Solar Shingles or Panels on a New Roof in New York

Four ways to put solar on a new roof

An owner replacing a roof can install a conventional roof and mount panels on it, or install a roof in which the solar cells are the roof covering, known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). The options open to New York homeowners as of October 2026 compare as follows.

A standing-seam metal roof usually outlasts the panels on it, so the array can be replaced later without re-roofing.

The products available in 2026

According to news reports published in August 2026, Tesla stopped taking new Solar Roof orders and told its certified installers it would supply only conventional panels. Tesla has made no formal announcement, and its Solar Roof web page now leads to its solar panel page. Owners of existing Solar Roof systems should confirm warranty and service arrangements directly with Tesla.

Two nailable products remain the main integrated options. GAF's Timberline Solar ES 2 shingle (opens an external site) is rated at 57 W per shingle, 23 percent more than the previous version, and for 130 mph wind. GAF states that Timberline Solar was the first solar roof certified to UL 7103, the standard for building-integrated roofing. CertainTeed's Solstice shingle is rated at 70 W, and trade press reports that its new Landmark PWR shingle (opens an external site), 85 W per 4-foot shingle with half-cut cells, becomes available on November 1, 2026 and installs alongside Landmark asphalt shingles.

Output, cost per watt and repairs over 25 years

Integrated products have a lower power density than standard panels, and because they sit directly on the deck with no air gap, they run hotter and lose more output in summer. One 57 W shingle produces a small fraction of what one 400 W panel produces, and it also covers less area, so the fair comparison is watts per square foot of exposed roof. Ask each bidder for the system size in kilowatts that fits the same roof plane.

BIPV replaces part of the roofing material, which offsets some of its cost, but its cost per watt of solar capacity is considerably higher than panels on racks. Compare the total price of the roof and the solar together, divided by the kilowatts each option delivers. We price both for the same roof so the figures line up.

Rack-mounted panels can be replaced one at a time with standard parts, and many brands fit the same racking. Integrated shingles need the same manufacturer's parts and a manufacturer-trained installer; if the manufacturer leaves the market, as Tesla's order pause shows, both become hard to find. Before choosing an integrated roof, ask who will service it in 2040, which warranty covers leaks and which covers output, and whether repairs by a certified installer are a warranty condition.

Code limits that narrow the choice

• Minimum slope: the NYC Building Code does not permit photovoltaic shingles on roofs below 3:12 (opens an external site) (BC 1507.17.2). Flat-roof rowhouses and brownstones are not candidates for solar shingles.
• Installation: PV shingles require a solid deck, fasteners at least 3/4 inch into the sheathing, a UL 1703 listing and wind testing to ASTM D3161 (BC 1507.17). BIPV used as the roof covering must be tested, listed and labeled (BC 1505.8).
• Fire classification: rooftop panels and their racking must meet the roof's fire classification (BC 1505.9 in NYC; R324.4.2 of the Residential Code of New York State (opens an external site), which applies even to an existing roof).
• Underlayment: outside NYC, PV shingles and BIPV must meet the same underlayment and ice barrier rules as any roof covering (RCNYS R905).
• Tear-off: in NYC, a roof replacement means removal down to the deck, and a new covering may not go over a roof that already has two or more layers (BC 1511.3).
• Fire access: integrated roofs follow the same firefighter setbacks as panels. In NYC that is 3 feet on each side of the ridge on pitched roofs; elsewhere in New York it is 18 to 36 inches at the ridge plus 36-inch pathways.

In-roof products from Europe and China

In Europe, in-roof mounting (Indach in German-speaking markets), where panels replace tiles rather than sitting above them, and BIPV are established categories certified to European and international standards; in China, BIPV and building-attached (BAPV) solar are widely used, mostly on large commercial and industrial metal roofs. A New York building department, however, requires US listings: UL 61730 or UL 1703 for modules, UL 7103 for building-integrated roofing, and fire classification under UL 790 or ASTM E108. A product common in Europe or China usually lacks them, and without them it cannot be approved for a New York roof, however good it is.

A cheaper shingle under the array

Owners sometimes ask whether a lower-grade shingle can go where the panels will sit, since the array shields it from sun, heat cycling and hail. Shingles under an array do age more slowly. The savings are small and the risks are real.

• Only part of the roof is covered. Ridge setbacks, fire pathways, rakes, eaves, north-facing planes and the edge zones racking engineers avoid all stay in the weather, and the eaves, where ice dams form, are usually outside the array.
• Material is a small share of a re-roof. Tear-off, disposal, underlayment, ice barrier, flashing and labor make up most of the cost, so a lower shingle grade saves on material only.
• Code minimums still apply. The shingle under an array is a code roof covering and must meet the fire classification and the wind rating for the site (ASTM D3161 or D7158). On coastal Long Island, the wind rating often decides the shingle.
• Warranty terms matter. Ask who pays to remove and reinstall the panels if shingles under the array need warranty work; under some manufacturers' published guidance, that cost falls on the owner. Mixed product lines can also complicate enhanced system warranties.
• Leaks start at the mounts, not at the shingle under the panel. And when the panels come off at end of life or for a buyer, a differently weathered lower-grade shingle under the array makes any partial repair look patched.

Our recommendation is one shingle line across the whole roof at the wind and fire rating the house requires, with the saving on designer shingles put into full ice-and-water membrane under the array area and mounts flashed and fastened as the racking listing requires. The membrane is our recommendation, not a code requirement.

Sequencing the work

The economical order is a structural check of the framing, then the new roof, then mounts flashed into it in the same mobilization, so the roofer and the solar crew are not working around each other's warranties. In NYC, a full roof replacement can also trigger the sustainable roofing requirements of Local Laws 92 and 94 (opens an external site), and the photovoltaic electrical work is performed by our licensed partner master electricians, as the electrical code requires. On Long Island, the town or village issues the building permit.

The 30 percent federal residential clean energy credit no longer applies to systems installed after December 31, 2025. New York State and New York City incentives are covered in our solar guide. We are contractors, not tax advisors; consult a CPA about your own situation. Panels you own add to your home's cost basis, less any federal credit or utility subsidy you received; our guide explains what that means when you sell.

We quote the roof and the solar as one project, compare panels and solar shingles for your roof's actual slope and setbacks, and show the warranty that comes with each option. Photos of the roof and a recent utility bill are enough to start an estimate.