Solar Panels and Roof Warranties 

Next to the price of your home, the biggest expanse in regards to a property is repairing or replacing the roof. 

Minor repairs to a roof can oscillate from $600 to $1,000, but if there are multiple leaks, shingles or tiles missing and other damages that make it unsafe for your family, the only option is replacing.

And that cost adds up quickly. 

According to Angie’s list, the average cost of a new roof runs as low as $5,000 for a basic asphalt shingle roof - the most common type of roofing material in the United States - to $25,000 and above. The average price is somewhere between $12,000 and $15,000.

Roofing contractors look at several factors to determine the price of a new roof, including its size, pitch, accessibility and cost of materials. Because of this, prices for a new roof can range drastically. To calculate the cost of replacing the roof over your head, click here

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) conducted a survey of manufacturers, trade associations and researchers in 2007 and found that on average, slate, copper and tile roofs can last more than 50 years; wood shake roofs about 30 years, cement shingles about 25 and asphalt shingle/composition roofs about 20 years.

Whenever you replace a roof, the manufacturer offers warranties of between 10 to 30 years.

So what happens when you decide to install a solar power system on a roof still under warranty? 

Unless it’s a metal roof, you’re going to be making holes on it and moving it around. Roof perforations are some of the things that would void a warranty. Whether you’re installing antennas, satellite dishes, skylights, solar panels, or even HVAC units, your warranty may no longer be valid.

So whenever you’re about to install solar panels on a recently replaced roof, be sure to read the contractor’s and manufacturer’s warranty documents carefully. 

Also, keep in mind that solar panel contractors might offer a warranty that covers at least part of your roof, but it is still better to consult your roofer to ensure you are following whatever specific measures may be required to keep your warranty.  

The good news is that properly installed solar panels will not void any existing warranty that you have on your roof, and the work done to install your panels is typically covered under your installer's warranty. 

In an article written by Jonathan B. King, the counsel with Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, in Morristown, New Jersey and a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Corporate, Commercial and Business Law Practice Groups, speaks about two instances that brought about litigation stemming from the installation of a rooftop solar system. 

In the case of Miller v. Icon Solar Power, a homeowner suffered significant and relatively predictable water damage caused by improperly sealed roof penetrations. (2015 WL 1514666 (Ohio Com.Pl.) (Trial Pleading)). 

In another case involving several insurance providers, the plaintiffs alleged that a specialized coating installed specifically in advance of solar installation failed to preserve the integrity of the roofing of a commercial warehouse facility from water intrusion. (Westchester Surplus Lines Ins. Co. v. Arch Specialty Ins. Co. (2018 WL 6186601 (S.D.N.Y.)(Trial Motion, Memorandum and Affidavit).

Other considerations have to do with the weight of the solar infrastructure. 

King writes that the placement of solar panels and racking in the commercial (i.e., flat roof) setting may create wind hazards not otherwise present. He gives an example related to Superstorm Sandy focused in part on claims that seven panels, each measuring three by nine feet, had blown off the roof of a New York City residential building during the storm, leading to both the loss of the panels and damage to the affected area of the roof. (Printing House Condominium Association v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co., 2017 WL 46395150 (N.Y. Sup.)). 

“Solar agreements should stipulate the exact mechanism by which the panels and racking will be attached to the roof and any padding necessary to insulate the roof surface from the solar infrastructure,” he writes.

In other words, provided the flashing is done properly and no shingles are damaged during the installation process, the roof warranty should continue without any problems.

To protect from any problems, be sure to hire an experienced contractor for your solar power system installation; one who provides a warranty of his work. 

Also solar panels may even protect and extend the life of your roof.

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