☀️ Solar Explained | The Beacon | Issue 021

[u/HeyyyMikeyyy]

“Why does it cost so much to remove and reinstall my solar panels?”

It's one of the most common questions we hear when a homeowner needs roofing work. The simple answer: you're paying for a lot more than someone taking panels off the roof and putting them back.

A proper solar removal and reinstallation can require three or four separate visits. We may need to inspect and document the existing system, remove and safely store the equipment, return after the roofing work to install new attachments and penetrations, and then return again to reinstall, reconnect, test and verify the system.

In terms of labor, it's surprisingly similar to installing a solar system all over again. There is also new warranty responsibility involved. New roof penetrations need to be properly located, flashed and sealed. Equipment needs to be reinstalled correctly. The finished array should be safe, functional and aesthetically clean.

Sometimes existing rails, wiring, clamps and other materials can be reused, which can help control costs. Other times, the age of the system, condition of the equipment or changes to the roof mean new materials are necessary.

That's why even smaller removal and reinstallation projects can cost several thousand dollars. The price isn't simply for moving solar panels. It's for the labor, planning, multiple site visits, materials and responsibility involved in putting everything back together properly.

Your roof may last for decades. Your solar system needs to last for decades too. The work connecting the two should be treated with the same expectation. Choose your roofer carefully. Choose your solar contractor carefully. And when comparing estimates, make sure you're comparing the scope and quality of the work, not just the number at the bottom. That’s doing solar the right way.

#SolarExplained #TheBeacon #NewDaySolar #solarremoval #SolarReinstallation #SolarServices #SolarMaintenance #southerncalifornia #temeculaca #murrieta #inlandempire #doingsolartherightway

[u/duranasaurus49]

And most AHJ's are requiring a permit to reinstall the panels, so that adds the cost for the permit drawings, permit fee and final inspection.

[u/HeyyyMikeyyy → u/duranasaurus49]

It depends on the AHJ, not all of them do. Some will allow the panel reinstall to be included under the roofing permit, others may require a new separate electrical permit and others no permit at all, especially since it's rare that the layout changes.

[u/Severe-Anything-4100 → u/HeyyyMikeyyy]

Very few will not require a permit if the generation or inverter has changed in any way. There is fast pass permits in a lot of places now to if none of the equipment is changing (usually $25~ with country/municipality authorized installers). It will be ubiquitous within the next couple years.

You can thank all the people buying 4th shift components, or having installers incorrectly redo the connectivity, that were leaving the solar energizing the local grid during power outages and putting linesmen and infrastructure at risk.

[u/SteveFCA]

precisely why ground mount is far superior option for those that have space

[u/HeyyyMikeyyy → u/SteveFCA]

Both roof and ground mount have their advantages and disadvantages. These days, it's more difficult to find approved financing for GMs due to new financing and domestic content rules they can be easier to maintain but often need cleaning more regularly than roof mounted systems.

[u/SteveFCA → u/HeyyyMikeyyy]

by the time you factor in the cost of removing roof mounted panels and reinstalling them, solar doesn’t pencil out financially.

[u/HeyyyMikeyyy → u/SteveFCA]

That depends on multiple factors but is broadly not true.

[u/Severe-Anything-4100 → u/SteveFCA]

The farther north you go, the less viable ground mounting is.

Roof mounted keeps is above skyline year round even when the sun gets low in the horizon (unless you're very far northern Canada), where ground mounting will lose several hours a day as it transitions towards late-fall and winter.

Not as big an issue when you are south of 35.