GUIDE / SOLAR
Solar on the roof
does not rule out
a new one.
The panels come off, the roof is replaced, the panels go back on. The part that needs planning is everything around that: who does each step, who has to approve it, and in what order.
THE FIRST CALL
“Before any roofer starts, find out who owns your panels.”
01 / HOW WE DO IT
We do the roof.
Licensed hands
move the panels.
We coordinate the detach and reset with your solar company or with an independent licensed contractor. The panels come off before the roofing starts and go back on once it is finished, and we schedule the two around each other.
It costs $150 per panel, and it is part of our quote, so you are not arranging a second bill. A 20-panel system is $3,000, on top of the roofing; our roofing prices are here.
02 / BEFORE WORK STARTS
Five things
to settle
first.
Settling these early keeps the roofing from waiting on the solar side.
01
Who owns the system.
If you bought the panels outright, they are yours to arrange. If they are leased or under a power purchase agreement, the solar company owns them, and it will have its own rules about who may work on them.
02
Whether approval is needed.
Some solar companies require approval before another contractor touches their system. Sunrun, for example, lets you choose your own roofer but asks for prior approval through its customer care team, and warns that skipping it risks delays and the system’s warranty coverage.
03
What the warranty says.
Read what your solar warranty says about removal and reinstallation, and who is allowed to do it. Doing it the approved way is what protects the coverage.
04
A gap in generation.
While the panels are off the roof, the system produces nothing. Expect your electricity bill for those days to look like a house without solar.
05
Where the panels wait.
Ask where the panels will be stored while the roof is done, and agree it before they come down.
03 / IF YOU ARE ADDING SOLAR
Roof first,
then panels.
The US Department of Energy’s guide for homeowners going solar tells you to consider the age of your roof and how long until it will need replacement.
01
Panels are a long commitment.
Once they are on, every roofing job underneath means taking them off and putting them back.
02
So the roof should outlast the wait.
Tile underlayment here commonly lasts 15 to 25 years. If yours is near that, deal with it before the panels go on. How long each roof lasts here.
03
The cost of getting it wrong is countable.
At $150 a panel, a 20-panel system adds $3,000 to a re-roof that could have been done first.
04 / COMMON QUESTIONS
Solar and
roofing.
Who do I call first, you or the solar company?
Either. If you call us first, we coordinate with them. If your system is leased, have your solar account details handy, because the solar company may need to approve the work.
Can the roof under the panels just be left alone?
That depends on the roof and on what is wrong with it, which is what the inspection is for. A new roof with an old section left under the panels is not the same job as a new roof.
What does the whole job cost?
One quote from us: the roofing at our per-square prices, plus $150 per panel for the detach and reset. Roofing prices.
Panels on a roof that needs work?
Start with a free inspection. It tells you what the roof needs before anyone touches the panels.