Firstly, the cost of a new roof will be more than the reasonably priced racking installation for slate. Furthermore, most asphalt roofs last 20-30 years and when the roof needs to be replaced you have to pay to remove the panels AND purchase a new roof all over again. Slate on the other hand can last hundreds of years, so you shouldn’t need to worry about reroofing and the panels can stay put until they reach the end of their life cycle. Lastly, slate is specifically designed to withstand elements like temperature extremes, fire, ice, and wind. It’s also resistant to moisture and mold growth. This translates to a higher home value than a comparable house with an asphalt roof, and with the addition of solar your home will be worth even more 🙂

If you qualify for solar financing options, you can potentially enjoy a net positive return as soon as your solar is turned on! Financing allows you to go solar with no upfront cost out of pocket and you’ll replace your utility bill with a fixed monthly solar payment that is comparable or cheaper than what you’re already paying for electricity. Each year your savings will grow as your cost of power stays flat while utility rates continue to climb exponentially. If you prefer to purchase your system with cash, the payback period is typically only 1-2 years more than the average asphalt roof system, making a solar slate installation a financially smart and rewarding investment. Schedule an appointment with one of our solar consultants and we can provide you with a custom savings report for your home so you can decide for yourself if solar makes sense!

Leaks are extremely rare and we’ve never had issues, but no matter what we take several precautions to prevent any moisture from getting in. Firstly, the small hole around the lag gets completely filled up with a waterproof sealant. Secondly, we slide our patented slate plate underneath the existing slate tiles to flash the larger area even further. And thirdly, we use a special L-foot compression bracket with a rubber gasket which creates a watertight seal around the site of a lag. Due to the self-flashing technology of the L-foot bracket the sealant really isn’t even necessary, but we take no chances when it comes to protecting your roof. To sum it up, you’ll have 3 strong lines of defense to ensure your roof stays dry.

Before we install we thoroughly inspect the areas where the solar array is going to make sure all the slates are in tip top shape. Any existing cracked or loose slates will be fixed or replaced by our professionals. Future maintenance for the areas of your roof covered by solar should be significantly reduced if not eliminated entirely because solar panels add an extremely strong layer of protection from the elements. Things like snow, hail, rain, wind and the UV rays from the sun will no longer beat down on the slate with solar panels acting as a barrier. In the unlikely event that you ever need to access the roof underneath a solar panel, you can always remove the panel, perform the maintenance and reattach the panel.

Just like it costs more to hire a roofer to service a slate roof vs an asphalt roof, the same is true for installing solar. Installing solar on slate requires specialized equipment and skilled labor to ensure the mounts are installed properly. There is also more prep work involved which adds time.

Despite the extra cost, slate roof homeowners still enjoy huge savings on their energy bills.

This depends on site specifics as every home is different. But on average, a solar racking system installed by Solar Slate is about $1 more per watt than an asphalt roof. In order to get a customized quote simply submit a request on our website and an expert will be in touch. (We can modify our answer to this one – companies that we train to use the product will likely charge less than $1 adder for their inhouse crew to install).Looks great!!