Solar Shingles

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

We need a new roof in the next year or so, and I’ve been thinking about solar panel shingles. I don’t know much about them except that they exist. 

I was wondering if anyone here had them or had experiences with them that they’d be willing to *shed some light* on the subject for me: dos and donts, brands, setup, etc. 

[ebinmaine 67,271]

Shed some light... Really?? That's terrible.

 

 

Interesting subject matter though so I'll be here following along.

[WHNJ701 4,165]

I had my house looked at for solar when I had a new roof put on, it really wasn't worth it, each year you lose a percentage of out put.  plus after 30 years your stuck getting rid of them unless you lease the panels.  at the time I would have been getting about 100 to 125 a month credit.  It was about 10 grand to get them installed 

[Racinbob 11,042]

I have been researching them for a while and fine them very interesting. The cost between them and an equivalent capacity stand alone panel array is comparable. Personally I would lean towards protecting my house with traditional roofing and a separate photovoltaic system away from the house. If conditions were such that it would have to be on the roof I would use panels rather than shingles. Just my . 

 

Sorry, I really can't give you any advice on the shingles due to lack of first hand experience but if you go that route keep us posted. 

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

@ebinmaine, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to *brighten* everyone’s day 😂

 

@jabelman if you don’t mind me asking, what was the difference in cost between the solar and traditional? I just started looking into them, so you raised a good point I hadn’t thought of: disposal. We should be at this house for the life of the roof, barring any lotto tickets being winners, so that would eventually be a hurdle for me. 

 

@Racinbob I don’t want to sacrifice any of what little yard we have for a panel, so the roof would be the only option. But I do also like the idea of placing a panel over the traditional roof because then it could be moved if need be without having to redo the shingles. And I could do that whenever I wanted. I’d thought about that as well. Have you looked into the panels at all? Anything you have to share about them would be appreciated as well! 

 

My whole thought was that we’re going to need a new roof as it is, why not let it be dual function and help pay for itself? I’m looking at it more as a benefit if it can be cost efficient as opposed to looking for solar options because solar power is my end goal. If that makes any sense. 

 

I figured at least one person here had looked into it thoroughly and would have some answers or a direction to point me in. I was right. 

[Racinbob 11,042]

3 hours ago, LengerichKA88 said:

 

@Racinbob I don’t want to sacrifice any of what little yard we have for a panel, so the roof would be the only option. But I do also like the idea of placing a panel over the traditional roof because then it could be moved if need be without having to redo the shingles. And I could do that whenever I wanted. I’d thought about that as well. Have you looked into the panels at all? Anything you have to share about them would be appreciated as well! 

 

My whole thought was that we’re going to need a new roof as it is, why not let it be dual function and help pay for itself? I’m looking at it more as a benefit if it can be cost efficient as opposed to looking for solar options because solar power is my end goal. If that makes any sense. 

 

I figured at least one person here had looked into it thoroughly and would have some answers or a direction to point me in. I was right. 

 

I have looked at them because I'm a big fan of solar power. I've always said that solar is the only 100% reliable off-the-grip power source. If I wake up in the morning to discover that the sun won't be rising anymore I'm just going to stay in bed. That being said I won't be installing them because the cost/payback at my age. You're in a somewhat better area of Indiana away from the pesky lake affect clouds. That's not to say it can't be done here. It can and has. One of our members, @HorseFixer has done it about 20 miles north of me. 

 

As far as mounting on your roof, since you have to, I definitely like the idea of traditional panels vs shingles. If something happens to the solar shingles it also affects the first line of defense for your house and now you could have 2 problems. 

Edited March 21, 2019 by Racinbob

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

That’s another good point. I don’t want to give one thing two ways to fail me. I think I’ll tackle the roof the right way, then double back at a later date to look at putting a panel or two up. 

 

I’m glad I asked, different views of the same problem/scenario are always beneficial. 

 

[roadapples 6,983]

I know very little about solar, but I would never use shingles again. Had a metal roof put on a few years ago and love it....

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

1 minute ago, roadapples said:

I know very little about solar, but I would never use shingles again. Had a metal roof put on a few years ago and love it....

I’ve helped put one of those on, wasn’t fun lol. Doesn’t help that I don’t like heights where my feet are more than 5’6” above the ground (happens to be how tall I’m not). 

 

Was there a major major cost difference between traditional asphalt shingles and metal?  I doubt we’d get away with it here, knowing our city there’s an ordinance against it. 

