Roof Replacement with Solar Panels

[Onda]

Thank you, thank you. I was doing a little research and this may be a wonderful option for us. Expensive but would give us great peace of mind. This leak is the 4th one since we put on the roof and stangely, they always happen during the rainy season .

Are these roofs noisier than shingle roofs?

Those roofs are fantastic.

 

[old medic]

Are these roofs noisier than shingle roofs?

Defiantly during a hail storm.... but take the abuse a whole lot better. I hate our metal roof when it rains.... make me want to lay down and nap.... LOL

 

[TrvlBug]

I've heard nothing but terrible things with gutter guards. One of the bigger scams out there. They are terrible at doing what they are intended to do.

We've always been wary but did some in-depth research about 6 months ago. We don't have tons and tons of leaf debris and it's not the pine needle type. The guards appear to work well if properly installed and the correct material is used. We learned to stay away from Leaf Filter. We were actually thinking of having a handyman install some on the small section we have to continuously clean out to see how the work. Additionally, it's best to install when installing new roof/gutters.

 

[TrvlBug]

Wow, I thought electricity was high where I'm at. Our new rate is 12 cents. Less than 6 years ago, it was 6 cents. Solar is practically a must at that rate.

I haven't looked in quite a while, but recall the last time I did, peak rates were around 55 cents. And they've had a couple of price increases since!

 

[YellowSubmarine]

We have to replace our roof. Discovered a leak New Year's Day which is located in an area on the roof under the solar panel array. Area has been tarped to prevent further water intrusion. We have decided a new roof rather than a patch is the best decision. Now time for quick research as we are at the beginning of our rainy season and hoping to get on someone's schedule during the next break in the rain. We live on the SF Bay Peninsula.

Does anyone have experience with replacing a roof with the added complication of solar panels. Panels were installed 2 years ago and the solar company, SunPower, has gone bankrupt. They divested of all liabilities so we are SOL. We're thinking the best path forward is to engage a roofing company that has experience in this area...now finding one. Assume they would be the GC and sub the solar removal and re-install. I called a solar company that has a roofing division but they're not interested as they didn't do the original install.

We want to do this right as we made some huge mistakes with the install, mainly relying on the solar company to assess the condition of the roof for the panels.

Thanks for any advice.

Somewhat related...when I reroofed, asphalt shingles, my seven panel solar heater for the pool had to be switched out for the three days. Est 280 sf of panels for a total cost of $900. The roofer had a referral network in place and it went well in 2016. It's really not rocket science...just busy and conscientious work. imo

 

[TrvlBug]

We really appreciate all the advice given. Not to sound whinny, DH is going into the hospital on Wednesday for his 3rd ablation in 8 years and our stress level with the added leak is through the roof (pun intended) .

We've pretty much decided metal roof is the way to go...I think that BTD number has increased to $75 - $100K.

 

[Texas Proud]

The racks must be mounted on the roof. The guy we had out found some issues with some of the flashing. The fact that the panels penetrate the shingles is the main reason we would like to find a company who does both...who will work with our only 2 year old panels. We will also look into metal roofing as another poster suggested. We have some hard decisions to make. We do want solar + battery. Getting a $10/mo vs. $300+/mo electric bill these past 2 years has been priceless!

I think you missed what I was saying...

I assume that they just put your racks on top of the existing roof... like they do when installing a dish... with lots of goop to prevent leaks...

I wonder if putting the racks on the wood deck and then laying the roof over the racks is an option... fewer points of intrusion maybe...

As for finding a leak... good luck with that... in my old house I had a leak that showed up in the middle of my downstairs bedroom... yep, there was a whole extra story of house above where it was leaking and 5 feet from a wall... took forever to find it..

 

[Texas Proud]

I've heard nothing but terrible things with gutter guards. One of the bigger scams out there. They are terrible at doing what they are intended to do.

My gutter guards are doing a great job... had them for 2 or 3 years with no problem.... previously had to clean the gutters 2 to 3 times a year and I have some 2 stories up..

 

[Sunset]

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I wonder if putting the racks on the wood deck and then laying the roof over the racks is an option... fewer points of intrusion maybe...

...

