Tesla Starts Pre-Orders on Solar Roof for $1,000, Rolls out Calculator for Costs

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Prospective buyers of Tesla’s fancy solar panels may now place their orders, but those of you who are on the fence can enter your address at the official site to determine whether they’re right for you. The company notes that a solar roof will cost $21.85 per square foot, if 35 percent of the panels are active and the rest are inactive. Inactive panels are about $11 per square foot, and active panels are $42 per square foot. Two styles are available: smooth glass and textured glass.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter on Wednesday that the company’s solar roof panels would be available for pre-order that afternoon. In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Tesla and SolarCity executives said the roof would be cheaper, on the whole, than installing a regular tile roof (although not cheaper than an asphalt roof). Pre-orders require a $1,000 payment to secure a place on the list. Tesla also rolled out a calculator on its website using data from Google Sunroof, a 2015 project from the search giant that used 3D modeling to map out every house’s potential for solar panel output.
 
What is this 'active' 'inactive' nonsense? Not finding numbers or data anywhere. And I'm a bit leery about putting a giant lithium ion battery in house structure.
 
Well so much for the claim that the cost would be comparable to a normal roof. 59k for my house is over 5x the estimate I have from last year to replace the roof with 30yr+ tiles.
 
Expensive if only compared to traditional solar panels (about twice the cost though i don't know kWh specs for solar roof). If someone was going to replace their entire roof this makes sense.
 
otherweeb said:
What is this 'active' 'inactive' nonsense? Not finding numbers or data anywhere. And I'm a bit leery about putting a giant lithium ion battery in house structure.
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'Active' panels have photo-voltaic cells. 'Inactive' do not. Hint: you do not put solar panels on north facing roof space (in northern hemisphere) or areas that get little sun

The battery is optional for those that want to be off the grid
 
Yowzers. My roof would cost only 60,700 with 60% coverage recommendation.

oh, forgot the 7,000 battery.

But, I live in south Louisiana where energy and labor are cheap. A new metal roof on my house will only run me $12,000 installed.
 
kju1 said:
Well so much for the claim that the cost would be comparable to a normal roof. 59k for my house is over 5x the estimate I have from last year to replace the roof with 30yr+ tiles.
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Not comparable, CHEAPER. He's a liar.

To do my roof it says is $70,700 + $7K battery, and its not clear if that's even including labor.

Now the $7K battery does have a good 10 year warranty, but the warranty only covers complete failure, and NOT diminished capacity. The battery is no good if it only has 10% capacity after 5 years... not saying that will happen, but I have had laptop batteries that after 3 years only last minutes and had to be replaced, and this is basically a giant laptop battery.

The other question is if the warranty is transferable, which I can find no documentation, and what the anticipated resale value is, since many people may sell their homes and will have to try and recoup the nearly $80K in cost... not easy to do when your house only costs $200K in the first place.
otherweeb said:
What is this 'active' 'inactive' nonsense?
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Meaning most of the tiles are faux, and only some of the tiles are real solar panels.
 
As soon as 3 weeks ago Saint Elon said this would cost the same amount as a regular roof. Can a TSLA fanboy explain this to me?


How much are roofs in california, because ti's off by a factor of 10 here.
 
otherweeb said:
What is this 'active' 'inactive' nonsense? Not finding numbers or data anywhere. And I'm a bit leery about putting a giant lithium ion battery in house structure.
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Some are solar panels, some aren't. This is done to reduce cost and partly because not every sqft of your roof is ideal for solar panels.
 
Verge said:
As soon as 3 weeks ago Saint Elon said this would cost the same amount as a regular roof. Can a TSLA fanboy explain this to me?


How much are roofs in california, because ti's off by a factor of 10 here.
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Average cost per sqft of a wooden roof is around $8.

Also, Musk is factoring in the amount of money you will save on electricity, and the fact that the roof should last for the entire lifespan of the house.
 
