Why Your Solar Service Company Should Also Be Your Roofer
A solar array outlives the roof it is on. In Tampa Bay a shingle roof lasts about twenty years and the panels twenty-five or more, so every system installed on an existing roof is going to need the roof replaced underneath it, with the array off and back on, at least once. The company that services the solar is the company on that roof every year, and it is either licensed to deal with the roof or it is not. That difference decides whether the homeowner hears about the roof early, who does the detach and reinstall, and who warrants the holes afterward. Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building contractor (CBC1252064), all three in-house.
1. The roof is the part of the solar system nobody services
A solar service company looks at the panels, the inverter, and the wiring. A roofer looks at the roof, when called. Nobody is called for the roof under a solar array until it leaks, because the solar company is not licensed to say anything about it and the roofer is not up there. So the roof ages for twenty years with an array on top and the first anyone hears of it is a stain on a ceiling.
A service company that also holds a roofing license looks at both on the same visit, because it is responsible for both, and it tells the homeowner where the roof is on its life every year.
🔑 Key Takeaway: The roof under an array is the one component with no one assigned to it. A solar service company with a roofing license is the fix.
2. Two licenses, one roof
Fused Solar and Roofing is a licensed roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building contractor (CBC1252064), all three in-house. Removing and reinstalling an array needs the electrical license and a solar permit; replacing or repairing the roof needs the roofing license and a roofing permit; the mounts that go through the roof are where the two meet. A company holding both pulls both permits, does both halves, and warrants the roof and the penetrations together. Two companies each do their half and the seam between them is the homeowner's problem.
Who is allowed to do each part of a detach and reinstall, and why, is covered in our guide at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/post/who-can-remove-reinstall-solar-florida
3. What it changes on the annual visit
On Fused's annual maintenance visit the technician inspects the array and the roof around it, photographs both, and the report says what the shingle, the flashings, and the mounts look like this year against last. When a roof is a few years out, the homeowner hears it, with a timeline, and can plan the re-roof with the detach and reinstall as one project. When a mount's flashing has lifted, the company that finds it is the company licensed to fix it. When a leak appears near the array, the service call and the roof repair are one visit instead of two companies pointing at each other.
💡 Pro Tip: Ask whoever services your solar what their license lets them do about the roof. If the answer is "call a roofer," you have a gap in your coverage that will cost you at the re-roof.
4. What it changes at the re-roof
When the roof is due, a solar-and-roofing company does the detach, the roof, and the reinstall on its own permits with new flashed mounts set into its own leak barrier, and the roof warranty and the no-leak guarantee on the penetrations are from the same company. The homeowner has one contract and one schedule, and the array is off the roof for one to two weeks rather than however long two companies take to coordinate.
Every solar roof penetration Fused makes carries its written 25-year no-leak guarantee under its roofing license, and the roof carries a GAF warranty from Fused as a GAF Certified Plus contractor.
⚠️ Warning: A solar company that cannot do the roof will, at the re-roof, either hand the homeowner to a roofer and lose track of the mounts, or reinstall on old mounts flashed by someone else. Either way the holes in the new roof have no one standing behind them.
5. What it changes when the installer is gone
A large share of Tampa Bay systems were installed by companies no longer in business. A service company that takes those systems on, and holds the roofing license, gives the orphaned system an owner for both the equipment and the roof it sits on. Fused services systems it did not install, is certified with Enphase, SolarEdge, Tesla, Generac, Fronius, and SMA, and has done the detach and reinstall on systems from installers that closed years ago.
6. What it does not change
The inspection is still visual, with photos and a written report, not a thermal scan or a torque test. Corrections are still quoted separately so the homeowner decides. The maintenance plan still covers the photovoltaic system only, not the roof itself, and a roof repair or replacement is its own quote after Fused measures and inspects it. What changes is that the same company is doing all of it, under its own licenses, and the homeowner is talking to one phone number.
The inspection also does not replace the roofer's own inspection when a roof is quoted; that is a measured, written quote after Fused walks the roof, and it comes with the detach and reinstall as its own line so the homeowner sees both numbers. What the annual visit does is make sure that quote happens on the homeowner's calendar, a year or two ahead, instead of after a leak.
7. The plan as the on-ramp
Fused's annual solar maintenance plan is priced by panel count, starting at $495 a year, and includes an annual visual inspection with a written photo report, one panel cleaning, priority scheduling on service calls, and 20 percent off repair labor and parts. For a homeowner thinking about the roof under their array, the plan is how Fused gets on the roof once a year, watches the shingle and the mounts, and tells them when it is time, so the re-roof and the detach and reinstall happen on their schedule.
8. Why homeowners choose one company for both
Because the alternative is the homeowner being the project manager between a solar company and a roofer at the worst possible moment, with a leak, a storm deadline, or an insurance adjuster waiting. Fused has been both the solar company and the roofing-licensed contractor on Tampa Bay roofs since 2007, and the annual plan is how that relationship starts.
🔑 Key Takeaway: The company servicing your solar should be licensed for the roof it sits on, because the roof is going to need replacing with the array on it, and the company already on the roof every year should be the one to do it.
Want one company watching the array and the roof? Schedule a visit or ask about the annual plan at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-repair
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it matter if my solar service company has a roofing license?
Because the roof under the array will need replacing with the panels on it, and a company licensed for both does the detach, the roof, and the reinstall on its own permits and warrants the roof and the penetrations together.
Does Fused's maintenance plan cover the roof?
No. The plan covers the photovoltaic system. The annual visit inspects and photographs the roof around the array and reports where it is on its life, and roof work is quoted separately after measuring.
Can Fused service a system it did not install?
Yes, including systems whose installer is out of business. Fused is certified with Enphase, SolarEdge, Tesla, Generac, Fronius, and SMA.
What happens when the roof is due under my solar?
Fused does the detach, the roof, and the reinstall as one project on its own permits, with new flashed mounts and its written 25-year no-leak guarantee on every penetration, and the array is off for one to two weeks.
Is the annual inspection a thermal scan?
No. It is a visual inspection with photos and a written report. No thermal imaging, drones, or torque testing; corrections are quoted separately.
How much is the annual plan?
Priced by panel count, starting at $495 a year, including the inspection with photo report, one cleaning, priority scheduling, and 20 percent off repairs.
Fused Solar and Roofing has serviced solar systems across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties since 2007, including systems it did not install. Schedule a service visit at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-repair
Fused Solar and Roofing holds Florida roofing (CCC1331058), electrical (EC13014750), and building (CBC1252064) licenses, all three in-house, and has served Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Manatee counties since 2007. Fused Solar and Roofing is an EnergySage Elite Installer with a 5.0/5 rating and 21+ verified reviews, independent verification, earned not purchased. Schedule a visit or ask about the annual plan at https://fusedsolarandroofing.com/solar-repair
