Energy
How much will a Tesla Solar Roof cost on my home?
Updated May 10, 2017: Tesla has provided an online calculator that attempts to compute the cost of a Tesla Solar Roof based on a home’s approximated square foot and number of stories. Single story homes are presumed to have double the roof surface area than a 2-story home with the same interior space. Here are some estimates on how much a Tesla Solar Roof will cost depending on the size of the home:
- 1.500 square feet (1 story) – $55,600
- 1,500 square feet (2 story) – $29,500
- 2.000 square feet (1 story) – $72,700
- 2,000 square feet (2 story) – $38,300
- 3,000 square feet (1 story) – $55,600
- 3,000 square feet (2 story) – $106,600
- 5,000 square feet (1 story) – $155,300
- 5,000 square feet (2 story) – $89,700
Solar Roof costs outlined are based on 60% solar coverage and does not take into account value of energy produced from the roof tiles themselves. The cost also does not factor in any local solar tax credits which varies by region.
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Originally published post below:
Tesla’s new Solar Roof tiles are the hot topic of conversation right now. At the official reveal event, Elon Musk asked rhetorically, “So, why would you buy anything else?” In a new analysis, Consumer Reports (CR) tries to answer that question.
In the absence of pricing information from Tesla, Consumer Reports decided to make some assumptions of its own. People may quibble with them, but they at least establish a baseline that can be used to begin the discussion.
CR reached out to some knowledgeable roofing sources such as the Slate Roofing Contractors Association, the Tile Roofing Institute, and the folks behind the Remodeling 2016 Cost vs. Value Report. Assuming a typical roof size in the US of 3,000 square feet, it determined the average cost of a clay tile roof is $16,000, an asphalt shingle roof is $20,000 and a slate roof is $45,000.
CR then assumed the average annual utility bill for that typical home is $2,000. Multiplying that by the 30 year life span Tesla says customers can expect from their Solar Roof, that comes out to $60,000. Consumer Reports then backed out the $6,500 assumed cost of installing a Tesla Powerwall 2 from the projected cost of electricity and declared that a Tesla glass tile roof would have to cost no more than $73,500 in order to compete successfully with a normal asphalt shingle roof.
Note that in these calculations, the customer is expected to pay for 30 years of electricity up front. CR makes no adjustment for what the costs of financing that amount immediately might amount to over that same 30 year period. The analysis also does not factor in the location of the home, the angle of the roof, or its orientation toward the sun. Clearly, a roof in southern California will generate more electricity over its useful life than a roof in the northeast.
The team at CR also assume the combination of a solar roof and a Powerwall system will supply all of a home’s energy needs without the need to draw (and pay for) additional power from the grid. Finally, no allowance is made for the monthly fees many utility companies assess to homeowners who have residential solar systems. The industry position is that rooftop solar places an undue burden on the utility grid and forces the bills of other customers to increase.
Elon said last Friday the Tesla Solar Roof tiles will “look better than a normal roof, generate electricity, last longer, have better insulation, and actually have an installed cost that is less than a normal roof plus the cost of electricity.”
He is absolutely right about the aesthetics.” People like the idea of being energy efficient, but solar panels can be an eyesore,” says Giovanni Bozzolo, a partner at Roof4Less roofing in Seattle, Wash. “To be able to combine the energy savings with aesthetics would be a very big thing in the industry. But the pricing has to be right.”
So, will the pricing be right? After Consumer Reports checked all its sources, made all its assumptions, and crunched all its numbers, it said in order to be competitive, a Tuscan tile roof needs to cost less than $69,500 ($2,300 per 100 square foot). A smooth or textured tile roof needs to cost less than $73,500 ($2,450 per 100 square feet). A slate tile roof needs to cost less than $98,500 ($3,300 per 100 square feet).
Two important factors we don’t know are the cost of installation for a Solar Roof or the skill level installers will need. “Roofers aren’t electricians and vice versa, so I’m most interested in seeing how the costs of labor affect the end price to consumers,” says Vikram Aggarwal, CEO of EnergySage, an online marketplace of solar installers.
Elon Musk is right about one thing. The Solar Roof products we saw at Universal Studios last week are drop dead gorgeous. Any home owner would love to have one. The question is, will they be a luxury item, like a Tesla Model S, or affordable to a broad range of homeowners, like a Model 3? The answer is, no one knows. Asked for comment, a Tesla spokesperson told Consumer Reports, “We haven’t released details on pricing.”
Energy
Tesla Energy celebrates one decade of sustainability
Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.
Tesla Energy recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a dedicated video showcasing several of its milestones over the past decade.
Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.
Tesla Energy Early Days
When Elon Musk launched Tesla Energy in 2015, he noted that the business is a fundamental transformation of how the world works. To start, Tesla Energy offered the Powerwall, a 7 kWh/10 kWh home battery system, and the Powerpack, a grid-capable 100 kWh battery block that is designed for scalability. A few days after the products’ launch, Musk noted that Tesla had received 38,000 reservations for the Powerwall and 2,500 reservations for the Powerpack.
