New roof vs. solar panels: If I have to replace the roof now, should I do solar panels at the same time?

At your age, I’m guessing over 60, I would not get solar panels. From what I have heard, it takes 30 years to see the return on the money you would save by having solar panels versus using electric. Solar panels are very expensive. And if something should happen to your roof in the meanwhile, you will have to replace the panels too.
There was a question on Fluther about this not so long ago. I can’t look it up as I’m on my phone, but if you are able to, there was some very good information about this.

There are solar tiles and solar roofs in lieu of a roof and solar panels.

Most likely it doesn’t make financial sense to get the solar panels and most likely adding the panels screws up your roof warranty.

I was considering solar too, but the more I read the more hassles I learned about. I still will continue to look into it, but for now I’m not getting solar. Do you have land? You could put solar on a piece of land rather than your roof.

I don’t know if Trump has managed to torpedo the solar incentives yet, but they are powerful. There are many variables that go into whether this makes sense for you. The most important ones are where you live in terms of your sun exposure and also the price of electricity in your area and also how much electricity do you use, so in places like Hawaii with expensive power and abundant sunlight the payback for solar can be very fast. Google has a tool called Project Sunroof where you can put in your address and it will give you some basic info.

Adding solar tiles to a roof can add a huge amount of value to your home, but there are a lot of scammy companies out there too that use shady sales tactics to get people to buy systems that are overpriced. If I were getting a new roof (especially if the subsidies from the government were still around) I would absolutely explore it as an option. I mean who the hell knows what prices for energy are going to do with 4 more years of this maniac in office?

I’ve toyed with getting solar panels a couple times. I can’t make the numbers work for me. Maybe some areas and conditions are different and it becomes more reasonable. But effectively you take out a loan to get solar panels and you don’t start seeing a return on investment for 15+ years. The life of the solar panel is only about 25 years. It just seems like I am taking out a loan to pay for my electricity.

But talking with those trying to sell me panels let me understand this situation a bit more. If you are getting ready to replace your roof, do that first…don’t get solar panels first. The solar installers won’t make putting panels up a part of the new roof. I guess a new roof installer may work with a panel installer, but that seems awfully difficult logistically. The solar folks I’ve talked to warranty their work on the roof against leaks, etc. So the roof warranty isn’t voided, but you aren’t having to worry about the installation of the panels causing a new leak either.

I think the best thing would be to talk to the roof installer and the panel installer to verify what the situation is in your area, with your workers.

Solar panels are unlikely to ever return the investment. Not the type you’re talking about anyway. The residential solar industry is flooded with rip-off artists also. It makes a lot of sense for DIYers doing something like running a small, disconnected outbuilding though.

Forgot to add there are federal government subsidies if you buy the solar panels, unless it changed this year. It reduces your income taxes. Maybe California has something available too? I’m pretty sure Florida exempts solar from sales tax.

Side note: in other words the poor or lower middle class who aren’t paying taxes wouldn’t get a reduction in the price of solar panels.

There are solar rental programs, where they install panels for “free” and you pay monthly. Most people I know say don’t do it. I almost bought a house where the entire community was on a rental program, and I think it was $35 a month, but electric bills were free otherwise some months.

A community two miles from me is all solar electric, but they own the panels, and their electric bills are usually zero every month. The original builder did everything, which is cool, because all of the comps reflect the price. If you will be one of the only houses in your area with panels, if you needed to sell you likely would not get all of your money back on the panels.

There are a lot of scams and rip-offs so definitely ask around where you live.

If you don’t have back-up batteries your electricity will still go out if you are tied to the grid and the electric company loses power. Something like that. Make sure you ask what happens if the electricity goes out.

There are solar shingles, so if you’re replacing the roof and the government pays a large chunk of it, the math can very much work out if you factor the cost of a new roof + solar. Also you don’t need to have fully recouped the cost to realize a benefit. The value of your home ought to increase substantially. If there are 2 identical houses, one with solar roof shingles and no electric bill that can have backup power when the grid goes down or one without, I know which one I’m buying.

In other words, you don’t have to wait for a full payout to see a benefit, but you should do the math and be critical of any reviews about any company you’re considering.

It’s purely a financial decision and you need someone to run the numbers for you. Good solar installer companies will do this and you can make an informed decision.

@all, Thanks very much, eveeryone. I have to do the reroofing, but I’m crossing off the solar idea. Your comments helped me make up my mind.

The payback period depends on how much electricity you use, how much it currently costs, what your climate is like, and how much the system costs (minus any incentives). For us, the payback period was 5 years. But that means we, essentially, paid for 5 years worth of electricity in one shot. That’s a big cash outlay. I suppose the installer could set up monthly payments for you if the payback period for you is short enough.