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Tesla just released their new roof tiles and on top of giving houses a new slick look, they could be set to reduce or even eliminate electricity bills.
The new glass solar tiles, which are now available for order on Tesla's website, can collect and store energy during the day and be used at anytime.
As well, with powerwall batteries the solar roof tiles would also be able to store enough energy to keep a home running during electricity outages.
In addition to turning your house into a personal utility, the tiles are apparently three times more durable than standard roofing tiles.
To demonstrate their strength, Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared a video to Instagram showing one of the solar tiles withstand a hail cannonball.
If the video wasn’t enough to convince customers of their durability, Tesla offers a warranty for tiles that spans the lifetime of your house or infinity, whichever comes first.
Customers can also choose from four different styles (textured, smooth, tuscan and slate) as well as modify the amount of electricity their solar roof tiles produce to fit their energy needs. This feature is made possible by using two types of glass tile: solar tile and non-solar tile.
However, there’s always downside when a brand new hi-tech product hits the shelves: prices.
According to Tesla in a blog post, a typical homeowner in the United States could expect to pay $21.85 per square foot for Solar Roof.
Despite Tesla arguing that solar panels will ultimately pay for themselves by increasing the value of a household and reducing or eliminating a home’s electricity bill, even Elon Musk has conceded that the prices aren’t that affordable for the average middle-income worker.
Musk made the concession following a social media post criticizing the prices.
@elonmusk man, I love you, but this isn’t something normal humans can afford. Not unless I want to take out a 2nd mortgage just for my roof. pic.twitter.com/UxZurCddlv
— Lee Hutchinson (@Lee_Ars) May 10, 2017
@Lee_Ars This is true. The economics are not yet compelling where housing and utility costs are low and property taxes are high.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 10, 2017
To be fair to Tesla however, to help potential buyers they created a Solar Roof calculator that lets homeowners estimate the upfront price of Solar Roof as well as the value of the energy it can generate for their home. The calculator is based on factors such as roof size, the average local price of electricity and how much sunlight a neighborhood receives throughout the year.
Essentially, the solar roof panels could shed insight into how people could go about attaining electricity in the future. But in the meantime, for the majority of us who often have to choose between either a night out or paying rent on time, the idea of purchasing solar roof tiles is unrealistic to say the least.
To learn more about the tiles and research the frequently asked questions about the product, click here.
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