Ducman69 said:
Not comparable, CHEAPER. He's a liar.

To do my roof it says is $70,700 + $7K battery, and its not clear if that's even including labor.

Now the $7K battery does have a good 10 year warranty, but the warranty only covers complete failure, and NOT diminished capacity. The battery is no good if it only has 10% capacity after 5 years... not saying that will happen, but I have had laptop batteries that after 3 years only last minutes and had to be replaced, and this is basically a giant laptop battery.

The other question is if the warranty is transferable, which I can find no documentation, and what the anticipated resale value is, since many people may sell their homes and will have to try and recoup the nearly $80K in cost... not easy to do when your house only costs $200K in the first place.

Meaning most of the tiles are faux, and only some of the tiles are real solar panels.
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I remember posting myself in the number of threads about this when they first started talking about it and I said there is no way in hell they will even match the cost of the most expensive roofing material, people told me not to doubt Musk and when he sets to do something he will do it!

Looks like that worked out well....
 
kju1 said:
Well so much for the claim that the cost would be comparable to a normal roof. 59k for my house is over 5x the estimate I have from last year to replace the roof with 30yr+ tiles.
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The amount you save on electricity though should even that out no? Even pay for itself after a while...
 
IDK, probably another scam like Solar City is. Peddle all the green stuff and Tesla gets all the government kickbacks among things.
 
zamardii12 said:
The amount you save on electricity though should even that out no? Even pay for itself after a while...
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Bullshit. Their calculate says that after 30 YEARS I would save 8k assuming my monthly electricity bill was $154/month. That presumes these panels generate enough electricity to take me off grid...which they wont. Even if it did that only cuts the amortized price of the roof down to ~5k. At which point I still need to replace it again and start all over. So after 30 years in operation (assuming that 7k battery lasts 30 yrs...which it wont) I would still be 5k behind with another ~60k bill due.

Assuming the power wall lasts 10 yrs I would need 21k in batteries over the life of the roof. So net loss in a major way if you go totally off grid.
 
In the initial press release when they said comparable they meant replacing the whole roof with slate or similar tile not asphalt or metal they will also be factoring in energy savings into that equation.

If you were going to buy a new roof and put in a solar panel array then cost is closer.
 
zamardii12 said:
The amount you save on electricity though should even that out no? Even pay for itself after a while...
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Maybe, but lets think of two scenarios.

1) I install this in my house, but move five years later. Will the resale value of the home increase enough to offset the purchase price? Probably not close, right?

2) I install this in my house, and in spite of the warranty not including acceptable power capacity limits, lets say it lasts 10 years and charge is low enough now it really needs to be replaced. The $7K battery / 10 years = $700 a year in battery fees essentially. I spend about $800 a year on electricity in my home, so just the battery alone costs about as much as I spend total on energy cost. So even if I 100% eliminate my energy consumption for my house (assuming the battery isn't drained by me running my drier at 9PM before I go to bed when the suns not out), that small delta barely pays for the battery. I'd really need to be selling the grid quite a bit of power at a decent $ rate, which is possible, I haven't done the math, but something to consider.

3) Now the other question is what unforeseen costs will there be for troubleshooting power issues with my solar system, as like with my air conditioner it has an awesome long warranty but that doesn't include labor. So when my $10 capacitor blew, sure, I got a free $10 capacitor, but I still was asked to pay $180 in labor for diagnostic fees and install fees.
 
zamardii12 said:
The amount you save on electricity though should even that out no? Even pay for itself after a while...
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In about 50 or 60 years in most locations depending on damage, actual life span and battery replacement time frames. I used the calculator and it assumes a HUGE electric bill, where it gets its costs for energy I have no idea, but it had a 3 fold year round energy bill assumption for me, which is even lower in the winter and I don't turn anything off and run the AC under 70 all day, while being in Texas, and being in south Texas see LOTS of sun, so I am in a great place for solar. After changing the assumptions to what they really are, like monthly energy bill and replacement battery, I would break even around 50 years, assuming no issues with the roof at all and two normal roof replacements.

