Understanding System Performance

Understanding Your Solar System

With your Solar Roof now producing clean, renewable energy, understanding the following factors can help you maximize the benefits of your solar system. Solar Roof is custom designed for every home, with performance measured by how much energy the system generates over time.

You can expect output to naturally vary throughout the day and year as weather conditions change. While the amount of sunlight reaching your roof will fluctuate, there are various steps you can take to maintain your solar system and maximize performance across every season of the year.

Winter and Summer Energy Production

In the winter, it is typical for your system to produce up to half of its power potential at noon, while in the summer, it is typical for your system to produce up to 80% of its power potential at noon. During the winter, your solar production can be affected by the following factors:

1. Shorter Days
   During the winter months, days are shorter and experience less daylight compared to the summer months. As a result, your Solar Roof operates for less time each day, and the average amount of daily energy produced is lower.
2. Lower Sun Position
   The position of the sun changes significantly during the winter — even at its midday peak, the sun is much lower in the sky. This results in less direct sunlight hitting your Solar Roof during the winter months, which decreased your system’s power output and reduces energy production.
3. Amount of Snow Cover
   Depending on where you live, the winter can bring increased cloudy weather and snowstorms, forming a layer of snow cover on your rooftop. If a thin snow cover forms on your Solar Roof, you may still be able to turn on your system and produce a small amount of energy. However, if a larger buildup of snow occurs on your Solar Roof, this may prevent your system from producing energy until your rooftop is cleared.

Savings

Solar Roof is the only roof currently on the market that can help pay for itself through the energy that it produces. With Solar Roof, homeowners may be able to completely offset their energy usage and significantly reduce their energy bills.

By customizing your Solar Roof settings in the Tesla app, you can monitor and manage your energy usage based on your savings goals.

Maintaining Your Solar System

Tesla Solar Roof is designed to produce clean energy for years to come. To help maximize energy production efficiency with your Solar Roof, consider the following best practices.

Keep Your Solar Roof Clean

To help maintain system performance, it is recommended to routinely have your Solar Roof cleaned by a professional cleaning service. We do not recommend that Solar Roof owners step onto their roof so as to avoid danger of slipping, falling and injuring themselves.

Your professional cleaner should provide the service as they do with any roof, directing the flow of water from a power washer downwards off of the roof to avoid directly spraying the front edge of your tiles, as well as in between your tiles. For more challenging areas, such as where dust or debris has built up, they should use a telescoping soft brush (similarly used for washing a car) to gently wipe your roof surface. Avoid using detergents, abrasives, solvents or other types of cleaning products on your Solar Roof. Please reference the Owner's Manual for a complete list of safety instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions About System Performance

What should I do if I suspect damage to my Solar Roof?

As a Solar Roof owner, you should never climb or walk on top your roof to avoid danger of slipping, falling and injuring yourself. If you suspect that your Solar Roof needs assessment or repair, contact a Tesla-certified solar technician.

If severe damage to your system has occurred, you will likely notice measurable performance issues. If you experience a significant drop in energy production, follow the troubleshooting steps for your system.

Can any equipped solar technician perform service on my Solar Roof?

No. Solar technicians must complete approved training to become a certified Tesla Installer or an employed installer from Tesla. Hiring a solar technician who is not trained directly by Tesla may impact your Solar Roof warranty.

Can my production change over time?

The process of converting solar energy will cause system efficiency to degrade by approximately 0.5% each year. This is typical for every solar system and is accounted for when designing your system. Changes in solar production often depend on the equipment installed on your home. Tesla only installs high-quality equipment for your Solar Roof in order to provide you with the most competitive solar system on the market.

Additionally, the equipment installed on your home is accompanied by manufacturer warranties to ensure your Solar Roof meets industry standards. Optimize your Solar Roof production and reduce your utility consumption by understanding the factors that affect system performance.

Can solar offset 100% of my consumption?

Depending on a variety of factors, some systems can offset 100% of consumption. Your Tesla solar system is configured based on your solar needs, including factors such as aesthetics, cost-savings and production output. Over time, your energy usage may change, potentially impacting the ratio of energy supplied by your Solar Roof.

Additionally, seasonal changes, such as adjusting heating or cooling in your home, decorating your home for the holidays or changing your electric vehicle charging schedule may temporarily affect your utility consumption. Changes in the number of family members living in your home, additional appliances or building renovations typically result in more permanent changes to your energy usage. Regardless of your current energy usage, any amount of solar energy produced will be reducing the amount of energy you purchase from your utility company.

What should I do if my inverter needs service?

To ensure that your solar system is designed to produce clean energy for decades, Tesla designs your system with high-quality equipment. However, basic troubleshooting is expected on occasion. View your Tesla Solar Inverter owner documents to learn more. If your system was installed by Tesla, you can schedule service using the Tesla app.

Can my Solar Roof still operate during a power outage?

Even if you have Solar Roof, a power outage in your area can cause your home to lose power. For safety reasons, solar equipment is required by law to shut down during a power outage. To maintain power and continue generating energy during an outage, purchase Powerwall to pair with your solar system.

After installation, can I replace static tiles with energy-producing tiles to increase my system’s production?

Before installing your Solar Roof, Tesla works with you to ensure that your home’s system is designed for optimized energy production. Once your system in installed, static tiles cannot be replaced with additional energy-producing tiles.