Tesla's Solar roof is surprisingly affordable.
Tesla's Solar roof is surprisingly affordable. Source: Tesla

Tesla’s Solar Roof is not a simple solar panel like you’re used to seeing - they are actual roof shingles that look like the real thing, but have the properties of a solar panel.

Of course, when you hear the words “futuristic,” “solar roof,” and “Tesla” in the same sentence you’re probably expecting something of the highest quality that you could never ever afford, right?

Surprise: it’s actually not that bad.

The average price tag for the Solar Roof on Tesla’s website is that of $21.85 dollars per square foot, which according to them, makes for a competitive value when comparing to other roofing installations - and when comparing to solar panel installations.

And obviously, just like for solar panels, the initial upfront value will pay itself with the energy saving over the years, with the potential to even earn you money from the savings. We’ve talked about it before in detail, but here are some numbers to demonstrate the point:

The average for energy savings in a 20-year time span for Americans is roughly $20,000. In more populous areas (like New York), the savings can go up to $30,000. In Hawaii (where the sun is ever so present), the savings got close to $65,000.

You can estimate how much it would cost to install it on your home (as well as how much energy it will generate) on Tesla’s Solar Roof Calculator.

The Two Tile Types

There are two tile types that compose Tesla’s Solar Roof: solar, and non-solar. Solar tiles are the ones capable of retaining solar energy and they will be responsible for generating power. The non-solar tiles are just as resistant, but don’t have solar cells. To maintain that slick look, both tile types look absolutely identical when looking from the street.

The non-solar tile is an extremely resilient roof tile made with tempered glass that doesn’t degrade over time.

The solar tile is the same, but with the capacity to retain solar energy. Your roof doesn’t need to be ALL solar tiles, in fact, that would be ludicrous. You can order up to a maximum of 50% solar tiles depending on your home’s energy consumption and size, but rest assured 50% is plenty of energy. In fact, most homes should do fine with 30%.

Design and Style

One of the tile types from Tesla's solar roof.
One of the tile types from Tesla's solar roof. Source: Tesla

There are currently two tile styles available this year (Smooth and Textured) and two coming next year (Tuscan and Slate). They are all thin and highly resilient - as the website states, they are “more than three times stronger than standard roofing tiles, yet half the weight.”

The solar tiles integrate with Tesla’s Powerwall home battery, which allows homeowners to use solar energy whenever they desire and offer non-stop electricity during power outages.

Warranty

The tiles have infinite warranty.
The tiles have infinite warranty. Source: Tesla

The tile warranty is literally infinite.

Yes, literally.

Tesla’s website proudly states:

Solar Roof is the most durable roof available and the glass itself will come with a warranty for the lifetime of your house, or infinity, whichever comes first.

The power warranty and weatherization warranty is for 30 years, which is the estimate time for your entire investment to pay for itself in energy savings.

And if you’re wondering just how resistant these tiles are, here’s a video Elon Musk (Tesla’s CEO) posted on Instagram showing a hail cannon ball hitting a solar roof tile at approximately 100 mph. In slow motion.

What do you think?

Would you try Tesla’s Solar Roof, or does it still seem to expensive? You can learn a lot more about solar energy savings and solar panels right here. Let us know if you have any doubts!


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