As GAF Energy rolls out its Timberline Solar roof, roofing contractors are already jumping at the opportunity to offer solar roofing to their customers.
GAF Energy unveiled its Timberline Solar roof on Jan. 3, a roof system that directly integrates solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials. The Timberline Solar roof utilizes the world’s first nailable solar shingle, the Timberline Solar Energy Shingle (ES), making it faster to install than traditional solar roofs.
The product is already making waves as an alternative to the Solar Roof product by Tesla. The ES earned three awards from CES 2022, including the Best of Innovation Award in the “Smart Cities” category. The ES is assembled domestically at GAF Energy’s manufacturing and R&D facility in San Jose, Calif.
The ES varies from Tesla’s Solar Roof, being a 17-inch by 64-inch nailable solar shingle as opposed to a roof system composed of durable tiles with integrated solar cells. This means the ES may not blend in as seamlessly into the roof as the Tesla product, but Timberbline Solar is available through a far larger network of contractors than Tesla thanks to GAF Energy's sister company, GAF.
GAF Energy claims Timberline Solar will also be more affordable than Tesla’s product, though Tesla does include its Powerwall battery system with the Solar Roof to store solar energy for when the grid fails.
Roofing contractors in the Northeast and East were among the first to announce they will be offering Timberline Solar to customers. Among them was Graves Brothers Home Improvement Co. in Rochester, N.Y.
"Our customers consistently ask us about solar when replacing their roofs," said Peter Pfaff from Graves Brothers Homes Improvement Co. "GAF Energy's Timberline Solar looks fantastic and has the quality backing and warranty of the largest roofer in America. In addition, a solar roof can help pay for an entirely new roof over time by helping reduce homeowners' monthly electric bills."
In western Pennsylvania, Resnick Roofing & Contracting revealed it will also be providing GAF Energy’s new solar product to customers seeking a clean energy-generating system.
"GAF Energy's Timberline Solar is a solar roofing system that we're confident in offering to our customers — it's an industry changing consumer product," said Adam Resnick, owner and CEO with Resnick Roofing & Contracting. “The aesthetics are incredible and the product delivers exactly what the consumer deserves in terms of long-term solar production."
Also offering Timberline Solar in Pennsylvania is Bachman Roofing & Solar. Like Pfaff, Eric Bachman from Bachman's Roofing & Solar lauded the roof’s design and aesthetics.
“In fact, after our first completed install, a prospective customer visited the site of the new system; within minutes of seeing the aesthetics and quality of the new Timberline Solar Roof-they made the decision to buy,” said Bachman.
In Virginia, Smartroof Roofing and Solar said it would be making the product available to residents in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Eastern Pennsylvania.
"At SmartRoof, we have three core values: impact, innovate, and improve," said SmartRoof COO Sean O'Reilly. "Partnering with GAF to provide this new solar solution allows us to bring the greatest amount of value to homeowners and have a positive impact on their lives. The future is here."
In September 2021, Timberline Solar achieved UL’s 7103 certification, which authorizes GAF Energy to install the system on residential roofs as a roofing product and a solar energy product — the first of its kind to be recognized as both. In addition, GAF Energy worked with Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy research and development lab, to verify the product’s strength, durability, and overall market-readiness.
"Solar roofs are the future of solar, and the future of roofing," said Jason Barrett, senior vice president at GAF Energy.
