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.
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.
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.
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 forTreating 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 forA 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 forA 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 forAssuming 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.
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 →
If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →
HomeMatchup does not perform solar roof installation. We match you with licensed local solar pros for solar roof installation. Free for homeowners — Get matched free · how we verify pros.
When solar roof installation is the wrong call
When saying yes is the wrong move:
- 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.
Solar Roof Installation near you
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Sources
Sources last checked
- Homeowner’s Guide to Going SolarU.S. Department of EnergyRetrieved 2026-08-04Federal consumer guidance on residential solar decisions.
- Occupational Employment and Wages — Construction TradesU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRetrieved 2026-08-04Labor cost context for home-services trades nationally.
Sources for figures and claims on this page.
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