If a roof renovation is due, it's the ideal moment for a solar system – and vice versa. Anyone who plans both together saves the scaffolding twice, can consider an in-roof system, and avoids opening a freshly renovated roof again soon afterwards. The iron rule: first clarify the roof's condition, then plan the system – never the other way round. (As of: July 2026)
Key points in brief
- Roof renovation and solar system share scaffolding, planning and roof access – carried out together, the costs for both fall.
- A roof in need of renovation comes before the system: modules last 25 to 30 years, a dilapidated roof doesn't.
- When a new roof covering is due anyway, an in-roof system is worth considering – the modules then replace the roof skin.
- Conversely: if the roof is fine, it doesn't need renovating for the system – an on-roof system fits any intact roof.
- The order determines the costs: anyone who renovates first and wants modules later pays for the scaffolding twice.
- Roof damaged by hail or storm? Insurance pays for the repair, the solar system remains your investment – plan it before the repair date, while the scaffolding is still coming.
Why do roof renovation and a solar system belong together?
The answer is on the roof – or rather, in front of it. Both projects need the same thing: scaffolding, access to the roof surface, a tradesperson working up top, and planning that looks at the roof as a whole. Anyone who separates the two pays for these prerequisites twice.
The scaffolding in particular is a tangible item. If it's already up for the new roof covering, the solar installation only costs its own share – if it's put up specially for the system, it's an extra line item. In narrow residential streets, where a road closure is sometimes added, this effect weighs even more. Anyone who bundles the two building sites saves not on the technology but on everything needed around it.
Do I have to renovate my roof for a solar system?
In short: no, provided it's intact. An on-roof system – modules on a substructure above the existing roof skin – can be installed on any load-bearing, watertight roof, regardless of age. A good tile roof from the 2000s doesn't need renovating just because modules are going on it.
The question is the other way round: if the roof is near the end of its service life, the renovation should happen before or with the system. The reason is simple and expensive if overlooked:
Modules outlast an old roof skin. A solar system sits on the roof for 25 to 30 years. If the covering underneath has to be renewed in ten years, the modules have to come down and go back up – an effort that eats up all the savings of the originally "saved" renovation. That's why we clarify the roof's condition before every system, and where in doubt we advise renovating first. That's not an upsell but self-protection against a double building site.
Roof damaged or leaking: what comes first?
Roof damage doesn't change the order, it speeds it up. Whether hail, storm or a roof leaking due to age: first the roof is made watertight and load-bearing again, the system comes after – or in the same go, while the scaffolding stands.
| Starting point | What comes first | What it means for the solar system |
|---|---|---|
| Hail damage to tiles or sheet metal | Photograph the damage, report it to the building insurer, await the repair | Plan the installation into the repair appointment – the scaffolding is up anyway |
| Storm damage (tiles blown off, sheet metal loosened) | Emergency covering, report, repair | as with hail: coordinate the system with the repair |
| Leaking, moss, porous tiles (ageing) | Have the roof's condition assessed, plan the renovation | Renovation and system as one project, consider in-roof |
| Older-type Eternit or fibre-cement roof | first clarify the asbestos question | Installation only after renovation or professional clearance |
| Roof intact | nothing | On-roof system directly |
Simplified overview, as of: September 2026. How to handle hail damage to an existing system is covered in the guide on hail damage to the solar system.
After the hailstorm of 28 August 2026, many roofs in the north of the Canton of Zurich – from Bülach to Winterthur – will be repaired in the coming months. Anyone thinking about a solar system anyway should do so before the repair appointment, not after. Otherwise the scaffolding goes up twice.
Who pays for what: insurance, funding, owner?
For an insured loss, the building insurance pays for the repair at replacement value, minus the excess. The Zurich cantonal building insurance (GVZ) insures buildings at replacement value without deduction for ageing. For private insurers, the Elementarschaden-Pool guidelines expressly state that repair costs include all work including scaffolding. Added value beyond restoration is at the owner's expense. For your project that means:
- The roof – damaged tiles, sheet metal, underlay – is a matter for the insurer.
