What You Should Know About Solar Panels and Metal Roofing

Many property owners have made the switch to metal roofs because of their tremendous value and low lifetime cost of ownership. Metal roofs can stand up to the variable weather in the Midwest area and provide more reliability and peace of mind than traditional asphalt shingle roofs. They are also the ideal choice for homeowners and commercial property owners looking to take advantage of renewable energy devices like solar panels.

Solar energy can provide a consistent stream of energy using nothing but sunlight, acting as backup power for a home when the local grid experiences an outage or even sending excess power back into the local grid for energy savings or even payment from the local electrical utility company.

Homeowners considering upgrades to new metal roofs should also consider the potential benefits of investing in solar panels. While this combination upgrade typically entails an early investment, the long-term benefits are well worth the cost and can provide fantastic returns for many years to come.

Benefits of Metal Roofs

Metal roofs last much longer than typical asphalt shingle roofs and typically incur a fraction of the maintenance costs over their lifespans. While a traditional asphalt roof can last 20 to 25 years with expert installation, a well-built metal roof can last more than twice as long and require far fewer repairs during that time. The long-term cost of ownership savings will eclipse the initial higher investment compared to a new asphalt shingle roof.

Metal roofs also tend to offer energy savings to homeowners who decide to invest in them instead of asphalt shingle roofs. Some may assume that a metal roof will absorb more heat and therefore make it harder to cool a home during hot weather or become too cold for efficient heating during the winter. This is not true. In fact, most homeowners who invest in metal roofs start noticing lower utility bills after investing in their new roofs.

Some homeowners may prefer the classic aesthetic of an asphalt shingle roof over large vertical metal roof panels, but the design possibilities are more versatile than many might think when it comes to new metal roofs. Homeowners can choose from different shingle-style metal roofs including dimensional shingles, Spanish tiles, and even metal roof tiles that look like cedar shake.

Ultimately, metal roofs offer reliability, incredible value, design versatility, and long-term savings to which asphalt shingle roofs cannot compare. They are also ideal for solar panel installations, offering a stronger foundation for the brackets required to secure solar panels to the roof of a structure.
Advantages of Installing Solar Panels

If you are looking for ways to reduce the energy costs of your home or commercial property, solar panels can be a fantastic investment. Available in different styles and configurations, solar panels offer property owners increased property value, consistent energy savings, and a host of other benefits worth consideration.

Solar panels absorb sunlight to provide energy to a structure, lowering the need for the structure to draw power from the local grid. It’s also possible to install solar batteries onto structures with solar panels to use as backup power in the event of a local grid outage.

Some homeowners who invest in solar panels coordinate with their local power companies to funnel excess energy back into the local grid, resulting in discounts on their energy bills. Homeowners that produce more electricity than they consume may even receive payments from their electric companies each month, a nice replacement for monthly electric bills.

Take Full Advantage of the Combination of a Metal Roof with Solar Panels

Many homeowners with traditional asphalt shingle roofs encounter several issues when it comes to solar panel installation. While they may still see tremendous savings on their energy bills, asphalt shingle roofs are susceptible to water damage. It’s also necessary to drill through the shingles into the roof bed to install solar panels on an asphalt shingle roof, increasing the chance for water to seep through the resulting holes and cause damage inside the roof.

Some property owners may also fail to notice water damage, moss growth, or other signs of an asphalt shingle roof in need of repair due to the solar panels blocking line of sight. Metal roofs are the ideal choice for any homeowner or commercial property owner looking to take advantage of solar power for several reasons:

1. Metal roofs are the ideal surface for solar panel installation. They offer stronger, more reliable support, and a professionally installed metal roof will likely outlive the solar panels installed on top of it.

2. Solar panels can maximize the cooling benefits of a metal roof. While a metal roof on its own will absorb sunlight without warming the interior of the structure, solar panels will take this a step further and turn that sunlight into energy for the structure.

3. Solar panels come in different styles, including photovoltaic panels and thin-film solar silicone sheets. While it’s possible to install photovoltaic solar panels on almost any type of roof, many property owners prefer the look and smaller profile of thin-film solar panels. Metal roofs are the ideal choice for thin-film solar panels, and many manufacturers of these panels design thin-film panels specifically for metal roof installation.

4. The combination of a metal roof with solar panels is an ecologically responsible choice for any property owner. Metal roof manufacturing uses mostly recycled materials and the entire metal roof is completely recyclable after it reaches the end of its lifespan. Solar panels cut down on fossil fuel consumption, resulting in a combination that any property owner can feel good about.

5. Installation is easy. While installing solar panels on a traditional asphalt shingle roof involves lots of drilling that may require additional flashing, water sealing, and more headaches when it comes time to repair or replace the roof, most metal roofs will last far longer than the solar panels attached to them.

Metal Roofs Offer Better Options

Metal roofs offer higher lifetime value than even the most well-made and professionally installed asphalt shingle roofs and adding solar panels to a metal roof is an environmentally friendly choice that offers tangible benefits to property owners in the your area. Homeowners and commercial property owners can enjoy energy bill savings, increased property value, and many other distinct benefits by choosing a combination of a metal roof with solar panels.