What should you include in a request for quotation for an integrated photovoltaic roof?

The surroundings also matter. Trees, neighbouring buildings and planned obstacles can change the active area. You do not need to carry out a professional shading analysis yourself, but it is worth disclosing the conditions. Missing this information at the start can result in the quote changing after a site visit. It is better to distinguish an initial estimate from a confirmed one right away.

Provide your previous consumption and, if you have the data, its distribution over time. Note any planned appliances that could change it. An annual bill alone does not show when the house needs energy. A different variant is chosen for a building that is active during the day than for a house that is empty until the evening. These differences affect whether the size of the active area makes sense.

Do not impose a power output based solely on the available surface area. Ask for a justified variant and a possible alternative. In an integrated system, the remaining areas can form a coherent passive covering. This allows the power output to be matched to the analysis without having to turn the entire roof into a source of surplus that the house cannot use.

In your enquiry, state whether you expect material, installation or a complete turnkey delivery with commissioning. Ask for the preparation of the substrate, flashings, the layers required by the system and the electrical part to be itemised separately. For a renovation, describe the dismantling and how discovered defects will be handled. Every unpriced item should be explicitly indicated.

Add a question about transport, access to the building, site protection and final documentation. It is worth establishing who coordinates the roofer and the electrician. A single final figure can be convenient if it is accompanied by a clear scope. Without it, it is difficult to judge whether the quote covers a finished roof or only a stage requiring further orders.

Require the active power of the active section, the covering area and an energy forecast with a description of the assumptions. The orientation, shading and the way the mounting in the roof is taken into account should be known. It is good if the result covers months rather than just a single annual figure. This makes it easier to assess the fit to needs and to compare variants.

If the contractor states savings, ask for production, self-consumption and energy fed into the grid to be separated. The price assumptions should be transparent. Do not expect an unchanging bill forecast over many years. What matters is a clear method that shows which changes could improve or worsen the result.

Ask for the current datasheets, installation instructions and documents relating to the system’s application. It is worth knowing the scope of testing, installation conditions and environmental limitations. The documentation pack should correspond to the products actually proposed. Data for the best variant in the catalogue should not be taken as the properties of a different, cheaper version in the cost estimate.

Ask about the warranty for the covering, the active part, the devices and the workmanship. Establish the reporting procedure, access for repair and the availability of parts. In an integrated roof, responsibility for restoring weathertightness after an intervention is important. A good quote should be able to describe this process, not merely state the warranty length in the header.

Describe your priorities: a uniform dark roof, a specific energy target, the option to expand, or predictable servicing. Indicate which are essential and which are open to compromise. You do not need to use trade names to receive a substantive proposal. It is important to explain that what is required is a covering that also performs a photovoltaic function.

Finally, ask for the quote’s validity period, the expected schedule and a list of assumptions requiring confirmation. An enquiry prepared in this way saves time for both parties. It allows the advantages of a system steel roof to be used and avoids accidentally combining separate components. The quote becomes the basis for a decision, not the start of guesswork.

Among the manufacturers and brands of photovoltaic roofs are MDM NT (MyRoof), SolRoof, Ennogie, SoliTek, Wienerberger Wevolt, SunRoof, LUMA Solar, Electrotile, Nelskamp and ML System.