Solar · Service

Solar Roof Installation with your solar project

Solar shingles replace your roof covering and generate power at the same time. That makes them a roofing decision first — and it only makes sense in one specific situation.

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This page covers solar roof installation as part of a solar project. For the full guide — every option, the complete process and detailed pricing — see our main solar roof installation guide.

In short

What is solar roof installation?

A solar roof replaces your roof covering with a product that both keeps water out and generates electricity, rather than mounting panels on top of an existing covering. Because it is doing the roof's job, the decision belongs with your re-roofing decision — and it makes sense in essentially one situation: the roof needs replacing anyway, and appearance matters enough to justify paying more per unit of generation than conventional panels would cost.

The job

How solar roof installation actually works

It is a roof replacement that happens to generate

The existing covering is stripped, the deck is inspected and repaired, underlayment goes down, and the integrated product is installed as the new weather surface. The electrical work — inverter, disconnect, interconnection and permission to operate — is the same as any grid-tied system.

Watch for: Treating this as an energy project with a roofing component. It is a roofing project with an energy component, and the party you are trusting with your building envelope is whoever installs it.
Generation per square foot is lower, and layout is fixed

Integrated products generally produce less per unit of roof area than conventional modules, and the array is spread across the planes the roof happens to have — including the ones facing the wrong way, which are installed as non-generating matching pieces.

Watch for: A production estimate quoted for the whole roof rather than for the generating portion on the good planes. Ask which planes carry active product and what each contributes.
Service, repair and product longevity

Because the generating element is the weather surface, an electrical fault can become a roofing intervention. Availability of matching replacement pieces years later matters more here than with panels, where a mismatched module is merely inconvenient.

Watch for: A short list of contractors able to service the product in your area, and no clear answer on parts availability. Ask who repairs it locally if the installing company stops trading.
Warranties: two jobs, and sometimes two documents

The product carries a weatherproofing warranty and a power warranty, and they may run for different terms with different claim routes. There is also a workmanship warranty from whoever installed it.

Watch for: Assuming one warranty covers both roles. Read the weatherproofing term and the power term separately, and establish who you call for a leak versus who you call for underproduction.

Money

What does solar roof installation cost?

A solar roof is priced as a premium roof replacement with generation included, so it sits well above both a conventional re-roof and a conventional array on a normal roof. Compare it against the combined price of a new roof plus panels, and confirm the current incentive position before signing.

See the full solar roof installation cost guide — by material, size and region →

Straight answer

When solar roof installation is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

Your existing roof still has years of life left. Then you are paying to remove a working roof. Conventional panels on the covering you already have will produce more electricity for less money.
You want the most generation your roof can produce. Conventional modules generally deliver more output per square foot. If maximising production is the objective, integrated product is the wrong tool.
Nobody in your area installs or services the product. This is a weatherproof surface as well as an electrical system. A thin local service base is a much more serious problem here than it is for rack-mounted panels.
Your roof is complex — many planes, dormers, valleys and penetrations. Complexity raises the price of the roofing work while reducing the proportion of the roof that can carry generating product.
The decision is being driven by the energy saving rather than by appearance. On generation economics alone, panels on a new conventional roof are usually the stronger option. Aesthetics is the honest reason to choose an integrated roof.

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Solar Roof Installation near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Solar Panel Installation

Conventional panels on your existing roof

Solar Battery Installation

Storage works the same either way

Solar Maintenance

Monitoring and warranty admin

All solar services →

FAQ

Solar Roof Installation — questions people ask

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

Are solar shingles better than solar panels?

Not on generation or on price. They look considerably better, which for many people is the whole point. Conventional modules typically produce more per square foot and cost less per unit of output, so the case for an integrated roof rests on appearance and on the fact that you were replacing the roof regardless — not on producing more electricity or paying back faster.

Can I put a solar roof on without replacing my roof?

No. The product is the roof covering, so fitting it means a full replacement of the existing surface on the planes it covers. That is why the timing question comes first: if the roof is not due, the money is better spent on conventional panels over the covering you already have.

Who installs a solar roof — a roofer or a solar company?

Usually a contractor certified for the specific product, because the work is both roofing and electrical and the manufacturer controls who may do it. Confirm which trades are on the crew, who holds the roofing licence, who holds the electrical licence, and who carries the workmanship warranty for the weatherproofing as distinct from the electrical work.

What happens if part of a solar roof fails?

Repair means working on the weather surface, so it is closer to a roofing repair than to swapping a panel. Two questions decide how painful that is: whether matching replacement pieces are still made, and whether there is a contractor near you certified to fit them. Ask both before you buy, not when something fails.