Assuming however that I will probably be changing out that battery 3 or more times in that period, and assuming I had the 70k cash to pay for this, it would take even longer. Now do like most people and get a loan for this, you now have interest, so now you are looking at 60-70 years or more, again assuming the roof lasts that long and needs nothing replaced. And that is just to break even. Now move to a location that gets less sun etc than Texas and that number goes up even more.
 
So it would take 26 years, give or take, to break even according to my estimate. Damn...
Ducman69 said:
Not comparable, CHEAPER. He's a liar.

To do my roof it says is $70,700 + $7K battery, and its not clear if that's even including labor.

Now the $7K battery does have a good 10 year warranty, but the warranty only covers complete failure, and NOT diminished capacity. The battery is no good if it only has 10% capacity after 5 years... not saying that will happen, but I have had laptop batteries that after 3 years only last minutes and had to be replaced, and this is basically a giant laptop battery.

The other question is if the warranty is transferable, which I can find no documentation, and what the anticipated resale value is, since many people may sell their homes and will have to try and recoup the nearly $80K in cost... not easy to do when your house only costs $200K in the first place.

Meaning most of the tiles are faux, and only some of the tiles are real solar panels.
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The price includes labor. Look further down the page.

Cost of roof

The estimated cost of your Solar Roof includes materials, installation, and the removal of your old roof. Taxes, permit fees and additional construction costs such as significant structural upgrades, gutter replacement, or skylight replacements are not included. The Solar Roof cost is based on estimated roof square footage for your home, provided by Google Project Sunroof where available, and the portion of your roof covered with solar tiles.
 
Design1stcode2nd said:
In the initial press release when they said comparable they meant replacing the whole roof with slate or similar tile not asphalt or metal they will also be factoring in energy savings into that equation.

If you were going to buy a new roof and put in a solar panel array then cost is closer.
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Try again...all the quotes where I see Elon talking about this say less than a traditional roof. Not anything fancy.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...olar-shingles-will-cost-less-than-a-dumb-roof
 
What it really boils down to is early adopter tax, if you want the latest and greatest you're basically going to have to pay to be a beta tester. Same thing went on with Tesla and how a lot of the tech/manufacturing isn't where it needs to be for mass production and by gettting a tesla you were paying a small run price on getting an assembly line up to snuff and able to churn out more cars.

The cost of these panels is stupid high, but as time goes on the manufacturing process will refine and it will come down in cost so all we can do is wait. If you want it and have the cash to spend on it sure have at it and help get the ball rolling but for the rest of us I think that just standard panels and an asphalt roof is a far better use of money if you wanted to go solar.
 
having just replaced my roof with class 4 shingles and looked into getting a metal (tile) roof.. the cost of this roof for my smaller house would be close to $50k with the battery. I can do the metal tile for less than 20k (which is what we'll probably do if i need to replace my roof again). It would take the full 30years to recoup the cost!? Curious about the battery lifespan too - if i have to replace my roof battery every 7-10 years at a cost of 7k (which isn't in the calculation over 30 years - meaning it would likely be replaced at least twice... $14k right there...?). anyways.. would need more information though. it feels like the ROI needs to be higher - and even if the shingles will be fine with a 100MPH 2inch piece of hail hitting it... what happens when several dozen hit it in short succession? does it mention lighting strikes? cheap to repair? Is this covered by the warranty? At this point i'd rather get the more expensive metal tile roof (a 50 year roof?), have an "instant savings" of at least $30k... even accounting for not saving energy. and after 30 years I'd very likely still be doing better with a "normal" roof :(

Well, hopefully enough people who are really excited about this so that the costs go down and efficiency goes up - as i'm totally not opposed to the idea to having a good roof that can power my house :)
 
It would prolly work really well for a modular house... long skinny roof in most cases.
 
