Tesla solar panels are promoted not only for renewable and clean energy but also to lower monthly energy bills. The tough question is, would a solar panel roof pay for itself?
In response, Consumer Reports analyzed three different scenarios for houses using the solar panels to determine ifA�the tesla solar panels make sense, if they were cost effective, and if they really worked.
The first report analyzed a one-story ranch located in sunny Thousand Oaks, California. This 1975 single-story home had a total interior size of 1,500 square feet with an exterior of 1,875 square feet. When the panels were installed on the house, it was noted that the standard ranch home in California generally has a larger roof with more square footage compared to its internal size than other single-story homes, and it would thereby create more energy, especially since California is consistently drenched in sun.
Having a solar paneled house in California is also a tax benefit to homeowners. According to the Californian policy on net metering, consumers who have a surplus in electricity that is produced by their home but that they dona��t consumer are subject to a tax credit.A� The solar roof cost the consumer $49,800 to install along with a single Powerwall battery for $7,000 for a total cost of $56,800. The Tesla Solar Panels were cost effective earning the consumer nearly $13,900 in tax credit per year for an estimated saving of $84,700 over 30 years. After 30 years of using the panels, the consumer would save a little over $41,800 and have fully recuperated what was spent on the panels and battery. In California, the Tesla panels made sense as it saved the consumer a large amount.
What about another sunny location–a two-story home located in Bellaire, Texas?A� This 1990 home is newer than the one in California and has a much larger external and internal square footage at 4,562 square feet and 2,779 square feet respectively. Because the roof is larger, it cost the consumer $73,600 for the tiles and $12,500 for two Powerwall batteries for a total of $81,600 in expenses. The disadvantage to this home is that the roof is rather large, and since it is two stories, Tesla calculated that it would need two Powerwall batteries to be able to power the house when there was a lack of sun.
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Texas also offers tax credits to homeowners who have solar panels. Bellaire is typically sunny and hot requiring residents to sometimes use the air conditioner 250 out of 356 days of the year. This means that the house could potentially use more energy just in air conditioning costs. After the panels were installed, the consumer saved roughly $21,300 a year in tax credit with a total 30-year savings of approximately $51,100. When that total savings is calculated with the cost of the roof and walls, it was estimated that after 30 years, the consumer would still be $12,700 in the red and would not recuperate the cost of the roof. In this Texas case, although the Tesla Solar Panels neither made sense nor were they cost effective.
The third house analyzed by Consumer Reports was an 1850 Gothic Revival located in the heart of Salisbury Mills, New York. This house had three stories with a total interior footage of 2,700 square feet and exterior of 1,175 square feet. Although New York is significantly less sunny than the other two houses, the results turned out more positively for this consumer than the one in Texas. Because of the smaller square footage, the roof cost $38,400 in solar panels and required one Powerwall battery at $7,000 for a total of $45,400. The yearly tax credit averaged to about $12,500 which estimated to a total savings of nearly $46,800 after 30 years. The owner would recuperate the costs for the roof and save a total of $13,900.
Will Tesla Solar House work?
Each of the three houses in the report functioned well although little information was provided as to if the panels or roof required any maintenance or repair.
Do Tesla Solar Panels Make Sense?
Tesla Solar Panels make sense if the owner can recuperate the costs of the panels and battery and save money. Therefore, they made sense for the house in California and in New York but not in Texas.
Are Tesla Solar Panels cost effective?
Tesla Solar Panels are cost effective for two out of the three houses assuming that the families stay in that house for the whole 30-year length of time. Should the families move, they may not get the same return as they invested.A� Before jumping on the solar bandwagon, the homeowner must carefully evaluate the cost of the panels, the cost of electricity, the benefit of tax credits, and the amount of space for his particular house.A� A blanket recommendation cana��t be made.A� So Elon Musk’s claim that a solar roof would be a “no-brainer” is not quite true.A� Yet.
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