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Where To Buy Tesla Solar Roof

Do You Need Solar Panels Before Buying A Tesla Powerwall

How To Buy The Tesla Solar Roof From Home

Every solar purchase with Tesla includes a Powerwall, the companys compact battery system that stores solar energy. This is particularly useful for when the grid goes down, or if youre simply generating too much energy to use during the day.

You can buy additional Powerwall units but itll cost you. The price of a Powerwall stands at $7,500 alone, and its supporting hardware costs $1,000 , bringing the price of just the Powerwall and its associated components to $8,500 before installation.

Tesla is keen to point out that its Powerwall has a child- and pet-friendly design, with no exposed wires or hot vents, and is water-resistant.

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:

Roof size
$53,000 48%

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.

Solar Roof Pricing Estimator

If you go to the Tesla website, you can plug in your street address and get a rough custom price estimate. The online estimator uses satellite images to automatically estimate your roof area, and your monthly electricity cost to estimate how many panels youll need.

Be aware that you should toggle the âshow incentivesâ button to see the gross price of the system. As you can see, my quoted system is $22,380 before incentives. For comparison, my 18 panel 4.6 kW system cost me $18,000 before incentives in 2013. If I bought a conventional solar system today, the price would be quite a bit lower.

You can visit their website to learn more.

  • Inverter dimensions: 26 x 16 x 6
  • Inverter warranty: 12.5 years

Some thoughts about this: the tile warranty is similar to other high performance solar panels with 25 year warranties such as LG and SunPower. The warranty also includes labor.

The inverter described is a central inverter similar to those offered by SolarEdge and SMA. Its warranty length is similar to a central inverter, which is half the duration of the 25 year warranty offered with Enphase microinverters . No word about how much an inverter replacement would cost.

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Cost Comparison Between The Different Types Of Solar Shingles Available On The Canadian Market

The Tesla Solar Roof is not a new concept. Other manufacturers have already attempted the production of solar shingles some have failed, and others are still on the market. One of the products from Dow Chemicals Powerhouse Solar System only lasted five years at the time it was the product of choice, but the company end up going bankrupt.

Other companies are continuing to produce and install solar shingles. But it is difficult to find the costs associated with it. It is important to note that the companies listed incorporate solar shingles and tiles with traditional materials, while Teslas solar roof tiles are designed to cover the entire roof or even replace it. But Teslas competitors are demanding that a large part of the roof be covered with normal shingles in addition to the price of their systems.

1. Dow Chemical

Even if the company is no longer in business, it is worth looking at it because of cost information. Their Powerhouse system did not cover the entire roof it came in super shingles that fit well with traditional shingles. Installing 350 Powerhouse shingles would cost more than $ 20,000 and reduce electricity consumption by 40-60%. In a Dow press release, it was announced that for an additional expense of $ 27,480 above the cost of a traditional roof, you could collect $ 58,640 in energy savings over 25 years, and similarly increase the value of your home by $ 33,000 .

2. CertainTeed

3. SunSlates

4. SunTegra

How To Modify Your Order

SolarRoof.Cool: Tesla Solar Roof v3

Once your order has been submitted, you can instantly access your order details through your Tesla Account and complete your Virtual Home Assessment. Modifications to your order after it has been placed, such as increasing the system size or Powerwall quantity, can be requested within your Tesla Account via the ‘Order Details’ section. For changes to your finance type, simply make this request directly with your Project Advisor. Their direct information is available in your Tesla Account. If the modification request can be accommodated, Tesla will present you with an updated Price Sheet in your Tesla Account for your signature.

Read Also: Roofing Costs In California

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.

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.

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Top 5 Tesla Solar Roof Alternatives

What are the best Tesla Solar Roof Alternatives?

  • CertainTeed Apollo II Tile
  • Ennogie
  • GB Sol

Thanks to great marketing, Tesla Solar Roofs are slowly gaining popularity in recent years. However, the warm acceptance of the more attractive cousin of solar panels is also thanks to the products added value for green energy consumers who value visual appeal.