I ran the numbers, apparently i end with a net cost of $700 over 30 years.
 
12,800

Value of energy

-$15,900

Cost of roof

-$7,000

Cost of Powerwall battery

+$5,900

Tax credit


Roof square footage

Reset default

$

Monthly electric bill

Reset default

Powerwall battery

Reset recommended


$4,200

Net cost over 30 years

Edit assumptionsLearn more about your estimateCalculations are based on an estimated 601 square foot roof.
 
I want one. I'd love to be able to have back up power. The power has only gone out at my place once from a dimwit hitting the pole and breaking it down, but it'd be nice to know it was there.

solar roof.png
 
I want this as well. Its not about the cost its about being self sufficient and having backup power. If I ever get moved out in the country I will be generating most of my own power.
 
WorldExclusive said:
A hurricane, heck even a tropical storm, here in Miami will make it's life span short.
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Probably not. Solar panels are very durable. I don't know about Tesla's wind load design, but traditional panels can be installed to 180 mph winds.


Their site doesn't list the estimated annual power production of the system, which is important.
 
Hmm, this isn't nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. I have to admit, it is now actually on my radar.

With the knowledge that a stand alone solar panel that rotates with the sun is indeed more efficient, but I end up with a huge unattractive thing in the yard here are my considerations.

1263 square ft on my roof. I also need a roof in the next 3 years.

Asphalt is gonna run me around 9k - The problem with Asphalt is the problem I have with the current one. This is a high wind area and I am constantly having shingles ripped off that I have to get repaired at $300 a pop. Warranty doesn't cover wind damage and that is far below my home owners deductible. So figuring 2 repairs per year average over the next 20 years and that is another 12k on top of it. So an asphalt roof is going to run me realistically 19k give or take a couple thousand over the next 20 years.

Slate - I don't know what the average maintenance is, but I don't live under trees so I figure It is unlikely any break. Going on the high side of estimate they are around $16/sq ft or around 20,208 for my roof. Again give or take a little based on shopping prices. I have to assume no maintenance for the next 20-30 years or at least very little.

Tesla - Little more complicated math here due to energy savings. For this I'll try and simplify it. Estimate for my roof is 33k-41k depending on if I go 50% or 70% coverage. They recommend 70% coverage but it looks like 50% coverage would in fact provide all my current energy needs. Add in power wall for obvious reasons and it looks like a 48k roof. Now at first glance that appears to be just straight up double the slate, until I consider energy cost. A 70% coverage would provide 15% excess energy over my current usage, which amounts to eliminating a $225/mo electric bill. Now they claim 30 years but everything else is 20 so I'm doing apples to apples here. $225/mo for 20 years is $54,000 in electric bills just..gone or rather transferred into my roof. So if in fact this is as durable as it claims and produces the power it claims. Then in 20 years I will have pocketed $13,000 in electric bills making the roof literally free. Anything past the 20 years would be icing on the cake really.

The big question for me is, will the roof really provide all my electric all year round even in the winter when it is mostly grey up here? Also what happens when we get buried under snow? I live in an area that has an annual snowfall average of 96", this is a big concern for me. I have a steep roof and snow rarely piles up on it, but it is a consideration. If I'm not eliminating my electric bill then the value goes away pretty quickly. If I am eliminating my electric bill then it would almost be foolish to consider any other roof.
 
kju1 said:
Try again...all the quotes where I see Elon talking about this say less than a traditional roof. Not anything fancy.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...olar-shingles-will-cost-less-than-a-dumb-roof
Click to expand...

I'm sure that there are some caveats but nowhere did he say it would compete with basic asphalt or steel roofs, I would factor in full roof replacement including plywood.:

Make no mistake: The new shingles will still be a premium product, at least when they first roll out. The terra cotta and slate roofs Tesla mimicked are among the most expensive roofing materials on the market—costing as much as 20 times more than cheap asphalt shingles.
 
it's not the wind load it is the stuff that will inevitably smash into them from said storm...
 
