10 ms·

I really love the work that Tesla is doing in this area, and wish them all the luck in the world, but if the estimates in the article are even close ($57K for a

by kodis 9y ago

I really love the work that Tesla is doing in this area, and wish them all the luck in the world, but if the estimates in the article are even close ($57K for a Tesla roof, $41K for a tile roof with a small solar panel, $22K for a conventional asphalt roof) it's hard for me to see this being cost effective.

CapitalistCartr 9y ago
I thought you had to be wrong until I read the article. If people found solar panels garish, unsightly, this would sell like hotcakes. But just the oposite: people will put panels towards the street even when that's not the best angle or side. Like buying Prius over Honda's hybrid because the Toyota is distinctive, people want to flaunt their green.
- dhzjxnbzn 9y ago
  Maybe this will appeal to people who are green-minded, but live in a conservative area and are ashamed about it.
  - AckSyn 9y ago
    Being conservative has nothing to do with it. The area of NY I live in right now is extremely conservative and there are dozens of solar panel installations from Apex Solar on homes and businesses.
- melling 9y ago
  That means they’ll help to create a new industry, increase competition, drive down prices, but won’t save as much money. Aren’t we still better off?
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
ricardobeat 9y ago
The idea is that the energy generated makes up for the added cost, so cost of roof - energy savings = less than standard roof.
- bradlys 9y ago
  "A plain-old asphalt roof with panels would run about $22,000" That's with panels to give equivalent power output. You're essentially paying a $35k premium for a sleeker install.
  - cycrutchfield 9y ago
    And what would the effect on property value be for an asphalt roof with garish panels vs. the Tesla option?
    - bradlys 9y ago
      Probably depends on the home. I don't think it would add $35k worth of value over the other installation to a home (especially for a typical $200k home). Also, who cares about property value? If you're selling anytime soon after installing either system, you're going to be taking a significant loss because I doubt you'll make it back in added property value. Especially for the Tesla system. Hard to justify to folks, "Yeah, my otherwise standard $200k home has a fancy $57k roof." Maybe for the bay area where homes are often over $2mm and the desire for such a roof is plausibly high.
      - cycrutchfield 9y ago
        Sounds like you figured out what their target market looks like then.
        bradlys 9y ago
        It's definitely an item for the 1% class. I'm not surprised it's "backordered" because it's going to be extremely low supply to begin with.
bkjelden 9y ago
The roof tiles they use are supposedly 'indestructible' and have a longer life than asphalt shingles. That being said, I'm skeptical of their claim. Not many things are indestructible when a large hailstorm rolls through.
- sp332 9y ago
  Don't they have a lifetime warranty? They're at least putting their money where their mouth is.
- agumonkey 9y ago
  The drop test shown in the announcement is impressive to me.
sp332 9y ago
I thought they were making this "competitive" with other kinds of tile roofs. Going up against asphalt shingles is pretty ambitious.
jimrandomh 9y ago
They're already backordered. If they lowered the price, they would be even more backordered, but have less money. We won't know what the non-early-adopter price is until a few years from now.
- JohnStudio 9y ago
  Well, roof work is an endless source of work .. and an endless source of material (before Elon). The material gets better every year .. its the workmanship that doesn't unfortunately, nor do the hazards associated with roof work. At any price, solar still remains a "cut the wire" thing, and the more wires you cut to the house eventually the more "free" you live. That said, it does not surprise me that Elon has this problem .. no matter what his reputation is .. because he delivers on the workmanship.
michaelbuckbee 9y ago
It's like any sort of tech: the first version is too expensive and then the price drops some % every year until we all have "supercomputers" in our pockets. Plain Solar Panel (non roof) installation has gone from $52k to $20k in the last decade [1] which is craziness. The other aspect of this is longevity. Setting all solar power generation aspects aside an asphalt roof will generally last 20-25 years. Tesla roof tiles appear to last much longer (infinite warranty, etc.) and are maybe more comparable to a slate roof which would be 10x the cost of an asphalt roof. As a reference point, I grew up in a house built in the 1920s and just confirmed via Google Streetview that it still has it's original slate roof. 1 - https://news.energysage.com/solar-panel-efficiency-cost-over-time/ https://news.energysage.com/solar-panel-efficiency-cost-over...
- tbabb 9y ago
  20-25 years is at the limit of what I could imagine staying in one house with any certainty. How does the extra longevity justify the cost unless I plan to never ever move again?
  - awa 9y ago
    resale value?
  - infogulch 9y ago
    So you don't have to replace it again before selling it, or take the hit from someone deducting the cost of a new roof off of an offer, the first is typically better for you as a seller. It also adds value to the house in multiple dimensions: they don't have to replace the roof when they sell it, and a solar roof reduces their electric bill.
  - michaelbuckbee 9y ago
    It goes to the home's value (aka you'd get more when you sell it). I kind of think of it like brick. Brick has a much longer maintenance cycle than vinyl or wood siding.
    - 9y ago
m3kw9 9y ago
Prices will come down as a result of scale and tech advances. And it has been coming down substantially every year
SubiculumCode 9y ago
This is like the Apple iPhone of solar panel solutions. It looks better than regular solar panels, so those who can afford them, will get them.