- The new solar system is added value and therefore your investment. The Confederation's one-off feed-in incentive and, depending on canton and municipality, further contributions reduce the cost.
- The advantage lies in the scaffolding: it's already up for the repair. Longer standing times or adjustments for the installation you generally pay for yourself – but that's less than scaffolding set up specially a few years later.
- A poor prior condition counts: pre-existing damage and inadequate maintenance are taken into account in the compensation. Anyone who would have had to renovate an old roof anyway should look at that together with the repair.
What is covered in the individual case is decided by your insurer, not the tradesperson. If a system was already on the roof, we provide the cost estimate for the damaged modules on request – more in the guide Insuring a solar system.
Funding: roof insulation and solar system in the same application
If the roof isn't just repaired but insulated, the Canton of Zurich pays a supplement for the solar system built at the same time:
| Measure (Canton of Zurich, funding programme 2026) | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Roof thermal insulation | CHF 40 per m² of insulated area |
| Supplement with a simultaneous photovoltaic system | CHF 20 per m² of module area on the renovated surface |
| Building envelope efficiency bonus (at least 90% of the envelope insulated, separate application) | CHF 60 per m² additional |
As of: September 2026, source: Canton of Zurich, Energy funding programme 2026. The current funding conditions are binding.
The conditions most often overlooked in practice: the building needs a building permit from before 2000, the application must be submitted before construction starts – i.e. before the insulation is applied –, and contributions under CHF 2’000 are not paid out. Above all, though, the canton demands at application stage the solar system quote and the marked module areas. Anyone who only plans the system once the roofer is already working loses the supplement. A pure repair without insulation doesn't trigger it. The Canton of Aargau has its own rates with a PV bonus, see Funding in Aargau. The Zurich contributions for the system itself are in the guide Funding in the Canton of Zurich.
What argues for an in-roof system during a renovation?
If the roof is being re-covered anyway, an option opens up that rarely makes sense on an existing roof: the roof-integrated system. Instead of placing modules over the new roof skin, they partially replace it – the system itself becomes the roof.
| On-roof | In-roof (during renovation) | |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | above existing roof skin | replaces the roof skin |
| Best timing | any time on an intact roof | at re-covering / new build |
| Appearance | Modules visibly raised | flush, continuous |
| Effort | lower | higher, but the covering underneath is omitted |
Simplified overview, as of: July 2026. The specific choice depends on the roof and the requirements.
The economic appeal of the in-roof solution arises precisely in the renovation case: because the modules replace the tiles, you save the material and labour of the covering on the covered area. Outside a renovation – on an intact roof – this saving is missing, and the more elaborate installation tends to argue against in-roof. The technical details of both routes are covered in the guide on in-roof and on-roof mounting.
Which order saves money – and which costs?
The most expensive variant is the one that most often arises by accident: renovate the roof first, then a few years later want modules after all. The scaffolding comes twice, the chance for the in-roof solution is gone, and the fresh roof skin gets drilled into again.
The smarter order is always the same:
1. Clarify the roof's condition. Is the roof watertight and load-bearing, or is renovation due anyway? This question comes at the start, not the end – it decides everything else. Whether the roof carries the additional load is rarely the problem: more on structural aspects in its own article. 2. If renovation is due: plan together. Renovation and system in one project, consider the in-roof option, one scaffold, one building site. 3. If the roof is intact: on-roof directly. No reason to touch a good roof – the system goes on top.
The whole route from the first check to the finished system – quote, permit, installation – is in the overview Your own solar system in 7 steps. For the cost side, take a look at the cost overview for a single-family home, in which scaffolding and roof work appear as separate items.
How we coordinate with your roofer
We don't install roofs. Roof and system remain two trades: your roofer does the roof – or the company the insurer has commissioned –, we do the solar system. So that it still becomes one building site, this is how it works:
1. Report early. Call us before the repair or renovation date is fixed. Photos of the roof help us for a first assessment. 2. Look at roof and system together. We clarify whether and which system fits – on-roof on the repaired roof or in-roof with a new covering. 3. Coordinate with the roofer. We agree the date, scaffolding, underlay, penetrations and connections directly with them. Water-tightness is decided at this interface. 4. Quote and applications. You receive the quote for the system – in the Canton of Zurich in time for the insulation application. We handle registration with the grid operator and Pronovo. 5. Installation within the same scaffolding window. Then acceptance and commissioning.