And like all savvy investors, it is always good practice on our part to look for better alternatives before purchasing.

Indeed, solar roof tiles are a recent addition to Teslas product line. However, for the rational investor, getting the desired benefits of a product without paying for the name slapped on it means quicker returns on your investment.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty of Tesla solar roof alternatives, lets talk a bit about the leading contender first: Elon Musks Tesla.

After the brief introduction, well compare the general pros and cons of solar roofs with conventional solar panels. Our readers need to know what they are getting into aside from higher costs.

Foreword

Lets Examine The Estimates Found On The Internet

The Problem With Teslas Solar Roof

1. Motley Fool

A columnist for Motley Fool has made calculations to predict how solar shingles compare to a traditional roof. He estimates that based on a manufacturing cost of $ 0.30 per shingle is comparable to ceramic or concrete tiles. But be aware that the installation costs are extra: Tesla says that the cost price is $ 3 per watt installed (meaning $ 5880 per 100 square feet or $ 176,400 for a standard 3,000 square feet house.

2. Consumer Reports

Have developed a calculation including anticipated savings in electricity in order to be competitive with a traditional roof they determined that a maximum expenditure of $ 73,500 would be necessary in order to be competitive with asphalt shingle roofing, one of the least expensive solutions. According to information provided by roofing installation associations, and assuming an average house with a 3,000 square foot roof, the total cost of this asphalt shingle roof would be approximately $ 20,000. They then added an annual cost invoice of $ 2,000 in their calculation , and the life of the shingles being 30 years as stated by Tesla. After thirty years, savings are expected to rise to around $ 60,000. When the Powerwall, which is part of the installation of the electricity storage system for non-solarized moments, and which costs $ 6,500, the savings would be reduced to $ 53,500.

3. Energysage

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Considerations When Choosing Solar Roof Alternatives

Choosing a solar roof means more extended returns on investments. We are talking at least a decade here, roughly speaking.

It is also not surprising that companies are having difficulty generalizing prices because of varying specialized labor rates, building conditions, and needed electrical work.

Solar roof tile technologies are still relatively young in the market, and it will take time to have more detailed information for consumers to make more convenient investment decisions. We did mention in a previous article that it took solar panels decades of development and economies of scale to experience significant price reduction.

How Does The Tesla Solar Roof Work With The Federal Solar Tax Credit

When it comes to the Federal Investment Tax Credit , Tesla claims it can be applied to their entire solar roof and their home storage battery the Powerwall. This is not necessarily the case. The issue here is that this type of solar technology doesnt fit into the structure of the current ITC. For this to change, a special appeal process is necessary to decide which parts of the solar roof fall under the ITC.

  • Will all of the solar roof fall under the ITC?
  • Or just the solar portion of the roof?

This all depends on how the IRS decides to view Teslas new solar roof. If they determine the non-solar tiles are so specifically engineered that it is in essence part of the machinery or equipment with which it functions, then the entire roof will fall under the federal solar tax credit.

Determining the solar roof and its impact on the ITC will certainly be a lengthy process. As customer service advocates at Pick My Solar, we can only hope that Tesla will take care of the entire process for their homeowners.

The federal solar tax credit, however, is going to start scaling down at the beginning of 2020 and be completely phased out in 2022. When taking into consideration the buying and installation process of the newly released solar roof, a large number of homeowners may miss out on the chance to claim the federal solar tax credit.

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Does Tesla Operate In My State How Do I Order

The best way to find out if you’re in Tesla’s service area is to go to the company’s site to enter your address for an estimate. Tesla reportedly has expanded its service area for Solar Roof to the entire United States, though some addresses still say unavailable when you request an estimate. In other areas, Tesla will refer you to the website or contact information of a certified, third-party installer that services your area.

