Adding solar to your lineup

By Emma Peterson. 

Understand the why and how of incorporating solar into your roofing company’s offerings. 

Over the last few years, the demand for solar roofing solutions has surged. This shift towards solar presents an opportunity for roofing contractors to expand their offerings and meet the evolving needs of their clients. In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Karen Edwards sat down with Bill Eitenmiller of SRS Distribution to talk about why solar is so popular and how roofing contractors can add solar to their services.  

The rise of interest in solar is largely driven by rising energy costs and environmental concerns. Bill explained, “In residential areas, energy bills are rising in a significant way. In some markets we’re talking upwards of 15-20% year over year.” Compounding on the rise of cost for traditional energy sources are a variety of tax credits and incentives that come with installing solar. Bill shared a bit about this, saying, “There have been federal tax credits. They go until the end of this year, but there was a 30% ITC that drove a lot of interest.”  

All of these factors have led to a distinct rise in the solar market, creating a unique opportunity for roofing contractors. Bill explained, “As a roofing contractor going into a home, being able to add solar as either an add on sale or something complimentary is something that nobody else is going to be doing... It's a nice upsell and it's a good way to future proof your business.” 

So, how do you go about adding solar to your roofing business? Bill’s first recommendation is an audit of your existing customer base to see how much interest in solar exists. Once you have established that there is a demand for solar in your particular market, it’s time to find a solar manufacturer to work with. Bill recommends making sure that you partner with a manufacturer that offers solar products that incorporate into your existing operations easily! He gave some examples, sharing, “GAF Energy has their solar shingle and CertainTeed has their Solstice shingle. And the great thing is that a lot of these companies actually cater to roofers right off the bat. They have systems established and they're just looking for roofers to help install their program.” Ultimately, these partnerships allow contractors to focus on their core expertise while leveraging the solar expertise of their partners. 

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about solar and how you can get started with it.