Tesla Photo voltaic Roof Assessment: A Glossy Look That Comes at a Stiff Worth Leave a comment

Tesla is finest recognized for its electrical automobiles however has additionally grow to be one of many largest photo voltaic panel installers within the US. Nonetheless, one in every of Tesla’s latest photo voltaic improvements, the Tesla Photo voltaic Roof offers an alternate approach to get photo voltaic in your roof, by making photo voltaic a part of your roof. Whereas it would not fairly appear like a daily roof, Tesla’s Photo voltaic Roof is certainly extra discreet than conventional rooftop photo voltaic panels. 

If you happen to’re bothered by the look of photo voltaic panels in your roof (and are changing your roof anyway), the Photo voltaic Roof is an answer. However it comes with an enormous price ticket. You may get the identical solar energy manufacturing for much much less cash, even if you consider the price of a brand new roof. 

Tesla now not runs a press workplace, so the knowledge under is restricted to what’s publicly obtainable on-line. Tesla didn’t reply to requests for remark despatched to its still-listed press e mail. And whereas we researched Tesla’s Photo voltaic Roof to the very best of our skill, we didn’t check it in any hands-on or empirical approach. Photo voltaic merchandise are troublesome to evaluate within the conventional sense. At any time when attainable, get a number of quotes from a number of installers, together with these native to your space.

What do I get from a Tesla Photo voltaic Roof?

Tesla pitches the Photo voltaic Roof as a breakthrough of know-how and design. And whereas it isn’t the primary time somebody has included solar energy right into a constructing’s design, the Photo voltaic Roof is without doubt one of the highest-profile situations. It is also one of many higher photo voltaic roof merchandise we have checked out. 

A photo voltaic roof is basically a roof made up of mini photo voltaic panels that look and performance like conventional roof shingles. So if you order a Tesla Photo voltaic Roof, you don’t get common photo voltaic panels to place in your roof, you are getting a brand new roof product of common and photovoltaic shingles. Not each shingle in your roof goes to be a “photo voltaic shingle” — it will be a mixture of photo voltaic and common shingles. The result’s a protecting that powers your home and retains you dry all whereas wanting like a standard roof to the typical passerby.

However this implies scrapping your present roof. Whereas Tesla has not too long ago mentioned it should set up Photo voltaic Roofs on high of newer, single-layer roofs of some designs, most roofs must be changed to put in the Tesla Photo voltaic Roof. Tesla additionally requires the set up of a minimum of one Tesla Powerwall battery with the Photo voltaic Roof. 

Tesla Photo voltaic Roof specs

Class	Description
Wattage per shingle	71.67 W
Wattage per sq. foot	15.3 W
Wind score	110 mph
Hail score	Class 3
Effectivity	Not specified

Warranties

Your Tesla Photo voltaic Roof is effectively coated by three warranties. You may get a 25-year product guarantee, a 25-year weatherization guarantee and a 25-year efficiency guarantee. Of the few photo voltaic shingle producers in the marketplace, Tesla gives the very best photo voltaic shingle warranties. No different photo voltaic roof firm we have discovered gives a 25-year weatherization guarantee. And whereas different corporations provide 25-year efficiency warranties, we discovered Tesla’s to be a bit stronger.

Guarantee particulars

Class	Years coated	Description
Product guarantee	25	Protects towards producer defects in design and/or materials.
Weatherization guarantee	25	Protects towards injury from wind and rain.
Efficiency guarantee	25	Tesla ensures that your Photo voltaic Roof’s efficiency will not fall to lower than 95% in 5 years and will not lower greater than 0.5% per yr for the next 20 years.

Wattage

Each particular person photo voltaic shingle comes with a wattage score, displaying how a lot energy every photo voltaic shingle can output below ultimate situations. The wattage of your photo voltaic roof determines how a lot energy your roof will be capable to generate. Considered one of Tesla’s photo voltaic shingles is 71.67 watts, which is not too dangerous compared to different photo voltaic shingle merchandise obtainable. 

However what it’s best to actually take note of is its wattage per sq. foot, which is a measure of how a lot energy you can generate inside a certain quantity of house. The upper a shingle’s wattage per sq. foot, the much less roof house is required to fulfill your energy wants. And also you may avoid wasting cash since you may be putting in fewer shingles. 

Tesla’s photo voltaic shingles generate about 15.3 watts per sq. foot — not the very best, however actually not the worst.     

Wind score 

Each model of photo voltaic shingle comes with a wind score, telling you what wind speeds your photo voltaic roof will be capable to stand up to. The Tesla Photo voltaic Roof can stand up to wind speeds of as much as 110 mph. That is decrease than what different photo voltaic roof producers provide. The most typical photo voltaic shingle wind score we discovered is 130 mph, with the best we discovered being 200 mph. 

Whereas Tesla’s wind score is decrease than competing manufacturers, we nonetheless would not essentially name it dangerous. However in case you dwell someplace susceptible to excessive climate, a photo voltaic roof with a better wind score could be a greater choice. 