To order through Tesla, create an account online. Tesla then uses satellite imagery of your roof to design a system and price estimate, which will be finalized when an Tesla agent visits your home to confirm the roof complexity, size and a few other details.

Obstructions in your roof can raise the cost of a Solar Roof.

After you and Tesla agree on a design, it will pull permits and put you on the schedule to install. Tesla uses certified third-party installers, though it also has some in-house teams.

Tesla To Start Selling Solar Roof Only With Powerwall Battery

Tesla Solar Roof Cost, Current Wait Times, Other Solar Tile Options

Tesla is changing the way it sells its solar roof and solar panels.

According to Tesla Technoking and Imperator of Mars Elon Musk, the company will only sell its solar products bundled with its Powerwall battery starting next week.

Tweet may have been deleted

According to Musk, solar power from Tesla’s solar roof and panels “will feed exclusively to Powerwall. Powerwall will interface only between utility meter & house main breaker panel, enabling super simple install & seamless whole house backup during utility dropouts.”

Musk also said that Powerwall is getting upgraded via a software update next month. He says that Powerwall 2 has “better than advertised” peak and steady power capability, and now that it has enough operational data, Tesla can unlock these higher capabilities. Musk claims the power increase may be bigger than 50% at an ambient temperature of 30 degrees Celsius .

Tweet may have been deleted

According to Electrek, which reported Tesla’s halt on taking orders for Powerwall without other solar products last month, the change has to do with the popularity of Powerwall. The outlet claims that Tesla’s production capabilities simply cannot match the demand, which is why the company is tying Powerwall to its other solar products.

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Scenario : Youre Interested In Solar

Storage is becoming increasingly popular to install with your solar panels depending on where you live. Especially if you live in an area that experiences frequent blackouts, you might want to pair storage with your solar installation to provide backup power. Or, if you dont live in an area with net metering, you might want to store the excess energy that your solar system produces during the day to use at night. Whatever your reason, the Tesla Solar Roof could make financial sense for you, depending on how much storage you need.

In our example, lets say you experience frequent blackouts at your home in California and want a storage system to provide backup power. While youd probably only need one battery to provide backup for all of your essential appliances, if you want to power more appliances or experience long blackouts, maybe youre looking to purchase two. With your Tesla Solar Roof, you can only install a Tesla Powerwall, which provides 13.5 kWh of backup energy and varies in cost depending on how many you add. Thus, well use this storage option in our Tesla Solar Roof estimate.

$70,000 42%

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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What Is Tesla’s Solar Roof

Solar as a natural source of renewable energy has always been a very safe, low-cost option to power up homes and workplaces, and solar panels have for so long been the best-known way to utilize this nature’s gift. However, Tesla has brought something a bit different to the table. Unlike traditional solar panels, Tesla designed photovoltaic shingles in the form of tempered glass, which would serve as a roof shingle and solar panel at once.

This means that homeowners didn’t need to buy extra panels, as they had already been factored into the shingles. This offers quite a good number of advantages, including that your desire to go solar wouldn’t cost you the beauty of your roof system.

Tesla’s solar roof comprised two types of textured glass tile the active solar shingles- which contained the solar cells that produced the solar energy, and the regular shingles. So by ordering Tesla’s solar roof, you’re simply buying a mixture of the two different shingles, though you could hardly tell the difference.

How Much Electricity Does A Tesla Solar Roof Generate

How This Roofing Company Is Taking On Teslas Solar Roof

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.

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The Final Verdict: Should You Buy A Tesla Solar Roof

The Tesla Solar Roof is a gorgeous product with a prohibitively high cost to install. Right now, its largely a premium solution for early adopters who dont mind paying more to access cutting-edge technology in high demand. Anyone who invests in the Solar Roof should also be willing to contend with more frequent maintenance than a traditional solar array might require.

Lastly, you should be willing to wait for production to catch up to demand. Just know that youll be running on Teslas schedule, and theyre a lot better about generating hype around new products than meeting production deadlines.

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