Clermont · Orange City · Bradenton
Solar & Your Roof
An array lasts decades. If the roof under it does not, someone pays to take the panels off and put them back. We are the roofers who tell you which order to do this in — before you sign a solar contract, not after.
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State certified — Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC1335461 · Florida Certified Building Contractor CBC1268061
The order you do this in is worth thousands
A solar array is designed to sit on a roof for decades. If the roof beneath it has ten years left, then at some point that array comes off, the roof gets replaced, and the array goes back on — a removal and reinstallation cost that existed only because of the order the work was done in. It is the most common and most avoidable mistake in residential solar, and a solar salesperson is not the person with an incentive to raise it.
The test is not complicated. How many years does your roof realistically have left, and how long will the array be up there? If the first number is smaller than the second, the roof goes first. We will give you that first number from a free inspection, in writing, with photographs — and if the answer is that your roof is fine and you should go ahead and mount panels on it, we will tell you that too.
Every mount is a hole in your waterproofing
That is not an argument against solar — it is the reason the mounting detail matters more than the panel brand. A mount done properly is flashed into the roof system so water is shed over and around it, the same way a plumbing vent or a skylight is. A mount done as an afterthought is a fastener through the covering with sealant over the top, and sealant is not a permanent waterproofing method under Florida sun. It buys a few seasons and then the roof deck starts taking water at every point where the array is attached.
There is one roof system where this problem largely disappears. On a standing seam metal roof, an array can frequently be clamped to the raised seams rather than drilled through the panels — no new penetrations in the waterproofing at all. If you are weighing solar and a re-roof at the same time, that is a real argument for metal that most homeowners never hear.
PACE covers solar, and it covers the roof under it
PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy, and it finances energy-efficient and storm-resistant home improvements — solar panels among them — through your property tax bill rather than through a loan in your name. Because it also covers storm-proof roofs, it is one of the few financing routes that can carry both halves of this project. We have partnered with Ygrene as our PACE administrator.
It is a real option with a real trade-off: the assessment stays with the home, which matters if you sell or refinance. Our financing page lays out all three lending partners plainly, including a PACE option that needs no minimum credit score.
What we do, and what we don’t
We are roofers. What we do here is the roof: telling you honestly whether yours should be replaced before an array goes on it, replacing it if it should, and making sure the system and its penetrations are detailed so the roof does not become the weak point in your solar investment. For the array itself — panels, inverters, production estimates — talk to a solar contractor. Just bring them a roof that will outlast their equipment.
Free inspections, no obligation
Find out how many years your roof has left
Before you sign a solar contract. The free estimator returns a price range from your address in about 30 seconds, or call (352) 242-4322.
Or get my price in 30 secondsSolar and your roof — common questions
Should I replace my roof before installing solar?
If the roof has fewer years left than the array does, yes — and this is the single most expensive sequencing mistake in residential solar. Removing and reinstalling an array so a roof can be replaced underneath it is a cost that did not need to exist. The honest test is simple: how many years does the roof have left, and how long is the array expected to be up there? If the first number is smaller, do the roof first.
How do I know how many years my roof has left?
A free inspection, before you sign anything with a solar company. We will tell you plainly whether your roof is a candidate to have an array mounted on it or whether it is close enough to the end of its service life that it should be replaced first. That answer is worth having before a solar quote, not after.
Do solar mounts cause roof leaks?
They can, because every mount is a penetration through the waterproofing. Done correctly, a mount is flashed into the roof system so water is directed over and around it. Done as an afterthought, it is a hole with sealant on it, and sealant is not a permanent waterproofing method in the Florida sun. The penetration detail is the part of a solar installation that decides whether your roof leaks in five years.
Can PACE financing be used for solar in Florida?
Yes. PACE — Property Assessed Clean Energy — covers solar panels alongside storm-resistant and energy-efficient improvements, and the cost is repaid through your property tax bill. Noland's has partnered with Ygrene as our PACE administrator. Our financing page explains how the program works and what the trade-off is, since the assessment stays with the home.
Does a metal roof work well under solar?
It works particularly well, because on a standing seam roof an array can often be attached with clamps to the seams rather than by drilling through the panels — no new penetrations in the waterproofing at all. If you are planning solar and facing a re-roof, that is a genuine argument for metal that most homeowners never hear.
Does Noland's Roofing sell solar panels?
We are a roofing contractor. What we do is the roof under the array: telling you honestly whether your current roof should be replaced first, replacing it if it should, and making sure the roof system and its penetrations are sound. For the array itself, talk to a solar contractor — and bring them a roof that will outlast their equipment.