Tesla Powerwall

If you happen to determine to put in the Tesla Photo voltaic Roof, you may additionally must buy a minimum of one in every of Tesla’s Powerwall batteries. Tesla has three Powerwall batteries: the Powerwall 2, Powerwall Plus and Powerwall 3, which was solely not too long ago introduced and will not be obtainable till 2024. 

At present, you will get the Powerwall 2 and Powerwall Plus fashions. The Tesla Powerwall 2 is a battery, whereas the Powerwall Plus is a battery with an built-in photo voltaic inverter. When it comes to specs, they’re related. The primary distinction is that the Powerwall Plus has a a lot larger backup (off-grid) energy output. Each batteries can maintain as much as 13.5 kWh of power storage and are coated below the identical unlimited-cycle guarantee.

Tesla Powerwall specs

Class	Tesla Powerwall 2	Tesla Powerwall Plus
Capability	13.5 kWh	13.5 kWh
What number of can I stack?	As much as 10 models	As much as 10 models
Spherical-trip effectivity	90%	90%
Depth of discharge	100%	100%
Steady energy output (on-grid)	5 kW	5 kW
Steady energy output (off-grid)	NA	7 kW – 9.6 kW
AC- or DC-coupled?	AC	DC
Worth	$9,000 – $14,000	NA

How a lot does a Tesla Photo voltaic Roof value?

In comparison with different photo voltaic panel installations, a Photo voltaic Roof might be pricier. The worth could also be kind of justifiable relying on the situation of your present roof. If you happen to’re due for a brand new roof, you may be writing a big verify for that anyway.

In case your purpose is to generate photo voltaic for the least sum of money attainable, a Photo voltaic Roof is not for you. Tesla’s on-line estimate for a home in Dallas provided 12.46 kilowatts of photo voltaic technology and a Powerwall battery for $168,400. Tesla estimates 12 kilowatts of standard photo voltaic panels and a Powerwall on the identical location will value $26,966.

One other issue that might alter the worth of your system is the complexity of your roof. Steep pitches, a number of ranges and a number of obstructions may drive up the price.

That Photo voltaic Roof estimate breaks all the way down to $176,600 for the photo voltaic a part of the roof and $29,600 for tearing off the outdated roof. (This home does have a big, 8,313-square-foot roof.) Optionally available Powerwalls are $10,500 every. The ultimate value contains receiving $48,800 again from the federal authorities in tax credit. With out batteries, the system prices a whopping $12.87 per watt. This could be a operate of roof measurement. Different estimates returned a lot decrease prices. 

A Photo voltaic Roof with out batteries in Illinois had an estimated value of $5.72 to $6.54 per watt relying on roof complexity. One other estimate from Texas ranged from $6.05 to $6.77 per watt. All of those are larger than the typical value of residential photo voltaic within the US in 2021, as reported by consulting agency Wooden Mackenzie: $3 per watt for an 8-kilowatt system.

Roof measurement does considerably have an effect on the general value of a system. A small roof (1,594 sq. ft) in Illinois may value round $54,000 to $58,148 after the federal tax credit score, Tesla estimates. That is $3.78 to $4.05 per watt, a lot nearer to the price of photo voltaic panels, although nonetheless costlier. (Tesla photo voltaic panels there would value $2.54 per watt after the federal tax credit score.)

Tesla recommends common upkeep by knowledgeable, although the small print of that advice aren’t clear.

In December 2021, it was reported that the Securities and Alternate Fee was investigating a whistleblower criticism that alleged Tesla wasn’t sincere in its efforts to switch photo voltaic panels vulnerable to catching hearth. Whereas it did substitute them, it did not provide to close off at-risk methods or present upfront reasoning to shareholders or clients, the criticism mentioned. In response to an April request for remark, the SEC declined to remark and Tesla, which doesn’t function a press workplace, didn’t reply.

Does Tesla function in my state? How do I order?

One of the best ways to seek out out in case you’re in Tesla’s service space is to go to the corporate’s web site to enter your deal with for an estimate. Tesla reportedly has expanded its service space for the Photo voltaic Roof to all the US, although some addresses nonetheless say they’re unavailable if you request an estimate. Tesla is certainly increasing, nevertheless, by way of using third-party contractors. In some areas, Tesla will refer you to the web site or contact data of an authorized installer as an alternative of supplying you with an estimate.

To order by way of Tesla, create an account on-line. Tesla then makes use of satellite tv for pc imagery of your roof to design a system and value estimate, which might be finalized when an Tesla agent visits your own home to verify the roof complexity, measurement and some different particulars.

After you and Tesla agree on a design, it should pull permits and put you on the schedule to put in. Tesla reportedly has some in-house groups, even whereas bringing on extra third-party installers.

Is Tesla’s Photo voltaic Roof a superb deal?

As with each main buy, it is essential to buy round. That is very true of photo voltaic methods, the place an area supplier may beat nationwide photo voltaic corporations, which frequently have larger overhead prices. Tesla has made its photo voltaic panel installations cheaper, although the Photo voltaic Roof would not have any one-to-one comparisons.

