Solar Roof Order of Operations
May 19, 2022 10:05 AM Subscribe
Last year we bought a house, and we'd like to put solar panels on soon in order to take advantage of various state and federal incentives, but we've also been told our roof is old and will need replacing soonish. What is the order of operations here?
We bought a small house last summer and had a bunch of work done on it. I don't know much about roofing, but our housing inspector told us that our roof was definitely on the old side and should probably be replaced in the next few years. We'd also like to get solar panels put on the house, and there's a little bit of urgency here because if I'm reading things right we could lose out significantly on tax incentives and rebates if we wait until 2023.
But will it be a problem to put the solar panels on the roof and then replace it? Do we need to do one before the other? Is there some contractor we could find who would do both for us at the same time? What am I (an inexperienced, only very slightly handy homeowner) not thinking about?
(Location is an inner suburb of Boston, MA in case that matters or you have specific recommendations of who I should be working with.)
We bought a small house last summer and had a bunch of work done on it. I don't know much about roofing, but our housing inspector told us that our roof was definitely on the old side and should probably be replaced in the next few years. We'd also like to get solar panels put on the house, and there's a little bit of urgency here because if I'm reading things right we could lose out significantly on tax incentives and rebates if we wait until 2023.
But will it be a problem to put the solar panels on the roof and then replace it? Do we need to do one before the other? Is there some contractor we could find who would do both for us at the same time? What am I (an inexperienced, only very slightly handy homeowner) not thinking about?
(Location is an inner suburb of Boston, MA in case that matters or you have specific recommendations of who I should be working with.)
Roof needs to go on first definitely, but start talking with solar sales people first not roofers. They likely have relationships with roofers who could provide you with quotes and if the solar company rolls it all into one bill you may be able to claim the federal tax credit for some of the roof costs.
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 11:11 AM on May 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 11:11 AM on May 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also, some solar panel folks are scammers. And by that I mean they do shitty work and they have terrible reviews. So do find reputable roof AND solar folks to hire. They are out there. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 11:42 AM on May 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Bella Donna at 11:42 AM on May 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
The subreddit for electricians is rife with stories of dangerously, terrifyingly incompetent electrical work by solar installers.
Get someone experienced and local, and check references,
(But yeah, shingles then panels.)
posted by wenestvedt at 1:33 PM on May 19, 2022
Get someone experienced and local, and check references,
(But yeah, shingles then panels.)
posted by wenestvedt at 1:33 PM on May 19, 2022
I'm inside 128 and went with Great Sky Solar. I did a lot of research, compared numbers, talked with people who'd gotten solar installed in general, and with people who'd gotten solar installed by Great Sky. I also ran the numbers for various install quotes vs. added value to the house based on years I'll be living here and not just the payback horizon. I've been happy with the size/power output of the array they proposed, the payback time they estimated (but which I also rounded up because I prefer to be conservative about it), the install itself, and the administration of the whole thing. They handled literally every bit of paperwork and every phone call associated with the install, permission to operate, and the rebate program. All I had to do was read and sign when I was sent forms digitally. They even proactively alerted me when the city inspection wasn't happening and called the inspection office on my behalf (and with my permission) to figure out what was going on.
The option of replacing the roof was something they asked me -- not as an add-on, but exactly as you're thinking, an order of operations question. They wanted to know if there was any reason I was thinking of replacing it, they asked about the age, checked the health of it, took a look at the interior for any clues, and got into the crawl spaces to see if the roof was telling them anything from the inside. In the end they and I decided there was no need to do any roof work before continuing.
One thing you might do is introduce yourself to owners where you see solar already installed. I rang some bells in my neighborhood and asked if they would share their experiences. Solar's still new enough that you'll encounter people who want to tell you their story, and you can learn a great deal that way.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:53 PM on May 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
The option of replacing the roof was something they asked me -- not as an add-on, but exactly as you're thinking, an order of operations question. They wanted to know if there was any reason I was thinking of replacing it, they asked about the age, checked the health of it, took a look at the interior for any clues, and got into the crawl spaces to see if the roof was telling them anything from the inside. In the end they and I decided there was no need to do any roof work before continuing.
One thing you might do is introduce yourself to owners where you see solar already installed. I rang some bells in my neighborhood and asked if they would share their experiences. Solar's still new enough that you'll encounter people who want to tell you their story, and you can learn a great deal that way.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:53 PM on May 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
If you get panels and need a new roof, you pay for an uninstall and a reinstall. If you are within 10 years of needing a new roof, do that first. We got a new standing seam steel roof before our panels. On the plus side, the panels just clip on to the steel roof, so that made install easier (and therefore cheaper). The roof should last us 50 years, and by then, we’ll probably be too old to live here.
posted by advicepig at 3:06 PM on May 19, 2022
posted by advicepig at 3:06 PM on May 19, 2022
This may be useful, a gardening youtuber I like who was able to buy some property and definitely wanted to put solar panels on an older home.
There are a number of videos in the series, from costing it out to getting the roof fixed specifically so it works well with the panels, etc.
epic homestead solar panel
It's in San Diego, so not able to recommend contractors, but hopefully you can get an idea of the process and steps. Best of luck!
posted by winesong at 4:20 PM on May 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
There are a number of videos in the series, from costing it out to getting the roof fixed specifically so it works well with the panels, etc.
epic homestead solar panel
It's in San Diego, so not able to recommend contractors, but hopefully you can get an idea of the process and steps. Best of luck!
posted by winesong at 4:20 PM on May 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just echoing - definitely roof then panels. I ended up with a place where the company did the install for free in exchange for the tax credit and future SRECs. Because they agree to take the panels off for necessary maintenance for a nominal $500 for the first 15 years after installation, they also insist on a <5 year old roof before agreeing to the project. I imagine they’ve run the math on lost business vs cost of temporary removal and realized it’s best not to deal with roofs that anticipate replacement in the next ten years. I bet the economics work out quite similarly for the average homeowner.
posted by exutima at 6:02 PM on May 19, 2022
posted by exutima at 6:02 PM on May 19, 2022
Yes, roof first then solar. BTW there's now a class of solar panels that are roof shingles, most notably Tesla's. Don't get that. They have a terrible reputation both for the install process and the performance. Maybe in a few years but right now it's better to get a regular roof then put panels on top of it.
posted by Nelson at 6:27 AM on May 20, 2022
posted by Nelson at 6:27 AM on May 20, 2022
Also think about insulation and what you want to do there.
In my 100 year old house, we are now much more restricted on deep energy retrofit options now that we have the panels on there. In retrospect, it would have been much better to have figured out insulation options, insulated/put on new roof, and THEN put on our panels.
posted by rockindata at 2:17 PM on May 20, 2022
In my 100 year old house, we are now much more restricted on deep energy retrofit options now that we have the panels on there. In retrospect, it would have been much better to have figured out insulation options, insulated/put on new roof, and THEN put on our panels.
posted by rockindata at 2:17 PM on May 20, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
Find a local solar panel installer (not SolarCity or any of the other big national ones). They might be able to help find a local contractor who will do the roof with the later installation of panels in mind.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 10:33 AM on May 19, 2022