by kodis 9y ago

CapitalistCartr 9y ago

I thought you had to be wrong until I read the article. If people found solar panels garish, unsightly, this would sell like hotcakes. But just the oposite: people will put panels towards the street even when that's not the best angle or side. Like buying Prius over Honda's hybrid because the Toyota is distinctive, people want to flaunt their green.

dhzjxnbzn 9y ago
Maybe this will appeal to people who are green-minded, but live in a conservative area and are ashamed about it.
- AckSyn 9y ago
  Being conservative has nothing to do with it. The area of NY I live in right now is extremely conservative and there are dozens of solar panel installations from Apex Solar on homes and businesses.
melling 9y ago
That means they’ll help to create a new industry, increase competition, drive down prices, but won’t save as much money. Aren’t we still better off?

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

ricardobeat 9y ago

The idea is that the energy generated makes up for the added cost, so cost of roof - energy savings = less than standard roof.

bradlys 9y ago
"A plain-old asphalt roof with panels would run about $22,000" That's with panels to give equivalent power output. You're essentially paying a $35k premium for a sleeker install.
- cycrutchfield 9y ago
  And what would the effect on property value be for an asphalt roof with garish panels vs. the Tesla option?
  - bradlys 9y ago
    Probably depends on the home. I don't think it would add $35k worth of value over the other installation to a home (especially for a typical $200k home). Also, who cares about property value? If you're selling anytime soon after installing either system, you're going to be taking a significant loss because I doubt you'll make it back in added property value. Especially for the Tesla system. Hard to justify to folks, "Yeah, my otherwise standard $200k home has a fancy $57k roof." Maybe for the bay area where homes are often over $2mm and the desire for such a roof is plausibly high.
    - cycrutchfield 9y ago
      Sounds like you figured out what their target market looks like then.
      - bradlys 9y ago
        It's definitely an item for the 1% class. I'm not surprised it's "backordered" because it's going to be extremely low supply to begin with.

bkjelden 9y ago

The roof tiles they use are supposedly 'indestructible' and have a longer life than asphalt shingles. That being said, I'm skeptical of their claim. Not many things are indestructible when a large hailstorm rolls through.

sp332 9y ago
Don't they have a lifetime warranty? They're at least putting their money where their mouth is.
agumonkey 9y ago
The drop test shown in the announcement is impressive to me.

sp332 9y ago

I thought they were making this "competitive" with other kinds of tile roofs. Going up against asphalt shingles is pretty ambitious.

jimrandomh 9y ago

They're already backordered. If they lowered the price, they would be even more backordered, but have less money. We won't know what the non-early-adopter price is until a few years from now.

JohnStudio 9y ago
Well, roof work is an endless source of work .. and an endless source of material (before Elon). The material gets better every year .. its the workmanship that doesn't unfortunately, nor do the hazards associated with roof work. At any price, solar still remains a "cut the wire" thing, and the more wires you cut to the house eventually the more "free" you live. That said, it does not surprise me that Elon has this problem .. no matter what his reputation is .. because he delivers on the workmanship.

michaelbuckbee 9y ago

It's like any sort of tech: the first version is too expensive and then the price drops some % every year until we all have "supercomputers" in our pockets. Plain Solar Panel (non roof) installation has gone from $52k to $20k in the last decade [1] which is craziness. The other aspect of this is longevity. Setting all solar power generation aspects aside an asphalt roof will generally last 20-25 years. Tesla roof tiles appear to last much longer (infinite warranty, etc.) and are maybe more comparable to a slate roof which would be 10x the cost of an asphalt roof. As a reference point, I grew up in a house built in the 1920s and just confirmed via Google Streetview that it still has it's original slate roof. 1 - https://news.energysage.com/solar-panel-efficiency-cost-over-time/ https://news.energysage.com/solar-panel-efficiency-cost-over...

tbabb 9y ago
20-25 years is at the limit of what I could imagine staying in one house with any certainty. How does the extra longevity justify the cost unless I plan to never ever move again?
- awa 9y ago
  resale value?
- infogulch 9y ago
  So you don't have to replace it again before selling it, or take the hit from someone deducting the cost of a new roof off of an offer, the first is typically better for you as a seller. It also adds value to the house in multiple dimensions: they don't have to replace the roof when they sell it, and a solar roof reduces their electric bill.
- michaelbuckbee 9y ago
  It goes to the home's value (aka you'd get more when you sell it). I kind of think of it like brick. Brick has a much longer maintenance cycle than vinyl or wood siding.
  - 9y ago

m3kw9 9y ago

Prices will come down as a result of scale and tech advances. And it has been coming down substantially every year

SubiculumCode 9y ago

This is like the Apple iPhone of solar panel solutions. It looks better than regular solar panels, so those who can afford them, will get them.