof Tiles Cost Benefits And Reviews

When the concept of the Tesla solar roof was first announced, it was hailed by some as the future of environmentally conscious construction and home design. Why add solar panels to a roof retroactively when the roof itself could include the solar PV technology to generate electricity? Unfortunately, it seems that the challenge is more complex than even an engineering giant like Tesla can handle.

As a result, Tesla solar roof tiles arent yet available to buy. However, this doesnt mean that you have to rule out generating your own renewable energy as solar panels are an efficient and accessible alternative.

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How Much Does It Cost To Install Solar Panels

Several factors play into how much the cost of your solar panel installation will be. These factors include your homes size, where you live, what manufacturer you use, and how many kilowatts you need/use. Plus, there are tax credits and things that can play into saving you money on the large upfront cost, but well get to those.

A standard mid-sized system will be around 6kW, and after the federal solar tax credit, homeowners can expect to spend an average of around $14,940 upfront. This is based on the national average cost of watts, which is $2.49 as of January 2021 . Again, this is a ballpark estimate and can change based on the manufacturer and location.

Cost To Install Teslas Solar Tiles

First things first, lets take a look the total cost to install these solar tiles, then calculate exactly how much you can save over the life of the roof.

Total Cost to Install

Tesla estimates that their solar tiles cost around $21.85 per square foot of roof space, with 35% of the roof tiles being solar tiles and the remaining being matching, non-solar tiles.

FYI, solar tiles cant be installed on all areas of the roof, so Tesla is manufacturing matching tiles both with and without solar panels. The cheaper non-solar tiles are installed in shaded or north-facing areas of a roof where putting solar just doesnt make sense. This allows you to only install solar where its beneficial, lowering your total cost and leading to more savings.

Strangely enough, the Tesla blog post linked to above actually pulls all its cost data from a November 2016 Consumer Reports article that estimated the cost of Teslas solar roof. Why Tesla cites a cost estimate from another company is beyond us. Tesla must have found the estimates so on point they decided to use them.

Perhaps a better cost estimate comes from Teslas own newly released cost calculator for their solar tiles.

With this calculator, you type in your address , home square footage, and the number of stories in your home and it will calculate out general costs and savings.

Here you go:

• 1,000 sqft home: $21,210
• 2,000 sqft home: $40,250
• 5,000 sqft home: $95,970

Total Savings After 30 Years

Los Angeles, CA

Denver, CO

Raleigh, NC

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Tesla Solar Roof: How Much Did It Cost Before

Musk claimed that, in 80 percent of cases, the new tiles would offer a price point that is less than what the average roof costs plus solar panels.

Research from Electrek after the announcement found a 9.45-kilowatt roof of 1,862 square feet cost $38,266. Once the Powerwall and repairs were factored in, it cost $54,866.

LinkedIn engineer Robby Valles in August 2020 that his 1,737-square-foot 7.37-kilowatt solar roof cost $34,067 before tax credits.

For comparison, HomeGuide lists the cost to replace a 2,000-square-foot asphalt roof as $10,460 at the high end. EnergySage lists the average cost of a seven-kilowatt solar system as $19,670 before tax credits.

This suggests Valless roof may have cost slightly more than buying the two separately, although its hard to say as the price would vary depending on the house.

Tony Cho, who ordered a giant Tesla Solar Roof for his Florida retreat, told Inverse in January 2021 that it cost around 35 percent more than the price of panels and a new roof. Jason Lassen, who bought a Solar Roof for his Wisconsin home, told Inversein March 2021 the price was almost the exact same as the cost of a good shingle roof plus solar.

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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The Advantages Of Tesla Solar Roof

• Durability. Manufactured from tempered glass, Tesla’s Solar Roof tiles are more than three times stronger than standard roofing tiles. Engineered for all-weather protection, meaning no water leaks. Furthermore, a Solar tile Roof can last longer than an average roof and has been designed to protect your home for decades to come.
• Perfect For Listed Buildings. Many listed properties aren’t allowed to have solar panels due to their aesthetic impact. However solar tiles may be a viable alternative, as are integrated Solar Panels.
• Powerwall Compatibility. The Tesla solar tiles have been designed to work hand-in-hand with Tesla’s Powerwall 2.0 Solar Battery.
• Remote Access. With the Tesla app, you can monitor your energy production in real time. Control your system from anywhere with instant alerts and remote access.
• Lifetime Guarantee. There is a lifetime guarantee that comes with the solar tiles and also a 30 year guarantee on both the power technology and against weather damage.