Tesla Energy’s beginnings would herald its quiet growth, with the company later announcing products like the Solar Roof tile, which is yet to be ramped, and the successor to the Powerwall, the 13.5 kWh Powerwall 2. In recent years, Tesla Energy also launched its Powerwall 3 home battery and the massive Megapack, a 3.9 MWh monster of a battery unit that has become the backbone for energy storage systems across the globe.
Key Milestones
As noted by Tesla Energy in its recent video, it has now established facilities that allow the company to manufacture 20,000 units of the Megapack every year, which should help grow the 23 GWh worth of Megapacks that have already been deployed globally.
The Powerwall remains a desirable home battery as well, with more than 850,000 units installed worldwide. These translate to 12 GWh of residential entry storage delivered to date. Just like the Megapack, Tesla is also ramping its production of the Powerwall, allowing the division to grow even more.
Tesla Energy’s Role
While Tesla Energy does not catch as much headlines as the company’s electric vehicle businesses, its contributions to the company’s bottom line have been growing. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Tesla Energy deployed 10.4 GWh of energy storage products. Powerwall deployments also crossed 1 GWh in one quarter for the first time. As per Tesla in its Q1 2025 Update Letter, the gross margin for the Energy division has improved sequentially as well.
Tesla Energy shined in what was a weak delivery report for the first quarter, as the company’s frequently-forgotten battery storage products performed extraordinarily well.
Tesla reported its Q1 production, delivery, and deployment figures for the first quarter of the year, and while many were less-than-excited about the automotive side, the Energy division performed well with 10.4 GWh of energy storage products deployed during the first quarter.
This was a 156 percent increase year-over-year and the company’s second-best quarter in terms of energy deployments to date. Only Q4 2024 was better, as 11 GWh was recorded.
Tesla Energy is frequently forgotten and not talked about enough. The company has continued to deploy massive energy storage projects across the globe, and as it recorded 31.5 GWh of deployments last year, 2025 is already looking as if it will be a record-setting year if it continues at this pace.
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Although Energy performed well, many investors are privy to that of the automotive division’s performance, which is where some concern lies. Tesla had a weak quarter for deliveries, missing Wall Street estimates by a considerable margin.
There are two very likely reasons as to why this happened: the first is Tesla’s switchover to the new Model Y at its production facilities across the globe. Tesla said it lost “several weeks” of production due to the updating of manufacturing lines as it rolled out a new version of its all-electric crossover.
Secondly, Tesla could be facing some pressure from pushback against the brand, which is what many analysts will say. Despite the publicity of attacks on Tesla drivers and their vehicles, as well as the company’s showrooms, it would be safe to assume that we will have a better picture painted of what the issue is in Q2 after the company reports numbers in July.
If Tesla is still struggling with lackluster delivery figures in Q2 after the Model Y is ramped and deliveries are more predictable and consistent, we could see where the argument for brand damage is legitimate. However, we are more prone to believe the Model Y, which accounts for most of Tesla’s sales, and its production ramp is likely the cause for what happened in Q1.
In what was a relatively bleak quarter, Tesla Energy still shines as the bright spot for the quarter.
Tesla has chosen the location of its latest manufacturing project, a facility that will churn out the Megapack, a large-scale energy storage system for solar energy projects. It has chosen Waller County, Texas, as the location of the new plant, according to a Commissioners Court meeting that occurred on Wednesday, March 5.
Around midday, members of the Waller County Commissioners Court approved a tax abatement agreement that will bring Tesla to its area, along with an estimated 1,500 jobs. The plant will be located at the Empire West Industrial Park in the Brookshire part of town.
Brookshire also plans to consider a tax abatement for Tesla at its meeting next Thursday.
The project will see a one million square-foot building make way for Tesla to build Megapack battery storage units, according to Covering Katy News, which first reported on the company’s intention to build a plant for its energy product.
CEO Elon Musk confirmed on the company’s Q4 2024 Earnings Call in late January that it had officially started building its third Megapack plant, but did not disclose any location:
“So, we have our second factory, which is in Shanghai, that’s starting operation, and we’re building a third factory. So, we’re trying to ramp output of the stationary battery storage as quickly as possible.”
Tesla plans third Megafactory after breaking energy records in 2024
The Megapack has been a high-demand item as more energy storage projects have started developing. Across the globe, regions are looking for ways to avert the loss of power in the event of a natural disaster or simple power outage.
This is where Megapack comes in, as it stores energy and keeps the lights on when the main grid is unable to provide electricity.
Vince Yokom of the Waller County Economic Development Partnership, commented on Tesla’s planned Megapack facility:
“I want to thank Tesla for investing in Waller County and Brookshire. This will be a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for their Megapack product. It is a powerful battery unit that provides energy storage and support to help stabilize the grid and prevent outages.”
Tesla has had a lease on the building where it will manufacture the Megapacks since October 2021. However, it was occupied by a third-party logistics company that handled the company’s car parts.
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