If you’re a fan of home improvement television, you may have spotted our nailable solar shingle on The Roku Channel series, Idea House: Mountain Modern. The episode, titled “Mountain Energy” aired on September 15, 2022, and opened with a feature on GAF Energy’s Timberline Solar roof. 

Idea House: Mountain Modern is a new series from the producers of This Old House, the iconic home renovation TV series that has aired for more than 40 seasons. This Old House host Kevin O’Connor describes the new series in the first episode: “For seven years, we’ve worked with new builders to test the latest techniques and materials in the building industry. ‘Idea house’ is what we call these builds.” This year, the “idea house” builders they’re working with, husband-and-wife duo Jared and Amber Phifer, are constructing a home in the Rocky Mountains—and the roof of the home is no typical roof.  

The episode begins with builder Jared Phifer discussing the excitement of new technology like solar roofing being used in home construction. “What really excites me as a builder is the science behind [this technology], and to see it work,” said Phifer. “It’s not just an idea… It is the future, and we should design and build for the future.”

Jared then visits the construction site where workers are installing the first true solar roof, GAF Energy’s Timberline Solar, on the Rocky Mountain home. Jared meets our team’s Field Operations & Construction Manager, Tony Zyph, and the two examine a Timberline Solar Energy Shingle (ES) up close.


“The customer decided to utilize that rooftop real estate they have and they chose the innovative GAF Energy Timberline Solar Energy Shingle,” explains Tony. “Unlike traditional solar panels, these are energy shingles. They’re lightweight, they install like a shingle, they’re nailable, and you can walk on them.” 


Tony demonstrates by nailing an energy shingle to a deck, and hands the nail gun to Jared so he can feel how simple solar roof installation can be. “I love this system,” Jared says. “From a practical installing standpoint for roofers, they don’t really have to learn anything new. And I love how it all integrates and it’s really clean. You’re not driving these lags in your roof, which is the last thing you want to do when you’re building a new house.” As a home building expert, Jared knows how important it is to keep a good roof intact.

The next scene shows Jared asking Tony about the electrical hookup: “How easy is this, do you need to get your electrician out here?” Tony explains that an electrician is not needed to install Timberline Solar on the roof. All roofers need to do is plug together the wires along the side of each shingle–an electrical services team will handle the rest. “It’s essentially like plugging in a series of extension cords,” he says. Timberline Solar is so simple, it’s the best way to get more roofers involved in solar, and more homeowners to go solar on their own roofs.

This “idea house” will be run entirely on electricity, so being able to harness the sun for their energy needs is a game changer. “This is [designed to be] about a 6 kilowatt system, so we’ll see about 22 kWh of energy produced during a normal day,” Tony explains. In such a sunny place as Colorado, this Timberline Solar roof will generate more than enough energy to power everything this home needs. 

As this episode of Idea House: Mountain Modern highlights, Timberline Solar has it all: installability for roofers, durable protection for home builders, and curb appeal for homeowners. This mountain modern idea house will now be generating its own power using GAF Energy’s low-profile solar shingle. 

“We had such a memorable time with the crew of this Roku Channel show, and we hope to do it again soon,” says Allana Helland, GAF Energy’s senior director of marketing. “This home is absolutely stunning, and we’re delighted to be a part of such a unique project. Jared and his team are really creating something special, and we’re proud that Timberline Solar is a part of that. Thanks to Idea House: Mountain Modern, and our local roofing partners Roper Roofing, for helping us toward our vision of energy from every roof.”

As Jared exclaimed, “I think this is going to take over the U.S., and I see this on a lot of future builds.”  We do, too, Jared! 
Watch this episode of Idea House: Mountain Modern on The Roku Channel.