Solar Production During a Roof Replacement in MN

While your solar panels are off the roof for a replacement, they produce nothing, so your home buys all of its power from the utility for that stretch, the same way it did before you went solar. Your system, your net metering setup and your monitoring all pick back up once the panels are reinstalled and the system is reconnected and checked.

That is the short version. The longer version is worth knowing before the roofers show up, because a few small steps before and after the job make it easy to confirm nothing was lost along the way. We already cover who removes solar panels for a roof replacement and how a roof replacement with solar panels works. This post is about the system itself: production, your bill, monitoring and batteries during the job.

What Your Electric Bill Does While the Panels Are Off

With the array disconnected, every kilowatt-hour your home uses comes from the grid. For the days the panels are off, your bill behaves like a pre-solar bill.

Minnesota’s 1:1 net metering does not change because of a roof replacement. Once your system is back online, exported power is credited the same way it was before. Our Xcel net metering explainer walks through how those credits show up month to month, and the rules apply to homeowners on co-ops and other Minnesota utilities too.

If you are enrolled in Xcel Energy’s Solar*Rewards program, remember that it pays on production. Days with the panels off are days with no production, so the payment for that period reflects the gap. Program terms are set by Xcel, so check the live Solar*Rewards page for how your agreement works.

Timing Matters More Than You Might Think

Minnesota solar production swings hard by season. A system that is off the roof in late fall or winter misses far less production than the same system off the roof in June, simply because there is less sun to miss.

That does not mean you should wait out a leaking roof. A failing roof needs fixing when it needs fixing. But if your roof is aging rather than failing, planning the work for a lower-production month is a reasonable way to keep the lost production small. Our post on winter roof replacement in Minnesota covers what cold-weather roofing involves.

Monitoring: Why Your App Goes Quiet

When the system is shut down and the panels come off, your monitoring app will show zero production or an offline status. That is expected. It is also a useful record: the app timestamps when production stopped and when it resumed.

A few things can keep monitoring from coming back on its own after the job:

• The gateway lost its connection. Systems like Enphase report through a small gateway on your home network. If it was unplugged or your Wi-Fi changed, it may need to reconnect.
• Panels went back in a different spot. On systems with panel-level monitoring, the app map can show panels out of place even when everything is producing. The installer can update the layout.
• A panel or connector is not reporting. One missing panel in the app is the first thing to flag with your crew.

If you are not sure what your app is telling you, our solar monitoring guide explains the screens.

If You Have a Home Battery

A battery changes the picture a little. With the array off the roof, the battery is not being recharged by solar. Depending on how the system is set up, the crew may shut the battery down during the electrical work or leave it running on grid charging. Either way, do not plan on solar-charged backup power for the days the panels are off.

Ask your crew how the battery will be handled and when it will be back to normal operation. Centauri installs Franklin, Enphase and SigEnergy batteries, so if one of those is on your wall, our crew already knows how it fits into the shutdown and restart.

Before, During and After: A Quick Checklist

Stage	What to do	Why it helps
Before removal	Screenshot a few clear days of production in your app and note your monitoring login	Gives you a baseline to compare against after reinstall
Before removal	Photograph the array and any critter guard or conduit runs	A simple record of how things looked before the job
During the job	Expect grid power only and an offline app	Normal while the system is disconnected
After reinstall	Confirm every panel reports in the app	Catches a loose connector or a panel that is not communicating
After reinstall	Compare a clear day’s output to your baseline from the same season	Confirms the system is producing the way it did before

How to Confirm Your System Is Back to Normal

The crew should test the system when they reconnect it, but it is worth checking yourself over the following week or two.

Look for every panel reporting in the app, no error lights on the inverter or gateway, and clear-day output in line with your baseline. Compare like with like: a sunny November day will never match a sunny July day, which is why a baseline from the same season helps. If something looks off, call the crew that did the reinstall while the job is fresh.

Reconnecting a solar system is electrical work, and electrical work in Minnesota is regulated by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Ask whether your crew pulls any required permit and schedules the inspection. If squirrels were a problem before, ask about putting critter guard back on, too (here is why it matters).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose solar production during a roof replacement?

Yes, for the days the panels are off. Your home buys all of its power from the utility during that time, and production resumes once the system is reinstalled and reconnected.

Does a roof replacement affect my net metering?

No. Minnesota’s 1:1 net metering applies again as soon as your system is back online. Nothing about the roof job changes how your exported power is credited.

Will my Solar*Rewards payment be affected?

SolarRewards pays on production, so the days your panels are off produce nothing for that period. Check Xcel’s live SolarRewards page for how your agreement is calculated.

Why does my solar app say offline after the panels come off?

The system is disconnected, so there is nothing to report. If the app stays offline after reinstall, the gateway may need to reconnect to your home network.

How do I know my panels are working after they are reinstalled?

Check that every panel reports in your monitoring app, look for inverter or gateway error lights, and compare clear-day output to a baseline from the same season.

Planning a Re-Roof on a Solar Home?

Centauri handles both sides of the job. Our detach and reset service removes and reinstalls panels on any company’s solar installation, and our team manages the roofing from start to warranty, with the roof itself installed by our subcontracted roofing partner. We offer free roof inspections and respond to every inquiry within 24 hours. Get an exterior quote, or if you are thinking about adding panels after the new roof goes on, request a solar quote. You can also start at solarbycentauri.com.