Adventures in Home Buying

Should You Install Solar Before Replacing Your Roof

• Jim Troth

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Thinking about going solar but unsure if the numbers truly add up? We walk through the real-world checklist that decides whether panels pay for themselves: roof age, orientation, installation quality, and how long you plan to stay put. The hard truth is that free sunshine can get expensive if you mount panels on a tired roof or sell the house before hitting the break-even point.

We start with the roof because sequencing is everything. If shingles are near the end of their life, you may face removal and reinstallation costs that run into the thousands when it’s time to re-roof. That single factor can push payback out by years. We break down how orientation and tilt drive output, why a south-facing roof with reasonable pitch sets the benchmark, and how panel degradation and rising utility rates should be baked into projections. We also cover the current federal tax credit timeline and the assumptions that make a 10-plus-year payback realistic rather than rosy.

Then we dig into the messy middle of financing and resale. Not every buyer wants solar, not every loan transfers smoothly, and liens can complicate closings. We share stories from inspections where arrays limited roof visibility, plus the practical limits of what inspectors can access around glass panels and tight rails. For long-term thinkers, we explain why pairing a new array with a durable metal roof can transform the economics, outlasting at least one panel cycle and minimizing roof penetrations. If you’re building new, we share simple design moves—south-facing mass, thoughtful overhangs—that improve winter gain at zero ongoing cost.

Ready to make a confident call on solar? Listen for the math, the watch-outs, and the smart sequencing that protects your budget. If this helped, follow the show, share it with a homeowner friend, and leave a quick review to tell us what you want covered next.

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SPEAKER_02:

All right, Laura. So we we do home inspections. Yes. With a people I we I think we did this guy's inspection back in 2017, 2018. So you're looking at seven years ago.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

He calls, well actually emailed, and he goes, Hey, I got a solar panel company here looking at putting some panels on the house. He goes, I wanna know how old the roof is. Well, it's at least seven years old. Well, it was it has some age before when we did an inspection. Inspection like six, seven years ago. He wondered how it was if he didn't change them, they're pushing 20 years. But so and my response to him was like, hey, at the time the inspection looked, it was like uh I think it was 13 to 17 years old. And I told him, like, if you're gonna get panels, you may want to wait until you get new roof, new roof on. So, and there this is because there's a couple of different factors. First of all, if you're gonna do solar panels, the company putting those on, they should do they they will, the calculation tell you if your roof uh even faces the right direction for the sun.

SPEAKER_01:

That's important.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, yeah, because you're if your shingle your solar panels are not facing the right direction, you're not gonna get full uh absorption from the sun to generate electricity for yourself.

SPEAKER_01:

In which case you've just wasted your money.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

And I have heard of that happening actually with with people getting taken advantage of. So make sure you have a reputable company.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, now the panels are getting the solar panels are getting better.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, which is kind of cool that that's happening in my lifetime.

SPEAKER_02:

Which is good, which is good. But solar panels. All right, let's say you put them on an older roof.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, like us, we we had looked into getting them when we lived in Mechanicsburg.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, and our roof, I can't think how old it was. But anyway, we were gonna get a new roof in about five years. Right. No, I know maybe it was like five to eight years, we're gonna get a new roof anyway, or it's gonna be due for one. Then we had a hail windstorm and get replaced even sooner, even sooner. But here's the issue if you're gonna do solar panels and then you gotta do a new roof, you're gonna pay somebody, according to grock, well, and the guy that came out five thousand dollars to remove the solar panels for the new roof to get back on, and then to put the panels back on. So five thousand dollars to remove and put this panels back on.

SPEAKER_01:

I thought it was two separate fees from when he talked to us.

SPEAKER_02:

According to Grok, Professor Grok is five thousand dollars.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. But I thought it was five thousand to take them off and five thousand to put them back on. Because remember that guy that talked to us, I thought he said they charged for both.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I don't know. Remember that I thought it was like 3,000 when he was charging, but according to grok is 5,000. Well, and it's been a few. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

So I I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

So anyway, still expensive. If you're gonna replace your roof, you you should wait. Because it's gonna it's gonna eat up a lot of your savings. Now, according to Grok and the calculations, if this is if your roof bases perfectly, the correct direction of the you know to the sun here in Ohio, and they talk about like average, you know, house uses 10,000 kilowatts hours per year, and they they said the system lifespan is 25 years.

SPEAKER_01:

Beyond break-even, which is definitely a new one.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so the panels have gotten better, but the break-even point, they're saying like hey,$25,000 for the panels, there's a tax credit, which goes through 2032.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I was gonna ask if that was still going on.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. So if it's south facing with 20-degree tilt, which you gotta check your house, it probably does not perfectly match that. Anyway, your break-even point is a little bit over 10 years. So after 10 years, now you're starting to re on the positive side of that expense. So if you're buying a house and you're not gonna stay in the house at least 10 years, it's not worth it. No, no. Now, agents will tell you it adds value to your house. But not that much.

SPEAKER_01:

You're not gonna get that much out.

SPEAKER_02:

You're you're not gonna get that much out of it when you sell it. No, what depends on the person buying a house cares.

unknown:

That's it.

SPEAKER_02:

Because the last time I did inspection, they had solar panels, the lady was just gone, I was gonna get rid of them.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

She didn't want them, she didn't care for them. And they do need looked at because the panels will they can short out, they can have issues, they don't work as well. But anyway, 10 years, 10.3 years is your break-even point for the panels, and this also supposedly took into account how they lose their ability to generate electricity over the years, so they get less efficient at creating electricity. Yes, yes. So if you had to replace the panel, your your roof that extends the your break-even point out three years. So it takes three years extra longer to break even point.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So you're better off if you know that you want to do solar panels, you're better off putting on a metal roof.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, absolutely, because you're not ever gonna Because you're not ever gonna have to replace that.

