Power Consumption
The first thing to think about before deciding on whether to get Tesla solar panels is your level of consumption. You have to look at how much power your family consistently uses. For my family, we use a lot of power, much more power than our neighbors. We leave porch lights on all night. We also have a lot of televisions and computers in the home. Overall, I would say that on average we use 20% more power than our neighbors.
I recommend you getting your electric bill and seeing how much power you really use. If you're using a lot of power, then it would be in your best interest to consider getting solar panels. But, if you're not using a lot of power, then stop reading this article and go about your day.
Level of Production
If you're still reading this, I'll say that you're using a lot of power and want to lower electric your bill.
Now you have to consider your home. Since we live in the Northern hemisphere, having a southern facing roof is the best for solar panels. Solar panels that face the south produce the most amount of electricity because they are exposed to the sun the longest throughout the day.
The second best orientation for solar panels is facing east. Although not as good as a southern orientation, it's still better than an northern or western orientation.
Tesla
This first thing to know about Tesla solar panels is that they don't advertise. You have to know a guy that knows a guy to get it, or you can go to Home Depot. That's where I met Mark. One thing know is that if you're interested in Tesla solar panels let me know. Tesla offers $400 for referrals that end up buying a solar system. I will give anyone half of the referral, $200, if they have me refer them to Mark.
The next step would be having a consultation with Mark. He will ask you for a year's worth of electric usage. He usually asks for a print out from your local electric utility provider. Mark is fantastic! He goes over all the details about how much energy we use. He also reviews how much a potential system could produce given my roof. He is an expert in the field of solar.
He will use his computer and custom Tesla software to create a solar system that fits your production needs and roof specifications. For me, I needed a lot of power. So we created a system that fits my families needs. Our system is predicted to overproduce electricity in the winter and slightly under produce in the summer months. The shortage will lead to a utility bill in these months. But as an average, we will be paying less than what we would have if we didn't add solar.
If you're still interest, you will have to talk about how you will be paying for the system. You can either pay for it out of pocket or you can have one of their lenders finance the cost. The terms are favorable and competitive.
Financed and ready to go
Once you have gone ahead and agreed to financing and the potential plan of your solar system. The proposed plans will be sent out to the Tesla engineers in Las Vegas. The engineers are great! They can have the final plans for your system back in as few as two days. But they usually take four days. The turn around time for these types of plans is great.
Next, your home will be inspected by Tesla field surveyors. These guys get up on your roof and inspect the tiles, backing, and paper. Mark told me that many times roofs don't qualify because the paper between the roofing and the roof has deteriorated. Our house which was built in '06 passed the paper test.
Once the surveyors submit their reports to Tesla, and Telsa approves the plan & survey results, the system gets built. In our case, the system was installed about one month after the surveyors came out. Tesla solar panels take time from initiation to turn on date. So, if you want these bad boys, you're gonna have to be patient.
After the install, your city must approve the workmanship. Tesla does a great job! Our system was installed and the next day the city came out to inspect. Tesla handles all scheduling of inspections. You don't have to worry about that. The inspection went off without a hitch. Next, and the final step, is having your local utility company come out and approve the work.
This takes time because the utility company only has so many inspectors, and Tesla cannot determine when they come out to inspect.
All in all, it takes about three to four months for the system to be installed and turned on. I will say that the panels are a bit more expensive than other companies, but hey, it's Tesla.
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