Talked to a homeowner on LBI last summer who was losing his mind over this exact situation. Put solar on his roof six years ago. Loved it. Electric bill dropped by like 60%. Then somebody told him his shingles were shot. Getting the panels off, the roof done, and the panels back on was going to cost him almost double a normal re-roof.
He had zero idea it would be that complicated. Most people don’t. So let’s get into it.
The Hidden Cost Nobody Budgets For
When you go solar, you’re running the numbers on payback periods and energy savings. Makes sense. Nobody’s thinking about the roof. But here’s the math: asphalt shingles last about 20 to 25 years. Panels last 25 to 30. At some point that roof needs work, and the panels are in the way.
You can’t shingle around them. They’ve gotta come off completely. Roof gets replaced. Panels go back on. Three jobs—removal, roofing, reinstallation. Each one costs money. There’s no shortcut.
Why You Can’t Just Call Any Roofer
Solar panels aren’t bolted on like a satellite dish. They’re wired into your home’s electrical system. High-voltage DC. You can’t just unbolt brackets and stack panels in the garage. A licensed electrician has to de-energize the system and disconnect everything safely. In New Jersey, that’s the law, not a recommendation.
Problem is, most roofing companies don’t have an electrician. So they sub it out. Now you’ve got a solar company, a roofing company, maybe a third company for the reinstall—three crews with three schedules, and guess who’s stuck coordinating all of them? You. The DOE says to verify that anyone touching solar equipment is properly licensed and insured. Smart advice.
The Coordination Problem
Usually plays out like this: solar company comes, pulls panels, stacks them in your garage. You wait for the roofers. Roofers show up whenever they show up—maybe next week, maybe the week after. Do the roof over a few days. Then you call the solar company back. They come when they can. Whole process stretches out two, three, sometimes four weeks. Your panels are sitting on the ground doing nothing that entire time. Electric bill goes right back to where it was before you went solar.
Way easier when one company handles everything. GRM Roofing NJ has a licensed electrician on the crew—not subbed out, actually on the team. They disconnect, do the roof, reconnect. Three to five days, done. No scheduling games, no phone tag between three different companies, no finger-pointing if something breaks.
What About the Panel Warranty?
This is the one that bites people. Panel warranties can get voided if somebody uncertified removes or reinstalls them. So you pay for a beautiful new roof and find out your panel warranty’s toast. Fantastic. And it’s not just the panels—some inverter warranties are tied to the original installation too. One wrong move and you’re looking at equipment that’s no longer covered.
Before anyone touches anything, dig out your solar warranty paperwork. Read the fine print. All of it. Same for your roof warranty—some manufacturers are particular about where mounting bolts go after a re-roof. Wrong spots, voided warranty. Both matter. Check both before you sign a single contract.
Timing It Right
Planning to add solar and your roof’s already 15 years old? Do the roof first. Start fresh. New roof outlasts the panels and you dodge the whole removal headache down the road. Seriously—it’s so much simpler and cheaper to do it in the right order.
Panels already up and roof getting old? Don’t wait until you see water inside. Leaks under solar panels are sneaky. Hard to see, hard to reach, expensive to fix once they’ve been dripping for a while. GRM Roofing does inspections specifically for homes with solar across Little Egg Harbor and Ocean County. Better to find out now than during a rainstorm.
What to Ask Before Hiring a Contractor
Five questions. That’s all you need. Do you have a licensed electrician on staff or are you subbing it out? Who’s responsible if a panel cracks during removal? Will this void my solar warranty? How long will the panels be off the roof? Can you give me a reference from somebody whose solar roof you’ve actually replaced?
A company that does this regularly will answer all five without blinking. A company figuring it out on the fly will start hedging. Go with the first kind.
Plan Ahead, Save Later
It’s doable. Just takes more planning than a regular re-roof. Find a contractor who handles both the electrical and the roofing side. Protect your warranties—both of them. And don’t sit around waiting until a leak forces the issue, because by then you’re dealing with water damage on top of everything else. Get ahead of it. (609) 389-2485 for a free inspection.