Solar on Perth homes with fibro or asbestos cement roofing

Yes, you can put solar on an asbestos cement (fibro) roof in Perth, but you can't drill through the sheeting to do it. That one rule shapes everything else: which mounting system your installer can use, how much the job costs, and whether it makes more sense to replace the roof first. Non-penetrating racking and freestanding frames both work without touching the sheet; roof replacement before solar removes the issue entirely.

This matters for a lot of Perth homes. Older suburbs including Armadale, Gosnells, Midland, Rockingham, and Kelmscott have plenty of houses built through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s with fibro cement or asbestos cement (AC) roofing. If that's your roof and you're considering solar, read on before you book an installer.

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How do you know if your Perth roof has asbestos cement sheeting?

Asbestos cement roofing is typically flat or lightly corrugated, grey or weathered grey-brown, and laid in overlapping sheets. Common trade names include Hardiflex, Hardie cement, and Super Six corrugated sheeting.

Telling old fibro from modern fibre cement: James Hardie stopped using asbestos in its products in stages through the 1980s, and by March 1987 all its products were asbestos-free. Any James Hardie sheeting installed since 1987 is asbestos-free; anything installed before 1987 should be presumed to contain asbestos until tested. So if your home was built before 1987 and the roof looks like cement sheeting rather than Colorbond or tiles, treat it as asbestos cement until a professional says otherwise. If you're weighing up what's actually on your roof, our guide to solar on different Perth roof types covers how tile, metal, flat, and older sheet roofs each affect an install.

Getting it tested: Before anyone drills, cuts, or otherwise disturbs suspected asbestos cement sheeting, have a licensed assessor test a sample. WorkSafe WA, part of the state's mines and industry regulator (commonly known as DMIRS), oversees asbestos removal and assessment in WA. A lab test on a roof sample typically costs $150 to $250.

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Can solar actually go on an asbestos cement roof?

Yes, with real caveats and extra cost.

The constraint that drives everything: intact, undisturbed asbestos cement is relatively low-risk. It becomes hazardous once it's cut, drilled, or broken, because that's what releases fibres into the air. Standard solar racking bolts straight through the roof, which is exactly what you can't do to intact AC sheeting. Every penetration is both a health risk and a future leak point, which is also why good flashing matters so much on any roof; our guide on roof penetrations and flashing explains what a proper penetration should look like when it is allowed.

That leaves three practical routes onto (or around) an asbestos roof:

1. Saddle clamps over the ridges. Some racking systems clamp onto the corrugated ridges of AC sheeting without piercing it, carrying the panel load down through the clamps into the structure below. Your installer needs to check the sheeting and battens can actually take that load before using this method.
2. An independent roof frame. A freestanding frame built over, but not fixed to, the asbestos roof carries panel load to the fascia or wall structure instead of through the sheeting. It avoids penetrations entirely, but it's a more involved (and more expensive) build than standard racking. Get quotes from installers who've done this kind of mount before, since pricing varies a lot by roof shape and access.
3. Replace the roof first. The cleanest path: swap the asbestos cement roofing for Colorbond or concrete tiles, then install solar the normal way. A full asbestos roof replacement for a typical Perth home runs roughly $15,000 to $35,000, covering both licensed removal and the new roof. If Colorbond is the replacement you're considering, our Colorbond roof solar guide walks through what changes for the install itself.

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What does WA law require if solar work disturbs the roof?

If your property has asbestos cement roofing and solar work is going to disturb it, WA law sets out clear rules:

• Licensing by area and type. Removing more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos (the bonded, intact kind) requires a licensed removalist, either a Class A or Class B licence. Any quantity of friable asbestos requires a Class A licence specifically. Ten square metres or less of non-friable material can be handled by a competent person without a licence.
• Friable versus non-friable, in plain terms. Intact AC roofing is normally non-friable, meaning the asbestos fibres are bonded into the sheet and don't crumble on their own. Weathered, cracked, or damaged sheets can turn friable, which raises the handling requirements.
• Notification. Licensed removalists must notify WorkSafe WA before removal work above the relevant thresholds begins.
• Disposal. Asbestos waste has to be double-bagged, labelled, and taken to a licensed disposal facility. Facility fees, accepted quantities, and any resident drop-off arrangements change from time to time, so check current terms with your local council or the facility before you go.

A Perth solar installer who's willing to drill straight through an asbestos cement roof without licensed handling isn't complying with WA workplace health and safety law. A reputable installer will either refuse to drill AC sheeting or insist on licensed asbestos management for the whole job.

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Should you replace the roof first or mount solar around it?

For most Perth homeowners with intact AC roofing who want solar, it comes down to three options.

Option A: replace the roof, then install solar.

• Full roof replacement (roughly $15,000 to $35,000) plus a mid-size 8-10kW solar system (roughly $7,000 to $13,000 after the STC rebate) puts the combined project at about $22,000 to $48,000.
• Removes every future asbestos obligation on the roof.
• A new Colorbond roof carries up to a 36-year warranty against corrosion.
• Solar goes on with standard racking, no specialist mounting needed. For more on how roof age itself factors into that decision, see our guide on roof age and solar timing.

Option B: non-penetrating solar mounting on the existing AC roof.

• Specialist racking costs more than a standard install, get quotes before committing to a figure.
• The asbestos roof stays in place, so the ongoing management obligation stays too.
• Not suitable if the sheeting is already damaged or friable.
• Lower upfront cost than a full roof replacement.

Option C: ground mount.

• No roof penetrations at all.
• You need enough unshaded ground area, and council sign-off on setbacks and height.
• Typically costs more than a rooftop system of the same size.

Most Perth solar installers won't mount panels on AC roofing themselves; they'll refer you to a specialist trade or ask you to replace the roof first.

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Does an asbestos roof affect your home insurance?

Some Perth insurers apply specific conditions to properties with asbestos cement roofing, particularly around roof damage claims. Before you commit to any of the approaches above, tell your insurer about the roof type and the work you're planning. Not disclosing it can affect a future claim relating to roof damage.

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Solar can go on a Perth home with an asbestos cement roof, the sticking point is that you can't drill through the sheeting, not whether solar is possible at all. Non-penetrating mounting adds real cost over standard racking, get a firm quote before you compare it against a re-roof. For a lot of homeowners, replacing the AC roof with Colorbond before installing solar ends up the simplest path: it clears the asbestos obligation and leaves you with a standard platform for solar going forward. If you're still working out the basics before any of this, our complete Perth solar guide is a good place to start.