Never heard of doing this way, don't think it's possible as the panels attach to the racks in multiple places and would probably have more breaks in the roof, plus the roof deck is a flat surface, having approx 3 -> 4 inch humps along the roof would encourage water backup on shingles.

 

[WhenIsItTime]

The racks must be mounted on the roof. The guy we had out found some issues with some of the flashing. The fact that the panels penetrate the shingles is the main reason we would like to find a company who does both...who will work with our only 2 year old panels. We will also look into metal roofing as another poster suggested. We have some hard decisions to make. We do want solar + battery. Getting a $10/mo vs. $300+/mo electric bill these past 2 years has been priceless!

Picking on your words, but since many folks who do solar are looking for utility $ savings it sounds like $3,480 a year in your case.

I am a fan of gutter guards under oak and maple trees. I think it depends on the type and debris being handled.

 

[skyking1]

We really appreciate all the advice given. Not to sound whinny, DH is going into the hospital on Wednesday for his 3rd ablation in 8 years and our stress level with the added leak is through the roof (pun intended) .

We've pretty much decided metal roof is the way to go...I think that BTD number has increased to $75 - $100K.

Something I did was put metal fascia and barge boards up, so that area will never need to be painted.

The paint starts at the soffits, which are not yet installed on this detail picture.

 

[TrvlBug]

Picking on your words, but since many folks who do solar are looking for utility $ savings it sounds like $3,480 a year in your case.

I am a fan of gutter guards under oak and maple trees. I think it depends on the type and debris being handled.

Because we also have 2 13kw batteries, our payback is a bit longer than the usual 7-8 years, more like double that but we're happy as living in the hills, we have a lot of outages with recent ones lasting multiple days. Peace of mind was a higher priority for us than cost...same goes with roof replacement.

Good to hear about your experience with gutter guards as our debris is from oak trees and smallish leaves from 2 neighbors' trees.

 

[COcheesehead]

I love our metal roof and where we live with wild fire scores, we get an insurance discount for it.

 

[TrvlBug]

I think you missed what I was saying...

I assume that they just put your racks on top of the existing roof... like they do when installing a dish... with lots of goop to prevent leaks...

I wonder if putting the racks on the wood deck and then laying the roof over the racks is an option... fewer points of intrusion maybe...

As for finding a leak... good luck with that... in my old house I had a leak that showed up in the middle of my downstairs bedroom... yep, there was a whole extra story of house above where it was leaking and 5 feet from a wall... took forever to find it..

Yep, I did; was too tired to think things through. We talked to the GC this morning who stated when installing a shingle roof, he has the roofer go up again after solar installs the racks just to make sure there are no leak issues with their installation.
However, as we've pretty much decided metal roof, leaking from the solar install won't be an issue . Off to get some quotes...

 

[skipro33]

Wow, I thought electricity was high where I'm at. Our new rate is 12 cents. Less than 6 years ago, it was 6 cents. Solar is practically a must at that rate.

That rate does not include the flat $60 per month. Yup, $720 a year if you don't use a single watt of power. No matter how much or how little solar I generate, I still have to pay $60 per month.

 

[TrvlBug]

That rate does not include the flat $60 per month. Yup, $720 a year if you don't use a single watt of power. No matter how much or how little solar I generate, I still have to pay $60 per month.

WOW, I only pay $10 month, $12 with taxes. I know they are trying to up it but don't believe they've been successful...yet.

 

[skipro33]

WOW, I only pay $10 month, $12 with taxes. I know they are trying to up it but don't believe they've been successful...yet.

They got the PUC to agree to it. PGE was criminally charged for starting fires in California. They paid a bunch of money to the communities to drop the criminal suits for civil. In criminal restitutions, the company cannot raise rates or pricing in order to offset the judgement. However, they can with civil judgements. Now all that money they have to those communities can be recovered through rate increases.

 

[Just_Steve]

That rate does not include the flat $60 per month. Yup, $720 a year if you don't use a single watt of power. No matter how much or how little solar I generate, I still have to pay $60 per month.

Same issue here, $25 meeter charge and $25 community benefit charge <supposedly my fee for infrastructure. No matter how much solar I generate.

