Solar Shingles: Costs, Lifespan, and More!

Homeowners in the St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater, and Fort Myers areas can now easily add solar power when getting a new roof installed. Even if you don’t like the look of traditional solar panels, new solar shingle technology can give you an efficient solar roofing system without sacrificing your home’s natural beauty.

This new roofing material gives you the chance to use solar energy to lower your electric bill while simultaneously increasing your home’s value. But how do solar panels compare to shingles? And where can you get solar shingles installed?

We’re Classic Roofing & Construction, and with 20 years of roofing experience, we can answer all these questions and more. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about getting solar shingles in Florida.

Solar Shingles vs. Solar Panels

While they have many differences, solar shingles and solar panels have a lot in common. Namely, they both absorb energy from the sun and make it available to use in your home. Since they both function as solar roofing systems, a lot of their differences come from differences in roofing and technology. Here are some of the biggest differences between shingles and panels.

Solar Shingles Cost More

Price is a big factor for most people considering solar shingles, and there’s no denying that shingles are more expensive than panels. They’re a newer technology, so their installation requires high-quality materials and experienced crews, both of which can increase overall roofing costs.

However, while up-front cost is an important factor, it should not be the only factor. In addition to considerations outside of cost, you should also take into account how solar shingles can increase the value of your home. When considering these and other factors, like money saved by reducing energy bills and increasing curb appeal, these new shingles can be a great investment.

Longevity Is Equal

For both shingles and panels, you can expect a lifespan of 25 to 30 years. This is great news for these shingles, since traditional composite shingles may only last 20 years. In this way, solar shingles are a significantly better investment in your home than their non-solar counterparts.

Solar Shingles Are Lightweight

Unlike solar panels, solar shingles do not add substantial amounts of additional weight onto your home. Since solar technology is worked into the shingle, solar shingles only add the weight of a normal shingle roof. On the other hand, solar panels add further weight on top of your existing roofing system, which can make them unusable if your roof cannot handle the additional weight.

Solar Panels Transfer Easily

If solar panels have any big advantage over shingles, it’s that they can transfer easily during a move. Solar shingles, on the other hand, make up the entirety of a structure’s roof, so they cannot be removed. For this reason, solar panels may be a better option if you plan to move in the near future and want to take your solar roofing system with you.

Shingles Look Seamless

Unlike bulky solar panels, solar shingles do not take up any extra room on your roof. Where solar panels can lower your curb appeal or make your home look awkward, shingles only add value to your home. Their famous slim design gives your roof a sleek finish, and the aesthetic bonus is a big motivator for choosing solar shingles over solar panels.

The Best Type of Solar Shingle

As you can see, solar shingles offer a lot of advantages over solar panels. But like with anything else, it’s important to make sure you’re getting a high-quality product. As an experienced Florida roofing company, we only trust GAF to manufacture our solar shingles. With more than a century of roofing know-how, they’re the industry experts when it comes to making great roofing materials.

GAF’s Timberline Solar Energy Shingle is installed on a roof with a nail gun, just like a regular shingle. As one of the largest roofing material manufacturers in the world, GAF has created these new shingles which dramatically reduce the complexity of solar power. At 17 inches tall and 64 inches long, the shingles are larger than Tesla’s, meaning there are fewer parts and fewer individual wiring connections, which decreases costs while increasing reliability.

The team at Classic Roofing & Construction says this new shingle is revolutionary. This building material creates the opportunity for generating energy from every residential roof, driving the cost of installation down and the rate of solar adoption up.

Timberline System Awards

The Timberline Solar roofing system is so advanced it makes solar simple. This is why the system is earning so many awards and accolades. These recognitions include “Most Innovative Construction Tool” at the 2022 International Builders Show.

Particularly attractive to the attendees was GAF’s unmatched warranty. With the revolutionary Timberline solar roof shingles, roofing and solar are included in the same installation and covered by the same warranty. For home builders and homeowners, that means better protection—physically and financially.

But praise for these solar shingles comes from many places. Other accolades include:

• CES Best of Innovation, Smart Cities
• CES Innovation Award Honoree, Smart Cities
• CES Innovation Award Honoree, Smart Home
• CTA Mark of Excellence Award – Emerging Home Technology of the Year, Smart Home Division
• Showstoppers Innovation Award
• CES Techlicious Top Pick
• Green Builder Sustainable Home Award (Honorable Mention)
• VentureBeat The DeanBeat: The Best of CES 2022
• Good Housekeeping Editor’s Choice for CES 2022
• Digital Trends’ Tech For Change CES 2022 Awards

Solar Shingles Require Experienced Florida Roofers

Florida is one of the best states for solar roofing, and the Greater Tampa Bay area sees 246 days of sunshine on average. So it’s natural to want solar shingles for your roof. But because this is an emerging roofing technology, not just anyone can install it.

For example, GAF’s Timberline solar shingles can only be installed by GAF Master Elite roofing companies. This is because the average roofer in Florida may not have enough experience and know-how to install an elegant solar roofing system like this. So by requiring elite certification, GAF makes sure that your solar roofing system is installed to last.

But still, this can make it hard to get your new solar roofing system, since only two percent of all roofers in America have this world-class credential. But as one of Florida’s top roofing companies, we’re proud to say that Classic Roofing & Construction is a GAF Master Elite-certified roofing company. This means that we can offer you exclusive solar shingle products alongside the strongest warranties.

Go With Local Roofers You Can Trust

Whether solar shingles or solar panels are the right choice for you, the in-house crew at Classic can help. With new solar roofing technologies, you need roofers you can trust. And with hundreds of five-star roofing reviews, we’ve proven to our local Florida communities that we’re extremely trustworthy.

If you’re ready to learn more about solar shingle options, schedule your free estimate. One of our friendly roofing experts will come to inspect the property and give you a transparent, no-obligation estimate with no hidden fees. If you’re as excited about new solar roofing technologies as we are, then let’s talk about what a solar shingle roof can do for your home!