Verge said:
As soon as 3 weeks ago Saint Elon said this would cost the same amount as a regular roof. Can a TSLA fanboy explain this to me?


How much are roofs in california, because ti's off by a factor of 10 here.
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yeah i had the same question so i talked to my parents who still live in california, the estimated cost of tesla's roof isn't that far off.. for them it's a 31k roof cost + 7k for the battery estimate.. a new ceramic tile roof(HOA required) they got quoted for around 30k including labor so it doesn't seem that bad cost wise when you also consider that california has a 9600 dollar solar tax credit.
 
YeuEmMaiMai said:
it's not the wind load it is the stuff that will inevitably smash into them from said storm...
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If a tree smashes into your roof, your roof will be damaged. This would be the case regardless of roofing material. Panels are pretty resistant to hail and other debris that you would normally encounter.

 
OEM said:
I want one. I'd love to be able to have back up power. The power has only gone out at my place once from a dimwit hitting the pole and breaking it down, but it'd be nice to know it was there.

View attachment 24659
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Do you pay anywhere near 23k in taxes? Remember a credit doesnt necessarily take your taxes negative. I believe this one is not a refundable credit. I am not sure if this is one of the credits you have to "pay back" eventually or not. Also you may not be able to take the full credit if there is a state one. Plus installation costs may not be included...
 
ROFLMAO, I live in Florida (the Sunshine State). I did a few calculations for my area (for some reason the calculator keeps changing things) with a max at 70% a roof on a 3000 sq ft 1 story house is $117,000, the energy in 30 years is $128,000, with a net of $37k (for 30 years).
I'm pretty sure I can do better with metal roof, and just putting a solar farm in a section of the yard.
 
kju1 said:
Do you pay anywhere near 23k in taxes? Remember a credit doesnt necessarily take your taxes negative. I believe this one is not a refundable credit. I am not sure if this is one of the credits you have to "pay back" eventually or not. Also you may not be able to take the full credit if there is a state one. Plus installation costs may not be included...
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If you read the site, labor to install the new roof and removal of the old roof is included. Our electric bill here in the summer is over $200 a month. We pay in the neighborhood of $0.20/kwh where we live.
 
OEM said:
If you read the site, labor to install the new roof and removal of the old roof is included. Our electric bill here in the summer is over $200 a month. We pay in the neighborhood of $0.20/kwh where we live.
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I was referring to the credit...not the quote. You may not be able to deduct the cost of installation on your taxes. It depends on the credit. That should have been obvious since my entire post was about the credit line on your screen shot.
 
lol, it assumes my electric costs are $142 a month. LOL

My last bill, running A/C 24/7, was $68. In the dead of summer it'll get up to $100, maybe.

GTFO
 
Dekoth-E- said:
$225/mo for 20 years is $54,000 in electric bills just..gone or rather transferred into my roof. So if in fact this is as durable as it claims and produces the power it claims. Then in 20 years I will have pocketed $13,000 in electric bills making the roof literally free. Anything past the 20 years would be icing on the cake really.
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But you have to also consider the opportunity cost; you can invest the savings with a regular roof over the years.

The big question for me is, will the roof really provide all my electric all year round even in the winter when it is mostly grey up here? Also what happens when we get buried under snow? I live in an area that has an annual snowfall average of 96", this is a big concern for me. I have a steep roof and snow rarely piles up on it, but it is a consideration. If I'm not eliminating my electric bill then the value goes away pretty quickly. If I am eliminating my electric bill then it would almost be foolish to consider any other roof.
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How far north are you? Even in the SW USA, you will likely see 5:2 difference between the summer and winter months, so you wouldn't likely cover winter usage without a massive array. And this Calgarian (at around 51N) saw his best day in May almost generate as much as the whole of December.

http://imgur.com/a/aJ4BG
 
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