Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, has shared a comprehensive review of the Tesla Solar Roof system installed on his own house. With over 17 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, Brownlee is renowned for his high-quality tech videos and unbiased opinions.
In the video, Brownlee explains that his home is equipped with Solar Roof tiles that generate 29.313 kilowatts of power, along with three Powerwall batteries capable of storing up to 40.5 kWh of energy. Despite the system’s substantial cost of $120,948.04, after factoring in the federal tax credit, the final expense was reduced to approximately $93,000.
Remarkably, Brownlee mentions that he has received energy bills of $0 over the course of the year since implementing the solar system. Despite some decrease in output during the winter months, the excess energy produced during sunnier periods compensates for the lower production days.
Brownlee estimates that he will recoup his investment in under 10 years based on his household’s power consumption.
Tesla introduced its Solar Roof tiles in 2016 and began mass production in 2020. The company claims that the cost of covering a house with its photovoltaic shingles is lower than installing separate solar panels. Tesla also claims that the durability of the tempered glass used in the tiles surpasses that of standard roofing materials.
In addition to its Solar Roof tiles, Tesla offers standalone photovoltaic panels that can be retrofitted onto existing roofs. These are known as “retrofit solar panels.”
While Tesla reports having installed over 500,000 solar systems, the total number of completed Solar Roof installations remains unclear. A March 2023 CNBC report suggested that Tesla had only completed 3,000 installations in the US. Tesla disputed the CNBC report but did not provide any evidence confirming its own 500,000 figure.
Watch the video below to get more details about how Marques Brownlee got $0 power bills.
Image Source: Marques Brownlee, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Image cropped.
