Solar Roof vs. Panels

[XerxesS]

Hello all!

Recently bought a 2022 Model Y, and thinking about another Tesla purchase by adding solar, as it seems they have the best rates around here. Wondering if folks can help educate me on why I'd go with a Solar Roof vs. Panels. I likely could get a new roof (it's 20+ years old, albeit seemingly in good condition), and would pay ~$10k for that if I got the panels.

So the choices are:

Option 1: New Roof + Solar Panels (6.0 kw) for $20,122 ($10,000 of that is new roof)
Option 2: New Roof + Solar Panels (6.0 kw) + Solar Battery for $28,172 ($10,000 of that is new roof)
Option 3: Solar Roof (6.34kw) + Powerwall for $39,500
Option 4: Other solar provider? If anyone has recs against Tesla, would love to hear it!

I'm not sure how the Roof could be justified, but happy to hear thoughts. The battery is likely unnecessary (we don't have peak pricing, although maybe will in the future, and we never have outages, but seems like a decent future-proof?)

 

[jjrandorin]

I am going to head off the "Any recommendations against Tesla" discussion by pointing you to the existing thread for extensive feedback on that topic. TL ; DR Lots of people have feedback that they would not go with Tesla energy. There are plenty who have had a decent experience with them, and also plenty that havent. For more than that, please read this thread:

Discussion: Tesla Energy / Auto Customer Service

The couple say they have now faced 18 months of recurring, damaging leaks, a severe mold infestation that forced them out of their home for three months, and an ongoing dispute with Tesla over how much money Tesla will pay for repairs...

teslamotorsclub.com

As for roof vs panels, 10k for a roof sounds very inexpensive to me, but unless you are going to completely max out your solar roof, or have a major aesthetic reason why you dont want solar panels, panels are going to be less expensive than solar roofs.

 

[jboy210]

A lot of installers will not install on roofs beyond a certain age (6-7 years for some), so you did right by adding that cost to the project.

As a solar roof owner, I agree with @jjrandorin on the solar roof. I got it as more for aesthetics and the fact we needed a new roof, as anything else. If price is a key consideration, you get more power for less money with panels.

 

[XerxesS]

Thank for the links.

On the roof, we have a four story town home that I guess is fairly easy, so 8-10k for a roof is what all of our neighbors have paid. I prefer the aesthetics of the Solar Roof vs. Panels, but given how little anyone would see our roof (again, 4 stories up, pretty small), finding it hard to justify paying $10k more overall and less production wise. Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Happy to hear anything else, and thanks again!

 

[jboy210]

Thank for the links.

On the roof, we have a four story town home that I guess is fairly easy, so 8-10k for a roof is what all of our neighbors have paid. I prefer the aesthetics of the Solar Roof vs. Panels, but given how little anyone would see our roof (again, 4 stories up, pretty small), finding it hard to justify paying $10k more overall and less production wise. Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Happy to hear anything else, and thanks again!

I guess who will see your roof depends on your neighborhood. If there are 4 or 4+ story homes nearby, then your neighbors will see it. And if it is like ours, you become an instant attraction with people you have never met before stopping by wanting to talk solar, batteries, how PEPCO sucks, etc.

But no doubt the 10K premium is a chunk of change.

Best of luck with your decision.

 

[Tag Striker]

I was in your position a little over a year ago and ultimately went with the traditional solar panels. I put the extra $ in to more panels and an extra powerwall, so didn't save much but ended up with more production and back up reserve. I would recommend putting as many panels on your roof as possible, looking back I wish I would have gotten more panels instead of the extra powerwall.

 

[h2ofun]

I was in your position a little over a year ago and ultimately went with the traditional solar panels. I put the extra $ in to more panels and an extra powerwall, so didn't save much but ended up with more production and back up reserve. I would recommend putting as many panels on your roof as possible, looking back I wish I would have gotten more panels instead of the extra powerwall.

Yep, this is why I always comment, put as many panels on your roof that can be approved, fit, and can afford. You can always add the other stuff later, if needed. I have WAY more than I need today. But, with the increase of electricity price, and who knows what future stuff that runs on electricity, I could never add more, and I got lucky since I had to do it twice.

 

[jjrandorin]

Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

In this case, not really. Solar Panels are going to be cheaper than a solar roof, and they also give you the flexibility to change them "later" (say perhaps 10-15 years from now) if things drastically change.

Solar roof is more a "forever home" type of thing, and the advertisements that "solar roof is about the same cost as a roof + panels" seems to assume (with all that word implies) that you are putting on an expensive roof, like concrete tiles or something.

My own roof here in CA is concrete tiles, and putting a new roof on my home would likely be as much money as you are designating for your entire project (or more). A solar roof for me would likely be "around" the same cost.

I would just suggest you do the same thing you do with any construction project, and get at least 3 bids on your project, and try to buy as much solar as your roof will hold / you can fit, if you plan on being there for a while. Compare the bids and response times of the companies etc, and see if they are a company you feel comfortable spending 30k ish with, and signing up for support for 15-20 years from.

For me, Tesla has been fine, albeit slow from the scheduling / troubleshooting stuff that gets escalated point of view. I have been very happy with the end result, it just has taken patience to get there.

 

[sk00]

I feel it's become impossible to justify getting a solar roof based on pricing, and I think Tesla will likely shift focus to new housing developments.