SPEAKER_01:

And all you'll need to do is swap out your solar panels every so often.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's so you easily do what 25 plus years of it and as long as they work, they work.

SPEAKER_00:

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SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, this corner of the grog, the newer panels are gonna last like 25 years, which is longer than it was in the past.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

It was about 20 years, then it's like not you know, not that great.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because I know when we figured it out, it wasn't worth it to us to do it. Like it made no sense.

SPEAKER_02:

No, well, that and I think that was large because our house did not directly face south. And I think that's a huge impact. This thing here with Grock is your roof is facing south, 20-degree angle. No, there's a very small percentage of the houses that actually face that direction.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

So if you get it, you need you really need to do the calculations and figure out if your house is that your roof service faces south.

SPEAKER_01:

And make sure you do a lot of research on that solar company. We've had a couple people call us within the past couple of months asking questions. They'd had some problems with some stuff, and I can't remember what it is now. But I we we have had a couple of calls about solar companies recently.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, there you I don't know, there still are the there were some really kind of scammy solar companies that say, Oh, yeah, it'll pay itself back really soon. No, it doesn't. But not always, especially when the roof does not face the correct direction. Right. Optimal uh you know, absorption of the sun.

SPEAKER_01:

So you multiple quotes are your friend.

SPEAKER_02:

Always yes. Well, I mean here here, like uh you can see how it it gets less efficient with as time goes on, but you still it still pays off in the long run.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

But if you're not gonna live in the house at least 10 years, it's not worth it. Don't don't I wouldn't I wouldn't bother with it. There was something here that said that it added value to the house. I don't know. It that really depends on who the buyer is.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, we've had some clients where they've been tickled pink that there were solar panels on it, and others like that woman that I I I remember her, she had no desire to have solar panels and just thought it was a waste of time.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. It has about$15,000 in resale value onto the house.

SPEAKER_01:

I am not sure what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02:

Only if the buyer cares about it. And sometimes here's another thing. If you financed, let's say$25,000,$25,000, put the roof on, I mean your solar panels, you finance that, now you're selling the house five years later.

SPEAKER_01:

You still owe that solar panel.

SPEAKER_02:

And here's the question then, and I don't know, this is something you really need to have a conversation with an agent. Who picks up that rest of that bill? That would be a lien on the house. Well, the buyer's like, I'm not paying the remainder of that, let's say it's$20,000 loan. I'm not paying$20,000 for something that I don't I don't want in the first place.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. So yeah, always always be careful. Double check any type of loans or things like that for the roof for the solar that that may have been implemented when they put that stuff on.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. Now grog did take into account that electricity rates are gonna go up every year. Oh. It did take so grog does a really good job of uh doing some calculations here. But if you're gonna live in a house like Under 10 years, under 10 years, not worth it.

SPEAKER_01:

Not gonna be worth it if it's still even not gonna be worth it at 10 years, because then you you know, like you're hitting a little over 10 years, you're hitting the break-even when you're gonna start to actually make money. Why would you just stay there for that time, like recoup some of that?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, yes. So it's a great long-term play.

SPEAKER_01:

Long term, yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Long term. That's that's what you're going for. So, all right, I think that's it on this one. So, yeah, do do the calculations, get several quotes if you're gonna do solar panels. One of the simplest things building a house is if you build a house, make sure it faces south. Right. And your overhang when the sun's lower 20-degree slope. Well, because you got your the sun's lower, and those that sun can hit the front of your house and it can help warm that up. That costs you nothing of the design of your house, which hopefully will allow that. And then you have stone in the front so it can absorb the heat.

SPEAKER_01:

Like we do.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep, and that's what Amish do for the chickens.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, we just like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Have have the wall that faces south, get some sun so it can absorb the heat for the winter, and then uh keep the chickens warm at night. So that's that's about it on this one. So, yeah, do the math, figure out if solar is gonna be worthwhile for you. But yeah, if you're if you're gonna live there less than 10 years, it's not worth it. I would not do it.

SPEAKER_01:

And if you've got questions or you want like a an honest opinion about something, you let us know. We'll be happy to come check some stuff out for you.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, having checked some stuff out, there's another issue. When you have solar panels on the roof, we cannot see all the roof.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Like we cannot walk on the panels. No, that would be walking between the panels is sometimes there's not enough room. Yeah, it is real sketchy because you you can't see everything. You can't walk through there because what are you gonna do? Lose your balance and put your hand on the glass and crack it. You can't you can't see everything. So that is uh pre-exclusion. You yeah, and and Laura mentioned metal roof, metal roof would be ideal for a solar panel because you will metal roof, you're talking lasting 40 years easily. Easily. You may have to do a little maintenance every now and then, but no, it's gonna last good solid 40 years, and you'll definitely get your money back from those solar panels.

SPEAKER_01:

There's also a coating that they can put on similar to what goes on the back of a truck bed. You can even do that on on the roof before you put the solar on, and that'll help it last even longer.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

So, I mean, there's there's options. You you yeah, you guys have options for stuff and for maintenance to keep it working better.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, thank you, everybody. Bye, bye bye.

Contributor

Jim Troth

Host
Contributor

Laura Troth

Host