Solar Panel Storm Damage: $150 to $350 Inspection, Claims

Does homeowners insurance cover solar panels

Roof-mounted panels are usually covered as part of the dwelling under a standard policy for the same perils as the roof (wind, hail, fire, lightning, falling objects), and ground-mounted arrays are often treated as other structures with a lower limit. Many insurers require the system to be declared and some add a rider; a system added after the policy began may not be covered until it is. Flood is excluded unless you carry flood insurance. Wear, equipment failure and installer defects are not covered. Check the declarations page for the system and for a wind or hail deductible, which in Texas, Florida, Colorado and Oklahoma is often a percentage of the dwelling value rather than a flat amount.

Hail damage to solar panels

Modern panels are tested to withstand one-inch hail at about 50 mph, so most hail events leave them intact while damaging the roof around them. Larger hail cracks the glass; the cracks are visible from the ground as spider patterns and the app shows those panels dropping to zero within days as moisture reaches the cells. Microcracks that do not show can still cut output over the following year, which is why a per-panel inspection after a major hail event is worth the $150 to $350.

What to do after a storm damages your solar system

1. Shut off the AC disconnect if panels are broken, wires are exposed or the array has shifted. Do not go on the roof.
2. Photograph everything from the ground and in the app: cracked glass, bent racking, the production drop, the date.
3. Get a solar contractor's written estimate before the adjuster visit. It should itemize panels, inverter or microinverters, racking, detach and reset if the roof is being replaced, and recommissioning.
4. File the claim with the solar estimate attached. Adjusters commonly price the roof and omit the array; the estimate fixes that.
5. Have the contractor meet the adjuster if the insurer disputes the solar line. Keep all correspondence in writing.

Insurance claims, contractors and the law in Florida, Texas and other states

Florida law (Statute 489.147) prohibits contractors from paying or receiving compensation for referrals of work paid by property insurance, from advertising that urges a consumer to contact a contractor about a roof insurance claim without specific disclosures, and from waiving or rebating deductibles. Texas prohibits contractors from acting as public adjusters or absorbing deductibles. Louisiana and Colorado have similar rules. In practice: hire the contractor yourself, pay the deductible, and do not sign anything that assigns the claim to a contractor. This site does not refer insurance-funded roofing work in those states and does not act as an adjuster anywhere; a disputed claim is a question for a licensed public adjuster or a lawyer.

Hurricane damage and solar panels

Arrays installed to code in Florida and the Gulf states are rated for 150 to 180 mph uplift, and most survive hurricanes that take off the surrounding shingles. The common post-hurricane problems are water intrusion at penetrations where the roof lifted, inverters flooded in garages, and gateways killed by surge. With the original installer gone, the roofer and the solar contractor both need to inspect, and the solar contractor's report is what the claim rests on. The roof replacement page covers the detach and reset.

Storm history and rules by city

City guides with local utility rules, permits and prices: Denver hail, San Antonio hail, Houston hurricanes, Miami hurricanes, Tampa and Hurricane Milton, Orlando storms.