If you are searching this, you are probably looking at a stain under the array, an SDG&E bill that does not match the sales pitch, or an agent warning that the panels may stall a listing. Those are real. The reasons in San Diego are specific.
Top Pro Roofing SD refers roofers. We do not install, remove, or service solar. Call (760) 750-5557.
Short version
California’s Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0) took effect April 15, 2023. New interconnections export at a much lower credit than the old retail-style NEM 2.0 credit. Grandfathered NEM 2.0 systems keep their export structure for 20 years from interconnection, with limits on substantial modifications. Leased and PPA systems can stall a sale because buyers will not assume the contract and lenders treat the obligation as debt or a UCC-1 problem. Mounting feet on 2014-2018 boom installs are now in the leak window. A long list of 2010s installers closed, so workmanship warranties died with them. Inverters age faster than modules. Underperforming arrays plus a tired roof is when “take it down” starts to look rational.
We will not invent export rates, lease buyouts, or per-panel removal prices. Those belong on your utility bill, lease, and written quotes.
NEM 3.0 changed the export math
For years, residential solar in this county sold on a simple story: export a kilowatt-hour, get credited near what you pay to buy one. The California Public Utilities Commission replaced that for new interconnections on April 15, 2023. The CPUC net energy metering page is the primary source. Under net billing, export credits track avoided-cost style rates, not retail. Midday surplus, when rooftop arrays dump power, is often the least valuable hour on the grid.
If you are on NEM 2.0, treat that tariff like an asset. If you are considering a new array, the payback conversation now includes storage for most households, and it is a longer conversation than the 2016-2022 pitch. SDG&E rate design still moves. Confirm current export values on your actual tariff, not a blog table.
Homeowners still on NEM 2.0 can see bill math change as retail rates move even while export rules stay grandfathered. That is irritation. It is not the same as being rolled onto NEM 3.0.
| Tariff | Who it applies to | Export story in plain language |
|---|---|---|
| NEM 1.0 / 2.0 | Interconnected before April 15, 2023, if still grandfathered | Closer to retail-style credit for 20 years from interconnection |
| NEM 3.0 / Net Billing | New interconnections after that date | Much lower export credit; storage is how many households capture value |
Any substantial modification (adding panels, changing nameplate in a way the utility treats as new) can force a tariff conversation. Get that in writing before anyone swaps hardware.
Leased and PPA systems at listing
A large share of 2012-2020 California residential jobs were leases or power purchase agreements, not owned systems. The pitch was little money down. The listing problem is the part that was undersold.
A buyer can assume the remaining term, buy the system out, or walk. Many walk. Mortgage underwriters may treat the lease as a UCC-1 fixture filing or as a monthly obligation in debt-to-income. Title companies catch the filing in escrow. Some lessors will subordinate. Some will not. That fight can stall a closing.
| Ownership | What a buyer actually inherits |
|---|---|
| Owned, paid off | Equipment on the roof, plus whatever the roof under it is doing |
| Owned with a solar loan | Payoff at closing, like other secured debt |
| Lease or PPA | Remaining payments or buyout, plus transfer paperwork |
California sellers disclose solar agreements. The Department of Real Estate transfer-disclosure path is the place to start, not a verbal “the panels are included.”
This is a common reason people pull arrays before listing: buy out or remove, then sell a house without a third-party claim on the roof. Dollars belong on the lessor’s buyout letter and the solar crew’s removal quote. Our solar removal for roof replacement page is the reroof sequence, not this keep-or-kill decision.
Mounts that leak 10-15 years later
San Diego’s boom years were roughly 2014-2018. Those arrays sit on roofs that are often older than the modules. A typical residential job has dozens of lag-bolt attachments, each a hole that has to stay flashed.
Three failure modes show up:
Flashing and gasket aging. Rubber or EPDM under the foot dries and cracks. Water tracks the lag into the attic. The stain shows in a bedroom. The underlayment around the mount is already cooked.
Lag corrosion. Coastal salt is harder on non-stainless hardware than a 2015 spec sheet implied. A loose mount in a Santa Ana can tear flashing next to it.
Caulk-only or skipped flashing kits. Some 2014-2017 jobs sealed with sealant and hope. Those leak. The solar workmanship warranty, if the company still exists, may not cover it. The roof warranty on an older covering often will not either.
A leak hunt with the array still up, then a detach of the affected modules, then a roof repair, then a reset, is four invoices. Two or three bad mounts can make a coordinated reroof cheaper than repeating that loop. Do solar panels damage your roof is the failure-mode walkthrough.
Original installer is gone
Workmanship warranties die with the company. Panel production warranties (often 25 years on output) still run to the manufacturer. You file that claim yourself and prove the defect. Labor to open the array is on you.
