Solar Roof is one of Tesla’s most controversial projects. It’s been criticized for high cost, big delivery delays, and lack of profitability for the company. But what is it actually like to live with? Marques Brownlee, the most popular tech YouTuber in the world, has just answered that question after owning a full Tesla roof for the last year.
How much does Solar Roof cost?
Marques seems to have a maxed-out system. There are two ways to buy a solar roof system, either normal panels which install on top of the roof, or what he has, which are Tesla-developed solar tiles.
Normally, you wouldn’t replace a perfectly-good roof and would just buy solar tiles for a brand-new house. The total cost of the system was $120,948, with a $28,401 federal tax credit bringing it down to $92,796. As of 2022, the tax credit is even higher at 30%, although MKBHD ordered his in late 2021.
The batteries probably represent about a quarter of the total cost. Marques doesn’t discuss this in detail, but we know a Tesla Powerwall costs $9,200 without installation, and he has no less than three of them. With the installation, we believe the energy storage system costs $34,500.
Why do you need batteries?
The solar roof can only produce electricity during the day when the sun is out. People need to charge their EVs at night and do chores when they come home from work in the evening. A battery system like the Tesla Powerwall takes care of that gap, storing electricity during the day.
Tesla Solar Roof is expensive. It’s been estimated to cost $6.4 per watt of energy production capacity. An average solar roo is about half the price. The advantage is that you’re only dealing with one company that provides the roof, the batteries, and the energy management system. It also looks cool, and the roof itself is covered by a 25-year warranty, although it’s been said to last 30 years.
When does a Tesla solar roof pay for itself?
Like any other photovoltaic (PV) system the Tesla Solar Roof is supposed to reduce or completely offset your monthly energy bills. So what kind of savings are you supposed to get and when will the original cost be offset? That’s probably the most important question.
Obviously, the exact savings achieved by a solar roof depend on where you live. It’s also best to install them in states with net metering policies, where the power companies have to buy the surplus electricity that your panels put into the system during the day.
Marques Brownlee lives in New Jersey. During the year in which the solar test was carried out, his electricity bill would have been about $9,663 for 54,380 kWh. That’s a lot of electricity by the way, which he says is mainly due to charging the Tesla and air conditioning. It’s all been completely offset by the solar system, meaning his bills have been $0.
During the summer, the solar roof would produce excess electricity which the energy company would turn into “credit” on the bill. And during the winter, this credit would be used up. The bill is, unfortunately, not $0 because the company still charges $5.75 as a “Basic Service Charge.”
At the current rate, the electric roof would pay for itself in 9.6 years. That’s pretty good. Again, there are cheaper systems out there, and MKBHD has a really expensive system. He says it’s a 29 kW system that could have been reduced to 19 kWh. If you didn’t know, not all shingles need to be solar panels, as some are in sub-optimal lighting conditions.
There are also hidden costs. While solar shingles have no moving parts and are durable, Tesla recommends cleaning them regularly. If they’re dusty, they might not have optimal power output. Professional cleaning could set you back $300. The system also uses an inverter to convert from DC to AC, costing about $2,000, but covered by a 12.5-year warranty. The Powerwall is also a hidden cost, usually lasting 8-10 years.
At the time of writing, MKBHD owns a Tesla Model S Plaid, which is his main EV, but also a Rivian R1T pickup and the Ford F-150 Lightning.