The best moment for a solar system often announces itself with a different concern: a customer calls about leaks or moss on the tiles, the roof renovation is due – and the system isn't even a topic yet. Exactly then we say: wait with the renovation until we've looked at the roof together. Because anyone who re-covers first and calls us afterwards has already missed the best opportunity: the scaffolding that had just been up, and the chance to integrate the modules straight into the roof. Conversely, we brake just as often: nobody has to renovate an impeccable 2010 roof "for the solar system" – the on-roof system simply goes on top, done. The art isn't always selling both, but bringing the two questions – roof and system – together at the right moment.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth bringing the roof renovation forward because of the solar system?
If the renovation is due in the foreseeable future anyway: yes. Both together save the scaffolding and enable the in-roof option. If the roof, on the other hand, is good for many more years, there's no reason to bring the renovation forward – then the on-roof system simply goes on the existing roof.
Can I put modules on a freshly renovated roof?
Yes, no problem – a new, watertight roof is an ideal foundation for an on-roof system. The only pity is the missed chance to combine: anyone who already knows during renovation that modules are coming saves with joint planning and can assess the in-roof variant, which is no longer economical after the renovation.
How old can my roof be for a solar system?
Not age but condition counts: a watertight, load-bearing roof is suitable regardless of year of construction. What's decisive is the remaining service life compared with the system – if the covering has to be renewed during the system's 25 to 30 years, it should be done beforehand.
Is an in-roof system more expensive than on-roof?
On its own, yes – installation is more elaborate. In the renovation case, though, the calculation turns: because the modules replace the roof covering, you save material and labour for the tiles on the covered area. That's why in-roof is mainly worthwhile when the roof is being redone anyway.
Who plans roof and system together – roofer or solar company?
Best as one project with clear coordination. The interface between roof skin and system is the most delicate spot – that's where water-tightness is decided. A specialist company that plans both from a single source, or coordinates the trades closely, prevents nobody wanting to be responsible for leaks later.
Our roof is being repaired after the hail – should we do the solar system at the same time?
If you want a system anyway: yes. The scaffolding for the repair is already up, and roofer and solar company can plan the connections together. Get in touch before the repair date – once the roof is finished and the scaffolding gone, the cheapest moment has passed.
Does the building insurance also pay for the new solar system?
No. The insurer pays for repairing the damaged roof, a new system is added value and therefore your investment – funding lowers the cost. Different with an existing system: if it's registered with the insurer, hail damage to the modules is generally covered too.
Do I need my own roofer?
Yes. Work on the roof is done by a roofer – your own or the company the insurer commissions. We take on the solar system and coordinate the date, scaffolding and connections directly with them.
Free initial consultation
Roof damaged or renovation planned? Get in touch before the roofer's appointment.
We check your roof's condition before planning, coordinate with your roofer, and tell you whether renovation, in-roof or a simple on-roof system is the right way – honestly, even if it means less work for us.
Prefer to talk? +41 78 830 83 35
Your photovoltaic system from a specialist company →
Swissolar-certified specialist company · ESTI installation authorisation (Art. 14 NIV) · in Zurich since 2017 · over 150 systems completed · a personal answer from the specialist company, no call centre
Sources: Swissolar (recommendations on roof integration and installation; Photovoltaics leaflet no. 17 "Dealing with hail damage to solar systems"); Canton of Zurich, Energy funding programme 2026 (insulation of roof, wall and floor); Swiss Insurance Association / Elementarschaden-Pool, guidelines for settling hail damage to buildings (valid from 2 December 2021); Building Insurance Canton of Zurich (insurance benefits); empirical data from the planning and installation practice of ecoEn GmbH, Zurich region.
Last updated: 9 July 2026 · Author: ecoEn editorial team