Names homeowners still recognize from the 2010s shakeout include Sungevity, NRG Home Solar, Pink Energy, SunEdison, and Petersen Dean. Vivint Solar was acquired by Sunrun in 2020. Sunrun’s position is that it honors covered Vivint warranties. Service wait times and contested claims are a common complaint. Document in writing. A third-party C-46 shop can still be the faster path on an active leak.
NABCEP’s directory is a filter, not a license. California still wants the right CSLB classification. Roof work is C-39. Array detach and electrical is typically C-46 unless one firm holds both. Check licenses at the CSLB lookup.
Inverters age before the glass
Modules are the durable part. The inverter is the wearable part. String inverters from the SMA, Fronius, and older SolarEdge era often carry roughly 10-15 year warranties. Enphase-style microinverters last longer per unit and fail one module at a time. Optimizer systems still have a central box with a finite life.
A 2014 system that needs a new inverter, sits on a 22-year roof, and produces less than the original proposal is the stack that produces “just take it down.” We will not invent replacement prices. Get a solar service quote and a roof report in the same week so you are not solving one without the other.
Why output misses the sales deck
Faster degradation on cheaper 2010s panels than the 0.5% per year brochure.
Shade the proposal ignored: trees that grew, a neighbor’s second story, winter sun angles satellite tools missed.
Dirty glass. Marine layer, dust, and pollen. Cleaning is maintenance. Many owners never do it.
Inverter clipping. An oversized array on a small inverter looks “dead” at noon when it is just hitting its ceiling.
None of those require a conspiracy. They do mean a 2026 production report can look nothing like the 2015 proposal.
HOA pressure
California’s Solar Rights Act (Civil Code section 714) limits how far an association can restrict solar. It does not end every aesthetic fight. Newer CC&Rs in places like Carmel Valley, Otay Ranch, Eastlake, and San Elijo Hills still produce disputes over street-visible arrays, conduit on the front plane, and battery cabinets. Some owners remove rather than litigate. That is a legal and HOA question, not a roofing one.
Keep, detach-and-reset, or remove
| Situation | Usual path |
|---|---|
| Owned, array under about 8 years, roof with years left, not selling | Keep. NEM 2.0 still does work if you have it. |
| Owned, array 10-15 years, roof 20-plus | Plan one window: roof plus detach and reset. Do not pull permanently unless the array is also dead. |
| Owned, 15-plus years, dead inverters, poor production | Removal can beat stacking a reroof, new inverter, and NEM 3.0 rebuild. |
| Lease or PPA, listing in the next couple of years | Get the buyout and assumption packet before photos go live. |
| Lease, 10-plus years, leaking mounts | Buyout, remove, reroof, then decide whether new solar is even the point. |
| Owned, installer gone, no labor warranty | Audit first. Repair if the roof and production still justify it. |
Start with the roof. If it has years left and the array is healthy, keep it. If the roof needs replacement soon, coordinate. If both are tired, permanent removal is often the honest stack. Preparing a roof for solar is the second-time-around version.
Before you list
- Find the contract, interconnection date, equipment list, and warranty terms. If leased, find the lease.
- Get the buyout and the assumption packet in writing.
- Use an agent who has closed solar listings in this county.
- Build a lender packet: term, payment, transfer steps, buyout.
- Decide keep vs remove before the sign goes in. Mid-escrow removal is chaos.
- If keeping, get a roof report under the array, with photos of mounts and flashing. A buyer’s inspector will not give you the benefit of the doubt.
Permanent removal also means utility disconnect, conduit capped or removed, and the old lag holes closed correctly. That is solar plus roofing, in that order.
How we help
We connect San Diego County homeowners with vetted local roofers for the roof under the array. The solar side needs a licensed solar contractor. The usual 2026 call is not “new solar.” It is “the mounts leak, the original company is gone, and I need a sequence.”
Call (760) 750-5557 or contact us. For leaks first, see roof repair. For a covering that is done, see roof replacement.
FAQ
Does NEM 3.0 hit my existing system?
Not automatically. Interconnection before April 15, 2023 generally stays on NEM 2.0 for 20 years from that date. Substantial modifications can change that. Get scope in writing.
Does a leased array block a sale?
It can. Some buyers walk. Some hit lender or title friction. Many sellers buy out before listing or accept a harder negotiation. We will not invent a walk-away rate.
What does permanent removal cost?
It depends on panel count, tile vs asphalt, interior conduit, and whether electrical work needs a permit. Compare written scopes. Do not use a blog range.
How often do mounts leak?
Often enough on boom-era coastal jobs that it is a standard inspection item by year 10-15. There is no honest single industry percent we will print.
Is it worth keeping if I am not selling?
Often yes if you own the system, the roof has years left, and you are on NEM 2.0. The math flips when the inverter is due, the roof is failing, or you are paying for the same mount leak twice.