Tesla Solar Shingles

Updated: Oct 01, 2018

Over the past few years, Tesla has emerged as a leading manufacturer of green energy products. In fact, the company claims to have saved nearly 4 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere with their clean energy inventions. Included in this array of new green energy products is the Tesla Solar Roof, which was unveiled in October 2016. Since then, the Tesla Solar Roof tiles have become an option for people trying to "go green" or produce their own electricity with dual purpose solar shingles.

Corporate History

Tesla, Inc. (formerly known as Tesla Motors) is an energy storage company that was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. In the early years of the company, Elon Musk served as the Chairman of the board, and its main focus was on electric cars. In 2008 during the heat of the financial crisis, Tesla was taken over by Musk who invested much of his own financial wealth into the company to save it from bankruptcy. Around this time, Tesla, Inc. was also selling its Roadster vehicles. By 2012, Tesla employed over 3,000 people and released its Model S vehicle, while also building Supercharger stations all over the world. By October, 2015, the company had sold over 90,000 vehicles and was experiencing continued growth. Since then, Tesla has introduced self-driving software, solar panel technology, the Powerwall home battery, and the Solar Roof. As of Fall of 2018, the company claims that hundreds of homeowners have placed an order for this new roofing product.

Credentialing

Tesla does not offer contractor training for Tesla Solar Roof installation. The company uses its own certified technicians and specialists to complete the project as extensive knowledge of the solar technology is needed for proper installation. Before the installation project, Tesla asks for a $1000 deposit. From there, the homeowner will review the installation and schedule it with a specialist. The installation time varies depending on the size of your house, but most projects take two weeks to be completed.

Product Lines

Roofing Tiles: When purchasing a Tesla Solar Roof, customers have the option to choose between four different styles marketed as: Smooth, Textured, Tuscan, and Slate. Slate tiles resemble natural stone and Tuscan tiles have a classic European look with smooth curves. The Textured and Smooth tiles resemble standard roofing shingles. Each contains solar technology.
Material: Each roofing tile is made with tempered glass. Some of the tiles are solar tiles while others are non-solar tiles depending on the amount of energy generation your home will require. Both the non-solar tiles and solar tiles look identical from the street.
Powerwall Battery: The Powerwall Battery can be purchased with your Tesla Solar Roof. It’s integrated into your solar roof system and retains the energy generated from the solar tiles and stores it for later use. For instance, during a grid outage, homes with solar tiles and a Powerwall battery can tap into the stored excess energy and still have power.

Ratings: Tesla claims that its Solar Roof tiles are three times stronger than standard roof tiles. This is why they offer an “infinity” warranty. They have a Class 4 ANSI FM 4473 hail rating, a Class F ASTM D3161 wind rating, and a Class A UL 790 fire rating. These ratings indicate strong impact resistance, wind resistance, and fire resistance.

Environmental Impact

A main reason people purchase the Tesla Solar Roof is to commit to sustainability and “green” living. Tesla roofing tiles have the ability to provide adequate roofing coverage while converting sunlight into energy. Excess energy can be stored for later use using a battery product like Tesla’s Powerwall.

While generating solar energy, you are ending the reliance on coal, natural gas, or nuclear power to provide energy to your home. The average annual amount of carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation is usually around 2,000 million metric tons. This primarily comes from homes and businesses whose electricity comes from coal and natural gas, but nuclear power also poses its own risks. By eliminating your home’s reliance on natural gas and coal for electricity, you reduce the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere.

As an incentive for environmentally-friendly practices, the US government offers a 30% Solar Investment Tax Credit. This tax credit applies to the solar tiles, the Powerwall battery, and any other technology that accompanies the system. Furthermore, the tax credit can be carried over to future years, and additional tax credits might be available from state and local municipalities as well as your utility company.

Contacting Tesla

Tesla Headquarters
3500 Deer Creek Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: (877) 798-3752, (888) 518-3752

Warranty

Tesla claims its Solar Tiles are more durable than standard roofing shingles because they’re made with tempered glass. Because of this, Tesla offers a lifetime/infinity warranty on the tiles. They also offer a 30-year power warranty which guarantees sustained energy output and a 30-year weatherization warranty which covers water leaks or any other weather intrusions during the warranty timespan. These warranties are only available in the US, though Tesla claims similar warranties will be available for other countries.

Archived Homeowner Reviews

These reviews were submitted to RoofingCompare.com by homeowners and other consumers. They are historical, individual opinions; RoofingCompare.com has not independently verified each claim. Products, ownership, availability, and warranty terms may have changed since a review was written. New review submissions are closed.

Tesla solar shingles reviews

3 archived reviews from November 1, 2018 to November 16, 2018 · Average rating: 5.0 out of 5

RGN · Erie, COlorado

November 16, 2018 · 5 out of 5

Model: 200W

I own my energy, i no longer "rent" it from the utility company

I have owned my solar panels for 3 years and they consistently produce power for my home energy consumption. SolarCity (a division of Tesla) installed them and did a great job. Part of the agreement is a guarantee of amount of energy they would produce after 2 years. They came close, but missed the guarantee by about 4%. I was compensated by check for the difference. Great customer service and easy to monitor my production using my mobile phone. Sometimes it is hard to get through to a person on a call and I have found that the best bet is to discuss the issue with a salesperson and let him get to an answer. After one year, the inverter was replaced at no cost to me because of it being located at a place with strong afternoon heat caused higher ambient temperature than the 50C recommended. I would recommend going solar because for me it is the same amount that I would be shelling out to the utility company. The only difference is that I am paying down an asset I own. I since have paid off the loan for the solar system and only have a small administrative fee to the utility. I would recommend going with a company that will be around for the long haul, even after federal tax credits expire. Tesla fits the bill of being a large company that has invested into this sector. I have recently purchased an electric vehicle and feel great knowing that it is using the power of the sun to operate.

KK · Fremont, CA

November 8, 2018 · 5 out of 5

Model: Solarcity

A review about solar shingle

I have owned my shingle for 2 years, and the company that installed the Shingle is Tesla. I bought the shingle from the Solar City brand that Telsa owns. I like the fact that the shingle is super thin and light weight. It is also super efficient and it only needs two panels to power the entire home. The warranty service is great and I really like the post purchase service. I had customer service agents stop by, to inspect the shingle and I liked the fact that they took care of that from time to time. The facts that I dislike about it is that the shingle makes loud noises during rain, and there is a lot of construction dust that accumulates on the shingle from time to time. Also the shingles are not very friendly to be cleaned. I used water hoses to get it cleaned, but it hardly works. The cleaning process requires tiny brushes to be used. Due to the location of the shingle, it is not very easy to clean the shingle from time to time. I had to get it repaired when excessive dust got accumulated and it affected its performance. I would definitely recommend Tesla for shingles at any point of time to any friend.

DK · San Bernardino CA

November 1, 2018 · 5 out of 5

Model: Tesla Tuscan

Solar Shingles-a Miracle

It has been 6 months now that we have had our Tesla solar shingles now. We ordered the shingles, and like anything with Tesla, had to wait longer than we expected. But, once we got them delivered and installed by a local roofer we have been very satisfied with the product. We love how easy they are once they get installed, also love how much money we save on our energy bill each month. We were a little worried with how much they cost initially, but expect that within a few years we will have made up our money from savings on electric bill. We would absolutely suggest them to a friend or family member in the future.

The opinions expressed in these reviews belong to the consumers who submitted them and do not necessarily represent the opinions of RoofingCompare.com.