[roadapples 6,983]

I didn't even price shingles. My roof is 24x36'  4-12 pitch. Price was under $3000 and 2 guys did it in about ten hrs.

Don't understand any restrictions. I would think metal would be better for environment than asphalt...

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

4 minutes ago, roadapples said:

I didn't even price shingles. My roof is 24x36'  4-12 pitch. Price was under $3000 and 2 guys did it in about ten hrs.

Don't understand any restrictions. I would think metal would be better for environment than asphalt...

That’s not bad at all. I’ll have to look into it. 

And I honestly doubt I would’ve thought of it other wise, so thanks for mentioning it! 

We live in a suburb that can get pretty picky about what they allow and don’t allow. Here you can get a ticket if your RV/camper is visible from the street 🙄 so a metal roof may be a no no too 🤷🏻‍♂️. One more reason to save pennies for a couple hundred acres in the middle of nowhere haha

[The Tuul Crib 7,336]

Solar has improved immensely since introduced. As far as the shingle thing think if you are one or if someone else is up walking on you roof. I wouldn’t walk on them.

 Wouldn’t recommend the shingle version.

How ever the panels would be better. Again when roofing goes bad then you have to lift off the panels to replace the

shingle . My self I would mount them close by but on the ground. 

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

I’d thought of being on the roof with the shingle style as well, but my initial thought was damaging them and rendering them useless more so than saftey.... guess that explains why I’ve always got a bruise 🤔😂

 

 

Im going to sit down and look at panels come nap time, I’ve scrapped the shingle idea. 

Seeing as we have so little shade in our yard, and all cardinal directions get sun in one spot or another for at least 5-6 hours a day, I wonder if they’d be worth it to mount high on the sides of the house and/or the shop. May not be but I’ll explore it. 

Edited March 21, 2019 by LengerichKA88

[formariz 11,987]

You may also want to look into the effects of that to your home insurance .Additionally also the building codes in your area specifically as to firefighting issues. Very sensitive matter here that needs to be looked at carefully prior to making that decision.

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

5 minutes ago, formariz said:

You may also want to look into the effects of that to your home insurance .Additionally also the building codes in your area specifically as to firefighting issues. Very sensitive matter here that needs to be looked at carefully prior to making that decision.

Very good points, thank you for raising them!

[DET 105]

We went solar in November of 17 and are glad we did. What sparked my interest was an article in Consumer Reports. They mentioned a site called Energy Sage (energysage.com). You go to this site, answer some questions and they give your info to multiple companies that are interested in doing the job. I beleive we had 3 companies contact us, I also did a web search and found the one we ended up going with. We are tied into the electric grid and get a credit for the amount we produce but don’t use each month. I didn’t want the hassle of a battery system.

with the 30% federal tax credit and any state programs you can greatly reduce the cost. Ohio has a loan program that pays 3% of any loan for energy efficient home improvements. I took out a home improvement loan that ends up costing me 1.3% interest. The figure for total payback was figured at 8 years but I think it will be closer to 7.

we actually had the back half of roof replaced before we had the panels put on ( only had about 10 years life left on them). One thing to check before you decide what type of roof to install is panel manufactures recommendations. I’m not sure if metal will  reflect too much heat?

There are a lot of things to consider and you are asking some good questions. I’m not sure what part of Indiana you are in, but our installer was Ohio Power Solutions located in Springfield Ohio which is a little East of Dayton. They traveled about 2 hrs. to get to my house. Good luck with your decision, I would be happy to answer any questions I can.

[Ed Kennell 38,022]

I put a new shingle roof on about 7 years ago for 6K, the best quote for metal was 11K.

Last year I put a new metal  roof on my mothers house for 4K. the cheapest shingle quote was 5.5K.

So metal has become more competitive, probably the labor factor.

I'm sure it is more expensive, but I believe there are metal roofs that have a shingle appearance.

Edited March 21, 2019 by Ed Kennell

[Pullstart 62,787]

4 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

I put a new shingle roof on about 7 years ago for 6K, the best quote for metal was 11K.

Last year I put a new metal  roof on my mothers house for 4K. the cheapest shingle quote was 5.5K.

So metal has become more competitive, probably the labor factor.

I'm sure it is more expensive, but I believe there are metal roofs that have a shingle appearance.

