CertainTeed Expands 25-Year Solar Warranty With Roof-Plus-System Protection

CertainTeed, the North American building products arm of Saint-Gobain, continues to push what a residential solar warranty looks like by tying panel coverage to the roof itself. The company's 25-year warranty for its Solstice solar panel line covers parts, labor, and installation workmanship, and when paired with a CertainTeed asphalt shingle roof, the entire roof-plus-solar system is backed by a single warranty from a single manufacturer.

What The 25-Year Warranty Actually Covers

According to CertainTeed's consumer-facing warranty materials, credentialed installers handle three things at no cost to the homeowner during the 25-year term: testing the system to diagnose a performance problem, repairing or replacing defective components, and correcting faulty installation workmanship. The policy also stays in force even if the original installing contractor goes out of business — a meaningful provision in a solar industry that has seen high-profile installer bankruptcies in recent years.

Coverage is offered in tiers. The Gold warranty, available through CertainTeed Select Solar Master Installers, runs the full 25 years for panels, inverters, optimizers, racking, and flashing. The Silver warranty, offered by standard CertainTeed Solar Master Installers, carries a 15-year workmanship term. Both guarantee the system will be free of workmanship-related damage over the warranty period.

June 2024: APsystems Added To Approved Vendor List

On June 27, 2024, CertainTeed announced that APsystems had been added to its Approved Vendor List (AVL) for solar warranty coverage. The practical effect: contractors who install Solstice Panels together with APsystems microinverters can now extend the comprehensive 25-year parts-and-labor warranty across the full solar roofing system, including the microinverter hardware.

Phoebe Kwan, General Manager of Solar Solutions at Saint-Gobain, said the partnership "underscores our commitment to providing comprehensive warranty solutions that support both the contractor and the homeowner." Dan Burke, U.S. Business Unit Director at APsystems, framed the AVL addition as "a significant validation of APsystems' product reliability and performance."

Why The Roof-Plus-System Model Matters For Homeowners

One of the longstanding headaches with residential solar is the finger-pointing that happens when a roof leak appears under an array: was it the roofer, the solar installer, the flashing product, or the panel mount? CertainTeed's pitch to homeowners who install a new CertainTeed roof alongside Solstice panels is that the entire roof and solar system are covered by one company, eliminating the multi-vendor blame loop when something goes wrong.

For homeowners evaluating solar financing, rebates, or state incentive programs, the length and breadth of a manufacturer warranty is often just as important as panel wattage or efficiency. A 25-year bundled warranty from a manufacturer whose parent company, Saint-Gobain, has existed since 1665 is a durability argument that pure-play solar brands have a harder time making.

What To Ask Before You Sign

Homeowners considering Solstice panels should confirm in writing whether their installer is a Solar Master Installer (Silver-eligible) or a Select Solar Master Installer (Gold-eligible), which inverter brand is being used and whether it's on the current AVL, and whether the CertainTeed roofing components are also being installed by a credentialed CertainTeed roofing contractor so the roof-and-solar bundle can be activated. The warranty tier and vendor approval status change what's actually covered for a quarter century, so the paperwork matters.