There’s no roof too big for Tesla

Tesla has not cut its support for traditional rooftop solar — in fact, the company just released a giant “X-Large” version of its home solar system: a 15.4 kW installation, recommended for homes that are greater than 4,000 sq ft.

Tesla’s commitment to changing the residential solar solar market has seen it abandon the traditional door-to-door sales model and focus entirely on online orders with pre-set system sizes.

The company has given two reasons for the switch in sales strategy: curbing the stubborn cost of customer acquisition (customer acquisition cost for residential solar companies has risen to over 30% of system cost) and shifting its focus towards the integrated solar roof product.

All of Tesla’s home solar options come in 3.8 kW increments, meaning the “X-Large” roof represents a 33% capacity increase over the “Large” system.

System prices vary state by state and the prices shown above are for New York and factor in the 30% federal investment tax credit and $5,000 state tax credit. The above system does not include any Powerwall storage. Without those incentives, the XL system starts at just over $36,000, with the other models coming in at $28,000, $19,000 and $10,500, respectively. Alternatively, the system is available for lease starting at $173 a month with incentives and $248 monthly without.

How has this new residential solar sales model worked for Tesla? In Q3, the company deployed 43 MW of solar, up 48% from the 29 MW installed in Q2 2019, which will certainly live on as a number to forget. And while 48% growth is a major show of improvement, it’s still less than stellar when compared to historical deployment, even in just the last calendar year. In Q3 2018, the company deployed 93 MW, the high point of the year, with that number decreasing to 73 MW in Q4 and 47 MW in Q1 2019.

So if you’re the owner of a massive roof and a high energy bill, Tesla seems committed to traditional residential solar and has a system to fit your needs.