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@susankayequinn You might want to mention that you may need to work with an engineer to check if you can do rooftop solar. I'm working with one now, and it is turning out that we may need to replace the entire roof (not just the shingles) in order to be able to support the additional weight.

@mikemccaffrey do you have a really old house? I've never heard of this being a concern except in 100 yo houses...

(also your solar installer should have some awareness of this and should alert you — this is why you go with installers and not DIY)

@mikemccaffrey

This is also what building codes are for — the city will approve solar building codes, the installer needs to know what those are, and both will take into account the average weight of the panels and what kinds of housing is in the area.

This is the kind of thing that could be a problem (but not for most houses) and if it is, it will get flagged by the installer, the building inspector, or both.

@susankayequinn How rude! Our house isn't even 90 yet!

In any case, any houses built to modern codes should be able to handle the weight, but there are quite a few houses out there (maybe even the majority?) that do not meet modern code for new construction.

We got a quote from a solar installer, and I wonder how far we would have gotten into the process with them before they would have identified that our roof can't handle the load they were proposing.

@mikemccaffrey LOL! Sorry, house, no insult intended!

For sure getting quality installers is the biggest concern (really for any project), and I think folks with older houses probably are more aware of the issues there in general (a friend inherited a 100yo house and whew nelly what we had to go through to get her wired up for her PHEV).

I'll make a note to make sure to check for older houses!