“I want a Tesla solar roof. I don’t care what it costs.” When we last visited Elon Musk and his proposed solar roof that was the sort of customer that seemed most likely for Tesla’s great-looking, electricity-generating roofs composed of tempered glass tiles infused with photovoltaic cells.
At the time of Musk’s announcement of the solar roof last year, there was no accompanying price for the project which led to intense speculation and number crunching.
Now that Tesla is officially taking orders (with a $1,000 deposit) the company has released a solar price calculator for anyone contemplating a new solar roof.
Two of the four styles will be available in June, gray smooth glass and black textured glass.
Tesla smooth solar glass tile roof. Source: Tesla
Slate glass and Tuscan glass are scheduled for a 2018 appearance. Now that consumers can crunch their own numbers, has the pool of potential customers for the Tesla solar roof deepened?
Clan Slate. Source: Tesla
The Solar Roof Calculator
To use the Tesla solar roof calculator all you really need is your address (don’t worry – a Tesla roof salesman will not come knocking on your door). The calculator then factors in such variables as the size of your house, the climate in your area, the public utility information for your municipality, a 30 percent Solar Investment Tax Credit and so to arrive at an upfront cost of your new solar roof and the amount of energy savings your solar roof will realize over the life of the roof.
Tesla’s sample home assumed a 3,000-square-foot roof in the Mid-Atlantic region which would require one PowerWall battery used to store the energy generated by the glass tiles.
Cost of Tesla Solar Roof
The cost for that roof would be $65,550 (before adding the cost of the battery at $7,000) or $21.85 per square foot. While that sounds pricey, when the cost of electricity is factored into the equation the Tesla solar roof would save the homeowner over $15,000 in the course of a 30-year life span for the roof. Those savings only escalate from there since a Tesla solar roof is guaranteed for “infinity, or the lifetime of your house, whichever comes first.”
