Tesla is moving quickly with its new solar roof tiles. Early installations could start as soon as next month after the company started taking orders earlier this month.
Now we learn that the company just received approval from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for permitting and installations.
The company received a “Class A” roofing product classification, which could facilitate the permitting process and therefore, accelerate installations.
PV Magazine reported on the approval:
“Receiving UL’s Class A certifications should allow Solar Roof installations to face fewer objections from local permitting bodies in the United States, allowing easier deployment in more locations.”
Tesla has been looking to hire a lot of roofers over the past month. The installation of a solar roof will be significantly more labor intensive than Tesla’s usual solar rooftop installations with solar panels, which could slow down the rollout of the product.
The company says that the “typical homeowner can expect to pay $21.85 per square foot for a Solar Roof” and started taking orders for the US on May 10 with an online price estimate calculator powered by data from Google Sunroof project.
It comes with a lifetime of the house warranty and 30-year power generation guaranteed. After the electricity production, Tesla estimates that its solar roof will be cheaper than regular tile roofs or virtually pay for itself through electricity savings.
Last week, we reported that Tesla’s solar roof tiles are already sold out ‘well into 2018’. The company received more demand than it expected and unless they update their installation and production plans, they will have a backlog for the next year.
The first two types of tiles are going into production at their Fremont facility any day now and they plan to move to volume production at Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo soon after.
Tesla solar roof products are perfect for homeowners who want solar and need a new roof relatively soon, but a regular solar panel installation is still a good solution for people who don’t need a new roof. Solar and energy storage prices are highly dependent on your market (electricity cost, gov incentives, etc.) and your property. We suggest to get quotes from more than one installer to make sure you get the best energy solution for your place. UnderstandSolar is a great free service to link you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates for free.
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