#tesla shingles

Tesla recently began taking orders for their new Tesla shingles and they’re already sold out well into 2018 according to a Tesla representative. So far the only people to actually get a Tesla roof installed are higher ups within the company itself but in the coming weeks, the first actual customers will be getting their homes fitted with top of the line solar shingles. Here are a few things to know if you’re considering a Tesla roof.

Four styles

Tesla currently has plans to offer the shingles in four distinct styles: textured glass, smooth glass, French slate, and Tuscan glass. The smooth glass option is the one for homeowners who want the neighborhood to know they have a solar roof. The photovoltaic cells inside the shingles are visible from certain angles in the smooth glass option. For the other styles, the human eye can’t see through the glass but the sun’s rays can penetrate it to charge the solar cells. The French slate and Tuscan glass styles won’t even be available to preorder until late 2018 and probably won’t be installed on customer’s homes until 2019 or perhaps even 2020.

Are they a practical option?

When Elon Musk first announced Tesla’s entrance into the solar roofing market, he touted their shingles for being more aesthetically pleasing than solar panels and also claimed the pricing would be comparable to traditional roof types after accounting for energy savings over the course of thirty years. He’s since rolled back that statement a little. For a 3,000 square foot roof, a Tesla roof costs around $65,000. In comparison, an asphalt shingle roof for a home of that size would cost around $15,000. Assuming an average electricity bill of $100 per month, a Tesla roof could save homeowners $36,000 in the course of 30 years. That’s still a loss of $14,000.

A Tesla roof may be cheaper than more premium traditional materials like slate in the long run, but they’re still costlier up front. If it’s time for a new roof, contact a Spokane roofing company to compare costs for various energy efficient options.

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