Installing A Tesla Solar Roof
Tesla Solar Roof (v3): We installed one and here’s how it went.
By Matthew Heflin
©2020 Weddle & Sons, Inc.
Weddle & Sons Inc. is the first roofing company to be certified to install Tesla’s Solar Roof in the Midwest. In February 2020, we traveled to Tesla’s headquarters in California and spent a week in training. Before we began installing a brand new product on anyone’s home, we decided to start in our own backyard and did the first install on Allyn Weddle’s (our President) home.
“It was awesome to get to work all together - our team does amazing work and this project was no different. I’m excited to see how Solar Roof can be used on other homes and how it performs on mine first! I wanted to make sure this lives up to the hype. When I recommend a product to someone, it’s typically because I’ve used it on my own home. I definitely wanted to continue that trend!”
- Allyn Weddle, President Weddle & Sons, Inc.
Solar Roof is unique from other solar panel options on the market. It’s made out of tempered glass with the solar active panels having built in photovoltaic cells. It incorporates the solar active components into a sleek and beautifully designed tile that replaces your current roof.
First and foremost, its tough! During the installation we spent many hours walking, kneeling, and sometimes, crawling all over the tiles. In the entire installation process, we only broke three tiles and even then it was because someone (he shall not be named) dropped a hammer.
How durable is Solar Roof?
Solar Roof is impact resistant to hail, which is enormously important in the midwest. It carries a 130mph wind rating and the best fire resistant rating on the market.
©2020 Weddle & Sons, Inc.
Installing a Solar Roof and a traditional roof have a few things in common. A few things…..
But mostly, the process is incredibly unique. First, brackets need to be installed onto the roof deck - carefully measured and nailed down. Then the tiles are snapped in place on top of the brackets. The panels are wired to each other and eventually tied into the house’s electrical system. Since each roof is evaluated before installation, Solar Roof is delivered with the exact amount of tiles, both solar active tiles and non active tiles.
Not each tile is solar capable. Why is this?
There are a few reasons.
The more solar active tiles you have, the more energy you can produce, but the solar active tiles are more expensive to make.
Solar active tiles don’t interact well with metal. Some of the tiles that were placed right next to the valleys (all metal on Solar Roof) needed to be inactive tiles for the electrical system to work properly.
©2020 Weddle & Sons, Inc.
Our Thoughts On Solar Roof?
We’re excited about this product. It looks phenomenal on any roof! There are definite limitations though. Not every roof is a good candidate because of roof complexity and sun exposure. It’s important to keep those factors in mind. A simple roof line that’s in direct sunlight most of the day is ideal.
Time is also a factor. A traditional roof, in many cases, will take one or two days to replace. A solar roof, because of the complexity of the installation process, can take 4-6 days, depending on the roof.
All in all, Solar Roof is a great option for many who are looking to gain freedom from the grid and gain some energy independence. The technology has come a long way and we’re excited to be on the front line of installations and being able to offer this product to our customers in the Midwest market.
For more information on Weddle & Sons and Solar Roof, click below.