Have you or someone you know installed a Tesla roof? What was your/their experience with it and is it really cheaper in the long run?
I don’t know anyone personally who has had this roof system installed, but from the small amount of research I’ve been able to do on it, it seems like it’s too good to be true. Based on Tesla’s stated goals, most of the cost savings is factored in by a 30 year savings on electricity. Here in North Texas, we have lower than the national average rates for electricity, so that’s not as big of a concern for many people here. The initial cost of the roof is around 8-10 times as much as your standard asphalt shingle which is a significant sum to pay upfront and hope that no new or better technology comes out in the next 10-20 years. North Texas is also known for the hails storms we get in this area and while I might be a bit biased, a glass roof just doesn’t seem to be a great idea in a hail/tornado prone area. The research I’ve done also points to a much higher average cost for asphalt shingled roofs (nearly double what the average cost for my area is), and an electricity rate about 70% higher then the average in this area. The electricity savings is also based on one powerwall battery pack installed, which is highly unlikely to be enough for all of your power needs in a typical home in my area. This is also quoted from Elon Musk himself saying “The economics are not yet compelling where housing and utility costs are low and property taxes are high.” which pretty much eliminates most of North Texas.
I think you are right it is too good to be true/
Short answer: absolutely not.
Unfortunately for all homeowners, the Tesla roof is ridiculously expensive - for even higher-income homeowners. Let’s take, for example, strictly a new install project on a home with a 3,000 sq. ft roof area. For a 30-year composition asphalt roof, you can expect to pay around $3 per sq.ft. ($8,000 to $10,000 typical range) for the roof and necessary flashings. Now, installing a Tesla roof on that same home will run you around $22 per sq.ft, or $66,000 (not including their required power wall product installed in your home, which adds another $10,000 to $15,000 with all costs included). This is drastically more expensive than all existing roof materials. Even the most expensive of roof slates and tiles can be had, installed, for $30,000 in this example, which is still less than half of Tesla’s roof.
Tesla claims it to be cheaper than a standard roof, but this is only based on skewed assumptions about typical asphalt roof prices (which they inflate), the price of electricity (which is inflated in their assumptions and can change in either direction in the future), and the promise that you will make your initial investment back after 50-year’s worth of electricity savings. The problem with that, of course, is that you are dumping north of $60,000 upfront for the sole purpose of eliminating your electricity bills. In the long run, the best you can hope for is that you will break even, but 50 years is a long time, and is a terrible investment that will be of 0 net benefit to homeowners. You are better off buying a regular roof, putting your remaining money into an investment portfolio, and using a portion of that portfolio’s annual earnings to pay your electricity bills for the rest of your life.
Using much less than half that money, homeowners can install a top-of-the-line tile or slate roof that will give their home absolutely zero leaks or problems for literally hundreds of years, while maintaining its integrity and looks. The only hope for Tesla is to reduce their costs significantly to even be remotely competitive, or rely on government tax credits to offset the costs of their roofs.
They say it’s cheaper than traditional roof installs. The problem is the “traditional roof install” that they compare it to is actually a slate roof. Asphalt shingles are installed at a fraction of the cost. Plus, you have to buy Tesla’s battery pack for $5K+ to store all of the energy.
I’m intrigued, but skeptical.
The answer is no, the projections for electrical production of the roof do not take into account that loss of efficiency of the solar cell when it is over cast or when the solar cell gets dirty. Additionally the return on investment for most solar products is almost 20 years.