Thinking About Solar? Check Your Roof First

The short answer

If you're thinking about rooftop solar in East Texas, look at your roof first. The U.S. Department of Energy's Homeowner's Guide to Going Solar says some rooftops aren't suitable "due to age or tree cover," and tells homeowners to consider "the age of your roof and how long until it will need replacement." Panels have to come off if the roof under them is replaced later, so an older roof is usually worth dealing with before, or at the same time as, a solar install. One more 2026 reality check: the IRS says the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit isn't available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, and the traditional shingles under panels never qualified for it anyway.

What DOE says to check (opened for this article)

DOE's guide lists a few roof questions to answer before you go solar:

Age. Consider how old your roof is and how long until it needs replacement.
Shade. "If there are trees near your home that create excessive shade on your roof, rooftop panels may not be the most ideal option." In the Piney Woods, that's a real question for a lot of lots.
Orientation and pitch. DOE says panels "typically" perform best on south-facing roofs with a slope between 15 and 40 degrees, "though other roofs may be suitable too."
Ownership. If a solar professional decides your roof isn't suitable, or you don't own your home, DOE points to other options such as community solar.

Why timing the roof and the panels matters

A 2021 DOE blog post, Replacing Your Roof? It's a Great Time to Add Solar, makes the timing argument. It says solar panels last about 25 to 30 years, "similar to the lifetime of a roof," and that doing both together means you "avoid needing to have your solar panels re-installed after replacing your roof."

That post also cited cost estimates from 2021 and a federal tax-credit rate that applied to systems installed in 2021 or 2022. Those numbers are out of date, so we're not repeating them here. The principle holds: if your shingles are already near the end of their life, putting 25-year panels on top of them sets up a second removal-and-reinstall job later.

The 2026 tax-credit change homeowners should know

The IRS's Residential Clean Energy Credit page says:

The credit equals 30% of the costs of new, qualified clean energy property installed "anytime from 2022 through December 31, 2025."
"The credit is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025."
Even when it was available, "traditional building components that primarily serve a roofing or structural function generally don't qualify." The IRS example: "roof trusses and traditional shingles that support solar panels don't qualify, but solar roofing tiles and solar shingles do."

So if anyone pitches a 2026 roof-and-solar package on the promise that the federal residential credit will cover part of the roof, ask them to show you where the IRS says so. Talk to a tax professional about your own situation.

Questions to ask before you sign anything

About the roof:

How old is the roof, and what's its realistic remaining life?
Is there any damage, soft decking, or past leak that should be fixed before anything is mounted on it?
Who will pull the permit? Some East Texas cities require one for a re-roof. We covered Tyler and Longview in roof replacement permits.

About the solar install:

How are the panels attached, and who is responsible for leaks at the mounting points?
If the roof needs work later, who removes and reinstalls the panels, and what does that cost?
How do the roofing warranty and the solar warranty interact? Get both in writing.

About the sales pitch:

Is any savings figure based on a federal tax credit? If so, ask how, given the IRS's December 31, 2025 cutoff.
Is this a door-to-door or storm-chasing offer? The Texas Department of Insurance's contractor tips apply here too. See avoiding contractor scams.

When it may make sense to wait on solar

If your roof is newer and in good shape, the timing concern mostly goes away. If it's older, or you aren't sure, a roof inspection first gives you the information to decide whether to replace now, repair now, or hold off on panels until the roof work is done.

What this post is not promising

This is general information from DOE and the IRS, not tax, legal, or engineering advice.
We don't sell solar systems, and we don't estimate solar savings or roof costs.
We don't claim any insurance, tax, or warranty outcome.

Bottom line

Panels last decades, so the roof under them should too. Check age, shade, and orientation the way DOE suggests, plan any roof replacement before or with the install, and don't count on the federal residential solar credit for systems placed in service in 2026. It ended December 31, 2025, and it never covered the shingles.

Weighing solar on an older roof? Request a free, no-obligation quote and find out where your roof stands first.