Discover more about Solar Roof tiles, including alternatives to the Tesla tile.

Scenario : You Love The Solar Roof Aesthetics Want Solar And Have Money To Spend

There are certainly homeowners out there who simply love the aesthetics of the Tesla Solar Roof and want it installed, regardless of the price tag. For shoppers in this category who are considering solar or even a new roof, the Tesla Solar Roof could be a good fit! In fact, we believe that the majority of buyers for Teslas Solar Roof come from this fourth category. At EnergySage, we think that more solar on rooftops is always better than less, and are glad that this group has an option that best fits their needs.

There are other alternatives to the Solar Roof including the Timberline Solar Roofing System. This is a similar roofing system that can be paired with batteries including the Tesla Powerwall. In contrast to the Solar Roof, it can be nailed to a roof. There are also the Suntegra solar shingles. This system has the option of including tiles as well and offers efficiencies of 15.9% to 17.2%.

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How Much Electricity Does A Tesla Solar Roof Generate

The amount of electricity a Tesla Solar Roof generates depends on the amount of solar shingles that have been installed. Tesla will estimate your energy requirements based on your current electric bill and the size of your home, and provide you with a system that should more than meet your energy needs.

Who Should Buy A Solar Roof

The initial appeal of the Tesla Solar Roof will target the wealthy, tech-savvy homeowner with a passion for renewable energy. Due to the solar roof cost, the purchaser of a solar roof will have a deep passion for aesthetics.

There is certainly a risk-reward aspect of being one of the first owners of a Tesla Solar Roof. The reward is obviously being able to be one of the first owners of this beautiful technology. The risk is the same. Being the owner of the first version of anything comes with the risk of having to be patient while kinks are worked out.

If you want to be an owner of the Tesla Solar Roof you will need a large amount of expendable cash and an even larger amount of patience as it could take years for the solar roofs to get installed.

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Tesla Solar Roof: What Does Elon Musk Say About The Price Increase

Musk further explained the companys rationale during the first-quarter 2021 earnings call:

First of all, I should say the demand for the solar roof remains strong. So despite raising the price, the demand is still significantly in excess of our ability to meet the demand to install the solar roofs. So production is going fine, but we are choked at the installation point.

We did find that we basically made some significant mistakes in assessing the difficulty of certain roofs, but the complexity of roofs varies dramatically. Some roofs are literally two or three times easier than other roofs. So you just can’t have a one size fits all situation. If a roof has letter protuberances or if the core structure of the roof is rotted out or is not strong enough to hold the solar roof, then the cost can be double, sometimes three times what our initial quotes were.

So in those cases, what we obviously offer to do is to refund customers their deposit. What we cannot do is go and just lose a massive amount of money. We just got to provide a refund of the deposit.

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.

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Cost Reduction In Teslas Solar Roof V3

Based on a 2,000 square-foot roof, the price of the Tesla Solar Roof V3 starts at $34,000, roughly £30,000 based on todays exchange rate. This includes installation and Powerwall, making it 36% cheaper with the new solar tiles. Whilst it is still an expensive product, it does compete with other new premium roofs.

While it may set you back quite a bit initially? These Solar Roofs clearly pay for themselves in the long run. Is it time to consider investing?

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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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.

Greater Chance Of Issues: Higher Failure Rates

Since there are many more solar shingles than panels in the same size system, all these shingles need to be electrically connected. This means that with each shingle that is added, the potential points of failure increase substantially. With a traditional solar panel system, you may have 15 solar panels. With a Tesla Roof, you will have to worry about 10x more individual components that could break. This is represented in the higher real-world failure rate of solar roof shingles compared to solar panels.

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