 

We put a metal shingle roof on our old house, from American Metal Roofs in Charlotte, MI.  They were similar to a 3 in 1, interlocked all 4 sides and with the underlayment we installed, it was virtually wind and water proof.  We had a 3/12 pitch and blew heavy insulation and improved ventilation in the attic while we were up there.  Last spring I put a barn style metal roof on a garage for a guy, it went well considering I did it myself and had to wrestle 14’ x 3’ panels.  Either way, when my house or barns need another roof, I’ll find a way to avoid asphalt at any cost.

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

@DET, you said you figured total payback is looking like 7 years, but what’s the estimated life of the panel you have? 

 

@Ed Kennell, @pullstart I’ve seen some interesting “finishes” if you will, it’s something I’m going to consider, once I double check it’s allowable. If I don’t check I’ll be the one person to get cited for it 😂

[DET 105]

They have a 30 year warranty. I meant to mention insurance, there were no negative effects, however we did raise our amount to allow for solar panel replacement if something happened and we need to file a claim.

[The Tuul Crib 7,336]

4 hours ago, formariz said:

You may also want to look into the effects of that to your home insurance .Additionally also the building codes in your area specifically as to firefighting issues. Very sensitive matter here that needs to be looked at carefully prior to making that decision.

[oliver2-44 9,681]

As part of going solar check into your utilities requirements for them to "buy back" power from you.

 

 For all the hipe about solar, residential solar (without battery storage) can be hard (costly) on a utility systems daily load profile. 

In Texas, solar can save a utility money in the summer (long hot AC days) verses cost a utility in the winter.  Think about your daily winter power use.  In a winter morning 5-9 am, it ramps up high when you get up, turn the heat up, uses hot water, etc before the sun comes up, then the sun comes up  it harms p a little and load is going down as the solar kicks in.  Then load goes up at night 5-11pm when the solar is not there.

 

Even if you install batteries and provide all your own solar power, you will still get a monthly bill from the utility for providing "wires" to your house. I'm not against solar, but having just retired from a utility, I can say there was a lot going on about how to handle residential solar and what to charge those customers.

 

Some questions to ask the utility"

Do I have to pay for any special equipment for you to buy back power (metering, protective relaying)

Do I have to pay a "higher" wires or transmission fee.

Is there a incentive (credit) if the utility can control my solar on and off.

Does the utility pay a flat hourly rate per kw for solar or does it vary hourly based on the price of power each hour 

Are you entering into a long term contract, or can the utility change the requirements and pricing at any time.

Then ask, what other special thing do you have that I don'y know enough about to ask about.

 

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

@oliver2-44, also good points, thank you for raising them!!

[Ed Kennell 38,022]

3 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

As part of going solar check into your utilities requirements for them to "buy back" power from you.

 

 For all the hipe about solar, residential solar (without battery storage) can be hard (costly) on a utility systems daily load profile. 

In Texas, solar can save a utility money in the summer (long hot AC days) verses cost a utility in the winter.  Think about your daily winter power use.  In a winter morning 5-9 am, it ramps up high when you get up, turn the heat up, uses hot water, etc before the sun comes up, then the sun comes up  it harms p a little and load is going down as the solar kicks in.  Then load goes up at night 5-11pm when the solar is not there.

 

Even if you install batteries and provide all your own solar power, you will still get a monthly bill from the utility for providing "wires" to your house. I'm not against solar, but having just retired from a utility, I can say there was a lot going on about how to handle residential solar and what to charge those customers.

 

Some questions to ask the utility"

Do I have to pay for any special equipment for you to buy back power (metering, protective relaying)

Do I have to pay a "higher" wires or transmission fee.

Is there a incentive (credit) if the utility can control my solar on and off.

Does the utility pay a flat hourly rate per kw for solar or does it vary hourly based on the price of power each hour 

Are you entering into a long term contract, or can the utility change the requirements and pricing at any time.

Then ask, what other special thing do you have that I don'y know enough about to ask about.

 

All great info Jim.

As you know, the price of electricity varies directly with the day of the week and the hourly demand.    I know the price difference has to be sizable to pay for the installation and operation of multimillion dollar pump/turbine hydro  storage plants.   Of course most of this excess electricity generated during low use periods comes from steam plants that can not be easily turned on and off like a hydro, wind, or solar plant.      The pump/turbine storage plants become a battery to buy and store this cheap energy during low use periods and generate electricity to sell during the high use high price periods.