Straight answers

The one that fits your roof. We install two: Roofit Velario® and SolRoof FIT VOLT. Roof pitch, roof shape and module sizes, your warranty priorities, the electronics, lead time and budget decide it. Where both fit, we price both and you choose. Where only one fits, we tell you which and why. See the decision guide.

Because roofs differ, and so do the products. Roofit Velario® comes in two module sizes, has several US installations, and publishes tested loads of 208 psf down and 146 psf up. SolRoof FIT VOLT reaches slightly lower pitches, comes with SolarEdge electronics, and offers a steel warranty of up to 60 years with its XTREME coating. Carrying both lets us fit the system to the roof instead of the roof to the system, and a supply delay on one system doesn't have to stall a roof that fits both.

Not yet. SolRoof FIT VOLT is proven across European installations but has not yet been installed in the US; we're preparing our first US projects with it. Every photo and every proposal says which system it shows.

Usually, yes. The modules, the installation labor and the electronics differ between the two, so the same roof prices differently with each. The instant estimate shows both side by side for your address, built from the same line items, and the assessment turns that into a fixed price.

Use the instant estimate. It measures your roof from aerial imagery, sizes the array to your usage, and prices both systems where both fit, with the work nobody can see from above, like deck repair, shown as allowances. When you compare, set it against a new standing-seam metal roof plus a separate solar install, not against panels alone.

Conventional solar adds modules and racking on top of an existing roof: two products, two trades, and dozens of mounting bolts through the roof. An integrated roof replaces both at once. One surface, one project, one crew, one contract, and a roof and array that age together.

From the street it reads as a dark standing-seam metal roof. Up close you can see the glass and the cells. Historic district commissions review how solar looks; the rules differ by state and town, and we'll tell you what yours says. We bring drawings and samples to that review. We never promise an approval.

Each manufacturer publishes a load rating, a hail rating and an operating temperature range, and the ratings differ; each system's page lists its own. Your roof's design snow and wind loads come from a structural engineer, not a brochure, and we check the chosen system against them before we propose it. Ice dams are an underlayment and ventilation problem, and we detail the eaves for them. A metal roof sheds snow, so we plan where it lands.

Both carry European roof fire classifications under EN 13501-5: Roofit Velario® B_ROOF (t1) and (t2); SolRoof FIT VOLT B_ROOF (t1) and (t4). US fire ratings depend on UL listings, which we're verifying for each system and don't claim until confirmed.

It is your roof. It makes the most sense when you're building new or the roof is due: you replace the roof and add solar in one project. If your roof has years of life left, we'll talk through the timing honestly.

A pitched roof, and the minimum depends on the system: Roofit Velario® needs 10° (about 2.1:12) and SolRoof FIT VOLT needs more than 9° (about 1.9:12). Flatter sections, like many porches, get standing-seam metal rated for the slope. Both go over a ventilated batten deck, and both work on gables, hips, dormers and valleys; module sizes decide how much of a complex roof can be active.

Both systems are made in Europe and shipped by sea, so we confirm lead time when we order. On site, the roof goes on like a quality standing-seam metal roof. Then the electrician commissions the system, the inspector signs off, and the utility gives permission to operate.

It depends on the system, and we won't blur them. Roofit Velario®: 10 years on the product and 25 years on power output. SolRoof FIT VOLT: 12 years on the panel, 25 years on power output, and up to 60 years on the steel with the XTREME coating (40 years within about 2 miles of the coast). Inverters and electronics carry their own manufacturers' warranties. Our workmanship is warranted in writing in your contract.

Not for a system you own on your home. The residential clean energy credit (Section 25D) ended December 31, 2025, so a homeowner who buys a system now gets no federal credit. Churches, nonprofits and towns are different: they can still receive the Section 48E credit as a direct payment, and for a project starting now the system must be placed in service by December 31, 2027. Confirm with your tax advisor. Brief for building committees.

It depends on your state. Most pay you for production through net metering or a successor program, such as Connecticut's RRES tariff, Massachusetts SMART or New Jersey's SREC-II. New York adds a state income-tax credit on the installed cost. Most states exempt solar from sales tax and added property tax. Rates change; eligibility must be verified. See incentives by state.

Yes. A battery doesn't help the roof generate; it keeps the lights on when the line goes down and lets you use more of your own power. It's a separate decision, and we size it with you. Several states and utilities pay for batteries; amounts change, so check the incentives page and verify eligibility.

Two European manufacturers. Roofit Solar Energy OÜ (Estonia) makes Velario®. BP2 Sp. z o.o. (EU) makes SolRoof FIT VOLT. Solar Seam is an independent installer of both: we design, permit and install the roof, and we put our workmanship warranty behind it.

Get a free instant estimate. When you're ready, reserve a detailed design for $100: an EagleView measurement and a manufacturer-engineered layout, with the site visit included. The $100 is credited to your contract if you go ahead. How it works. Builders and roofers, start here. Architects, the datasheets and details are here.