If you happen to hate the look of photo voltaic panels or love the look of the Photo voltaic Roof, it could be the fitting alternative for you. You’ll have to pay a premium, although how a lot is determined by the situation and structure of your roof. Whereas the Photo voltaic Roof is an thrilling product, it is not sensible for most individuals. With a Photo voltaic Roof, you may get high quality tools backed by robust warranties, however one other firm could provide a higher alternative amongst panels, batteries and inverters (together with a few of those who Tesla gives) at a a lot lower cost. And, there are on-line issues about Tesla’s customer support (extra on that under).

Different corporations have rolled out their very own photo voltaic shingle merchandise, notably GAF Power, earlier this yr. Whereas GAF costs aren’t public, in January a spokesperson mentioned the price can be about half of Tesla’s Photo voltaic Roof. Extra not too long ago GAF mentioned a brand new roof with photo voltaic shingles will value about the identical as a brand new roof and photo voltaic panels. Its photo voltaic shingles look much less like a daily roof than Tesla’s, nevertheless.

Tesla’s photo voltaic panel facet of its power enterprise has a status on-line for poor buyer service. There are not any dependable, public sources of customer support for the photo voltaic trade at this level, nevertheless. On-line testimonials present that Tesla’s photo voltaic panel customer support was dangerous sufficient to make some folks remorse their alternative, although others have been glad to economize on Tesla’s low cost panel installations and put up with the service. If customer support for Photo voltaic Roofs is equally dangerous, it is even tougher to just accept the price. As a result of there are fewer Photo voltaic Roof clients, it is arduous to get any form of learn on how customer support may differ.

There may be the prospect that, as Tesla tries to extend installations of Photo voltaic Roofs whereas its share of the photo voltaic panel market shrinks, it values customer support extra for Photo voltaic Roof clients (although that is all hypothesis).

Tesla Photo voltaic opinions: What are clients saying?

Studying on-line buyer opinions offers a fantastic beginning place when making an attempt to gauge which firm has higher service. And whereas these opinions should not be taken as gospel, they can provide you a good suggestion concerning the form of buyer expertise you may obtain. In Tesla’s case, it’s kind of of a blended bag. 

We have pulled a small pattern of optimistic and destructive opinions from Tesla Photo voltaic’s Higher Enterprise Bureau and Trustpilot pages. These opinions have been frivolously edited for spelling and grammar. 

5 star opinions

“My complete expertise with Tesla Power Photo voltaic was seamless. I actually give all that credit score to [the salesperson]. He was very affected person with all my questions. He walked me by way of each single step and adopted by way of on all components. I acquired a number of quotes from different corporations and was ignored by others. I’d undoubtedly suggest Tesla Photo voltaic Power and [the salesperson]!” Rosa G. February 22, 2023

“A neighbor referred me to this agency as I had no thought the place to begin. Being retired, I used to be involved about saving cash within the now. The system that was constructed for me was in a position to save me 50% on my month-to-month electrical energy prices. Each greenback counts at my age, so I’m more than pleased to just accept these financial savings.” Amirat N. August 8, 2022 

1 star opinions

“We love Tesla automobiles and the philosophy. We made a HUGE mistake in extending that belief to the photo voltaic power unit. It has been the only worst buyer expertise we have had in fifty years. Purchase the automobiles. No matter you do, do not order their photo voltaic system or you’ll go months and months awaiting the smallest inevitable restore.” Owen W. August 10, 2023

“The one factor worse than Tesla service facilities is the service you get from Tesla Power. Tesla advised us our system would take three days to put in. After not displaying up for 15 to twenty appointments, the system took 35 days to put in. The system by no means labored the way in which it ought to. It’s underproducing massively in comparison with what Tesla mentioned it could. Tesla would not monitor the system a lot in any respect. They put in inverters that have been already so outdated that they wanted to improve motherboards after the set up. Considered one of my inverters stopped working later, and it takes a month or extra to get Tesla to indicate as much as repair the problem.” Adam July 4, 2023

How we evaluated the very best photo voltaic shingles

CNET has not carried out any type of hands-on testing with these merchandise. Photo voltaic shingles are a part of a posh PV system that is built-in into the roof of a home or construction. This makes hand-on testing troublesome. As an alternative, we took the commonest photo voltaic shingle manufacturers in the marketplace, and made comparisons between them to seek out the best choice. It is also essential to notice the restricted availability of photo voltaic roof merchandise, making decisions for this listing restricted as effectively. This is how we scored the very best photo voltaic shingles. 

First, we decided what classes we’d use to guage every photo voltaic shingle. Every class was given a weight reflecting how essential we felt it was to the typical shopper. After inspecting knowledge supplied by producers and talking with subject material consultants (who didn’t affect the alternatives that have been made for this listing), these have been the classes we selected to guage every photo voltaic shingle model on.

• Product guarantee: 20%
• Wind and weatherization guarantee: 15%
• Energy output and efficiency guarantee: 20%
• Wind score: 10%
• Shingle effectivity: 15%
• Shingle wattage per sq. foot: 20%  

We checked out 5 of the preferred photo voltaic shingle suppliers in the marketplace, collected the info for every class and in contrast the numbers. Every class (for each photo voltaic shingle) was given a tier-style score to guage which facets of every photo voltaic shingle have been above common (amongst our listing), simply common or under common.

Ceaselessly requested questions