While most media are knee-deep in the intrigue that has marked Tesla founder Elon Musk’s Tesla auto rollercoaster, SpaceX successes and the seemingly fools-rush-in repackaging of Twitter, nay ‘X,’ for roofing contractors, the Tesla Solar Roof has been a mainstay of derision or delight. 

Over the weekend, Marques Brownlee, who runs a YouTube channel devoted to tech, consumer electronics and the like, posted his reflection on owning a Tesla Solar Roof system for one year and offered his assessment: happy, happy, joy, joy (our words, not his).

Brownlee, whose YouTube channel is MKBHD, opted for a Solar Roof with Powerwall setup for his home. He says that getting a Solar Roof system as a Tesla owner made sense, even if it was not the most cost-effective option. 

The reviewer’s system is striking, with the Solar Roof tiles offering 29.313 kW and three Powerwall batteries providing 40.5 kWh of energy storage. The system is massive, and on its own, the entire setup reportedly cost the tech junkie $120,948.04. However, thanks to the federal tax credit, the Solar Roof setup price was reduced to just around $93,000. 

While undoubtedly a pricey system, Brownlee said it afforded him a luxurious monthly energy bill of $0 for an entire year, even as winter reduced the system’s ability to capture and store energy. The net metering credits that the Solar Roof has accumulated over the other months of the year proved more than enough to cover the home’s grid usage during the cold months. 

Considering the energy used by the reviewer’s home over the year, Brownlee said that, based on his power use, he estimates the system’s payback period should be less than 10 years; the Solar Roof is designed to last much longer than a decade. 

As of Monday morning, his YouTube review has received more than 4 million views. Watch his assessment below.