Whenever a new and innovative product hits the market it can be an exciting opportunity for society and individuals to increase their quality of life in some way. This is especially the case with solar energy producing innovations. Solar is the fastest growing sector of the U.S. Energy Economy by a long shot. In 2024 over 4 million homes added solar panels or solar shingles to their roof. Renewable energy is predicted to be the number one source of energy in the U.S. by the year 2040. Solar is predicted to be the number fastest growing source of renewable energy. This couldn’t come at a more perfect time as energy prices are expected to skyrocket over the next decade. With an increased reliance on electricity over older forms of energy like natural gas the price of electricity will increase tremendously. It is forecasted that utility companies will increase the prices of electricity to homeowners by up to a whopping 250% by the year
2035. Solar energy looks like it could be our knight in shining armour that will save us from outrageous electricity prices.
Naturally huge innovations will continue to come in the solar energy field. One of the most recent and exciting innovations is the solar shingle. Solar shingles are manufactured by several different companies, with the big players in the market being; GAF, Tesla, and Certainteed. There is a company that seems to be years ahead in terms of design, innovation and warranties. That company and product is the GAF Timberline Solar Shingle.
Although innovation is exciting, it is important to be critical and cautious of new products, especially when making decisions that affect your home and finances. Some natural questions about solar shingles come to mind like: How long will they last? How long are they warrantied for? Are the warranties legit?
In this article we will do our best to answer some of the questions to illuminate which product may be the best choice for your home if any.
How long will solar shingles last?
This is a very important question, especially when taking into account that solar shingles typically are not cheap. Of the products out there right now, the general consensus is that solar shingles on average will last roughly 20-30 years with the productivity of the solar shingles decreasing slightly as they get towards the end of their life.
GAF Timberline Solar Shingles are warrantied for 25 Years and are expected to last up to 30 Years or longer. GAF is so confident in this product that they have pledged to pay every homeowner back for any missed productivity from faulty solar shingles for the entire 25 Year warranty period (seriously). There are records of GAF having a few technical issues early on with their product, but they always stood behind their warranty and made it right with the homeowners they were working with. Their product has been tested throughout the country for about 5 years now and continues to be improved yearly.
How long are solar shingles warrantied for?
GAF Timberline Solar Shingles have some really great things in their favor, and not a whole lot of drawbacks. For starters this shingle is the most simple to install, which may bring up the question “Why should I care how hard or easy the install process is?”. The answer to that question is simple, because simplicity means less of a chance for issues in install. Timberline Solar Shingles are designed by roofers, for roofers meaning that the solar shingles are designed to keep water out of your home. GAF designed the product with a 25 Year Power Production Guarantee, and after that 25 year period, GAF will warranty the product for another 25 years as a roofing/ water shedding product. That’s a 50 year warranty on the product which includes the cost of labor and materials if there are any issues. With GAF Timberline Solar Shingles, homeowners not only get the best solar warranty in the industry, but also the best roofing warranty in the industry. GAF is so confident in their Master Elite installers that they are willing to cover 25 Years of workmanship EVEN IF the original contractor isn’t in business before that 25 years is up.
Is the warranty on GAF Timberline Solar Shingles legit?
As of now GAF is the only company to have two roofing products that are backed by Good Housekeeping, with the Timberline Solar Shingles being one of those products. This means that even if
GAF or their parent company Standard Industries were to go out of business, Good Housekeeping would be there to back up the warranties in place on their products. For a homeowner this means that the GAF Timberline Solar Shingles are basically a risk free choice for solar on their roof.
The Solar Max Warranty guarantees a certain amount of power production for 25 years. This is the only warranty in the solar industry that guarantees power production for 25 years. GAF has gone so far to ensure they will write homeowners a check for any lost electricity production on any Timberline Solar system. This product is backed by Good Housekeeping which effectively means this is the most bullet proof warranty in the industry.
Overall, if homeowners find themselves looking for a new roof and want to invest in their future at the same time, GAF Timberline Solar Shingles might be the perfect option.
Renner Roofing proudly installs GAF Timberline Solar Shingles across Southern Minnesota, the Twin Cities, Central Minnesota, and Western Wisconsin. See if your home is a good fit for solar shingles today: https://www.rennerroofingmn.