In 2021, I got a 7.2kw solar roof with 2 powerwalls for $20k (after tax credit and rebate) and felt the <10 year implied pay back was decent. Looking back now, this was an absolute steal.

 

[jboy210]

In this case, not really. Solar Panels are going to be cheaper than a solar roof, and they also give you the flexibility to change them "later" (say perhaps 10-15 years from now) if things drastically change.

Solar roof is more a "forever home" type of thing, and the advertisements that "solar roof is about the same cost as a roof + panels" seems to assume (with all that word implies) that you are putting on an expensive roof, like concrete tiles or something.

My own roof here in CA is concrete tiles, and putting a new roof on my home would likely be as much money as you are designating for your entire project (or more). A solar roof for me would likely be "around" the same cost.

I would just suggest you do the same thing you do with any construction project, and get at least 3 bids on your project, and try to buy as much solar as your roof will hold / you can fit, if you plan on being there for a while. Compare the bids and response times of the companies etc, and see if they are a company you feel comfortable spending 30k ish with, and signing up for support for 15-20 years from.

For me, Tesla has been fine, albeit slow from the scheduling / troubleshooting stuff that gets escalated point of view. I have been very happy with the end result, it just has taken patience to get there.

We also had concrete tiles. Our solar roof (sans Powerwalls) was a few dollars cheaper than putting on a new Architectual shingle (they have a 3D look) roof on and conventional solar with optimizers.

But this was with PetersenDean who went bankrupt so who knows what their final bill and hassles would have been if we went with them.

 

[yblaser]

From what I have read here I believe the solar roof will also slightly under perform relative to panels for the same DC rating. That said for a small roof it may be difficult to fit the number of panels you want especially given the size of the panels Tesla uses and setback requirements. I'm not familiar with laying out the active tiles for a solar roof but it may allow you to install a system larger than you could with panels.

 

[sunwarriors]

Not sure if mentioned, but a thing I thought about solar roof is that does every company service/support them? Tesla has been reported to pull out from certain markets recently. If something was broken with the solar roof, how easy is it to fix/get someone out there quickly?

With panels, that's been around for so long that I'd assume any solar company can deal with it.

 

[h2ofun]

Not sure if mentioned, but a thing I thought about solar roof is that does every company service/support them? Tesla has been reported to pull out from certain markets recently. If something was broken with the solar roof, how easy is it to fix/get someone out there quickly?

With panels, that's been around for so long that I'd assume any solar company can deal with it.

5 to 10 years from now, shall see. Just no way do I want thing on my house, like a roof, that has to have custom support. But, guess I am not cool.

 

[Tag Striker]

I was in your position a little over a year ago and ultimately went with the traditional solar panels. I put the extra $ in to more panels and an extra powerwall, so didn't save much but ended up with more production and back up reserve. I would recommend putting as many panels on your roof as possible, looking back I wish I would have gotten more panels instead of the extra powerwall.

One thing I learned AFTER getting my panels installed...The maximum output of your panels/tiles is based on the inverter size and not the panels/tiles rating. I was lucky with buying the 9.6KW system and got the 7.6KW inverter which according to many posts on here is a good ratio. I've read of lot of people get larger systems and the same 7.6KW inverter only to learn after install the inverter is the bottleneck. With a 6KW system you may get a smaller inverter. Read a few posts on here about inverter sizing and try to optimize whatever system you purchase.

 

[XerxesS]

Awesome - thanks guys! Seems like panels are the way to go so will press on! Really appreciate it.

 

[astrotoy]

We are having an extensive remodel, including replacing our roof. Our contractor's price for the new roof (including insulation, gutters, flashing and the metal roof is about the same price as a Tesla solar roof and 2 powerwalls, not figuring in the Federal tax credit. So the net cost of the Tesla solar roof would be less than the new roof (price for both without tax credit is around $100K). We just got the numbers from Tesla this morning, so we are talking about it with our architect and contractor next week. I am looking for the threads on peoples experience with the solar roof installations. Thanks.

 

[Penny24]

I had a soar roof install last year and it was painless until there was a change in engineering. The city took about 6months to come back with a reply to to the change in plan and another 3-4 month in issuing the PTO from PGE due to electrical changes. So if you are to install a solar roof make sure everything is correct the first time. As for efficiency its not as efficient as the panel, but you get a forever roof with tax write off and if there were to be any damage it's an easy fix. Tesla would come out pull the broken glass tile and replace it with a new one. I have seen it done and it was quick.

 

[jboy210]

We are having an extensive remodel, including replacing our roof. Our contractor's price for the new roof (including insulation, gutters, flashing and the metal roof is about the same price as a Tesla solar roof and 2 powerwalls, not figuring in the Federal tax credit. So the net cost of the Tesla solar roof would be less than the new roof (price for both without tax credit is around $100K). We just got the numbers from Tesla this morning, so we are talking about it with our architect and contractor next week. I am looking for the threads on peoples experience with the solar roof installations. Thanks.

Here is a like to our solar roof installation in early 2020.

After two years, we are pleased with the solar roof and Powerwalls.

 

[SVDNN]

Another pleased customer for solar roof here....no problems for the past 3 years. Was an early adopter as I really did not want solar panels on the front of my house that faces southeast. Was looking at panels when the solar roof V3 had come out.
A lot depends on roof layout, home value with expected type of roof replacement for the price point, and anesthetics.
Has worked great for us, but to each their own.
Happy shopping!!