 

[TrvlBug]

They got the PUC to agree to it. PGE was criminally charged for starting fires in California. They paid a bunch of money to the communities to drop the criminal suits for civil. In criminal restitutions, the company cannot raise rates or pricing in order to offset the judgement. However, they can with civil judgements. Now all that money they have to those communities can be recovered through rate increases.

You get hit twice, first with fires, then the increased cost; that's not fair. We live on SF Bay Peninsula and haven't seen the cost increase for the base infrastructure charge yet. I'm sure we will soon.

 

[skipro33]

You get hit twice, first with fires, then the increased cost; that's not fair. We live on SF Bay Peninsula and haven't seen the cost increase for the base infrastructure charge yet. I'm sure we will soon.

Here's a cut from an email they sent me this morning. The whole email is too large to capture on a scrreen shot, but here's the jist:

As a solar NEM (net-energy-metering) customer, I pay the generation charge, plus around $6 a month for the meter. Since I make my own generation, my annual true-up bill is right around $100, but has been as low as 63 cents.
The LOW USAGE new bill I'll be getting starting in March is $38 plus $24 for a total of $62.
As you can plainly see, the more efficient you are with electric use, the more you pay per kwh. Poorer people who were paying around $75 a month will pay around $91 per month. That's well over a 20% increase for the people who can least afford it. Notice someone who is a high user gets a discount. How on God's green earth was this allowed to happen?!

 

[TrvlBug]

I'm sure I'll be getting this soon then. I won't share my views of the PUC as I don't want porky shutting down the thread.

 

[skipro33]

I'm sure I'll be getting this soon then. I won't share my views of the PUC as I don't want porky shutting down the thread.

I don't think PUC is an elected official, rather it's an appointed. Here's their own definition:

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is the state agency that regulates privately owned utilities in California — including electricity, natural gas, water, telecommunications, rail, and passenger transportation. Its mission is to ensure that Californians receive safe, reliable utility services at reasonable rates, while protecting consumers and supporting the state’s economic health

But to be on the safe side, even though I did not say anything negative, I'll not refer to them in any future posts and edit it out of my last one.

In the meantime, PG$E is a privately owned company that trades on the open market. From the same email I posted the chart above, is this:


The bill is clearer in that it breaks down the per-kilowatt charge.
It shifts costs away from low-income customers? When those with the lowest use pay more? Is this some of that 'new math' I keep hearing about?
It does support the path to electrification, I'll give 'em that; rewarding people who are all electric and no gas/propane home energy, but it doesn't support carbon-free (solar) energy like I have.
My head hurts trying to understand what's happening here.

Here's a link to PG$E's page that doesn't require a customer login to explain it all:

Base Services Charge | PG&E

Base service charges will be restructured starting in March 2026. New bills will separate some costs of services from the price per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity usage.

www.pge.com

 

[TrvlBug]

Good idea!

 

[TrvlBug]

Skipro, we got PG&E's email about those increased costs! Haven't looked at it in detail yet.

For those who hate gutter guards, they are now required in my neck of the woods which is in a moderate fire risk area. With the last fire, we were 2 blocks from the mandatory evacuation zone. The go bags were ready and the cats shut in the den so we could easily grab them if we had to evacuate. This is the overriding reason we are getting the metal roof. The fact that there's no penetration of the solar materials is another huge plus.

Our BTD is going to be $100k+ on this roof. Just got the quote from the shingles roofer (requested quote prior to definitive decision to go with metal) and . Awaiting first quote from metal roofer.

 

[ransil]

I just setup appointment for roof quotes, metal & shingles as I have no idea what a roof cost now days.
as soon as you start searching your facebook is loaded with ads, most look like AI generated or done by the same firm , some offer $8k +/- for a roof replacement, that is not gonna happen.
I filled out the info form on about 5 of them and get a text to verify info and setup appointment , 2 of the the texts had the same persons first name ( no a common name) different phone numbers, googling the numbers turns up nothing, not sure if it a central place handling appointments or big company using "family owned" names for business.
I scheduled them an hour apart on the same day , we will see if any get doubled up due to late or early as this state is not know for timely anything.