# New roof before solar...



## StockDogLovr (Apr 13, 2009)

We bought a house almost 1 1/2 years ago, built in 1989. We're in the hot central valley of CA and last summer we saw electric bills well beyond what we were prepared for ($600/mo in June!). We have two central heating/cooling units and a roof-mounted swamp cooler, and we saw a record of over 30 days over 100 deg last summer!

So, I began to look into solar, but the issue of our roof being too old came up. The solar companies of course don't want to put panels on a roof that will need to be redone within 10 years (or we'd have to pay to have it taken down and then reinstalled).

We also knew that our insulation wasn't up to snuff since even on a 74 deg day the indoor temp came up to 70 by the end of the day.

So, we had a contractor come out and give us an estimate for a new roof (put over the original one) plus insulation. Our insulation turned out to be well below what the standard was when the house was built, and today the code is for twice that. Also, the roof vents have to be brought up to code when a new roof goes on. All of this came out to a quote for $17,000! We just can't afford to do that PLUS do solar afterwards - geesh!

How hard is it to do insulation yourself? I figure that's a place to start.


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## biggkidd (Aug 16, 2012)

Do you have room to mount the panels without going on the roof?

As to how hard think of it like a kids model as long as you follow direction in the proper order it's not hard.

If I were you I would go to the local home improvement store and get that insulation ASAP and start saving some $$$.

Good Luck

Larry


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

With that much AC your always gonna have Big bills.
Can you ground mount the PV . . ??

Think about moving from that energy hog . .???


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

A buck spent on insulation is worth 2-3 bucks spent on solar. You certainly ought to go after that FIRST.

Assuming you can access your attic space, you can go to about any major home improvement store, rent a blower machine and add 12" of insulation ( I like fiberglass personally ) in a day. THIS is the time of year to do so. You'd recover the cost in 2-4 months of reduced bills in the summer. This is an easy no-brainer.

You don't say what size your roof is, but let's assume it's fair sized, say 50 square (5000sqft)....to simply put a new layer over an old layer, and add ridge vent shouldn't run over $100/sq.....$5,000. If it does, I'd be shopping contractors.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Conservation first to bring the electric down. Then you can add solar if you wish. Have you looked at http://www.builditsolar.com/ half program. His top 8 conservation methods saved more and cost less than the PV system.

Installing insulation isn't hard. Just time consuming to get it done right. With having improper venting in the attic you may need to remove the current insulation if it showing signs of waterlogging. Installing over the top of it without adding the vents will just make the problem worse.

WWW


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

We are thinking about solar grid tie-in but we have hail and nasty winds here. A roof just wont last 30 yrs sometimes not even 15yrs. is there any harm in putting the solar array on a stand off of the house if there is room? 

They have also mentioned on the local news that if there is a house fire with solar on the roof it can be harder/ more dangerous for firefighters to work. hope I'm not hijacking.


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Hi,

As Andy says, as long as you have good access to the attic, blowing in cellulose is an easy two person job.

On a lot of homes, the worst air leaks are from the living space up to the attic, so its important to seal up every penetration from the living space to the attic before adding more insulation -- things like plumbing and wire penetrations, can lights, vent fans, -- everything that gives air from the living space up to the attic a path. The hatch or stairs up to the attic can also be a very big leak path.

Some info on DIY insulating here: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/conservation.htm#Insulating
The big box hardware stores will let you use their blower for free if you buy the cellulose there.

The insulation will also reduce winter heating bills.


Other ideas on cooling here: 
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Cooling/passive_cooling.htm

The stuff on eliminating direct solar gain through windows can be very important if you have any south, east, or west windows that get direct sun.

If you get the roof done, I'd think about a white one to reflect sun.

I agree with the others that its a lot more bang for you buck to start on conservation, efficiency, and insulation and sealing.

Gary


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

$600 would buy a lot of fiberglass blown in insulation and make your house more comfortable.


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## haley1 (Aug 15, 2012)

I found that getting insulation installed was about the same price as doing it yourself, the pro's buy it so cheaply and do it so fast and they add the right venting etc. I agree with TnAndy as the insulation is a great payback and there is lots of info on gary's site to back that up. maybe just do your insulation and then save up for a few years and do roof and solar then, maybe solar will come down a little more, but remember solar tax incentives end, I believe in 2016? is that right?

gary


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

If you need some information on roofing and insulation. Pm me the details I am in the roofing supply business and can steer you in the right direction.


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## Alaska (Jun 16, 2012)

Have to agree with most here. Add the insulation first. Having spent most of my life in Alaska and Wisconsin I was shocked when I moved to Texas 5 years ago. 20 years behind the times in insulation standards. Oh it doesn't get that cold here. Daaaaaaaaaaa a house is like a thermos bottle it keeps things hot it keeps things cold.... how do it know.


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

I'd just emphasize again that if you put more insulation in the attic you want to use this opportunity to make sure that you seal all the wiring, plumbing, vent, penetrations from the living space to the attic -- you won't want to do this after you put 10 more inches of insulation up there, and its the major source of infiltration/exfiltration on most homes.

Gary


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