Pro Tip: Factors to Consider When Installing Solar Panels in Your Home

The first step to a lifetime of renewable energy is to equip your home with solar panels. But you’ll need to find out how to make your home generate as much energy as possible in order to make the most of your sunshine-sourced electricity. Here’s what you need to know about your home when installing solar panels.

Your roof must be in good condition

The age, shape, and material of your roof matter when it comes to harnessing the sun’s energy.

If your roof has seen some wear and needs replacing, whether it’s an older roof that needs to be replaced over the next few years, before installing solar panels, you might be better taking care off of these repairs. You would need to remove the panels for maintenance and then get them reinstalled afterward if you want to install solar now and make the repairs later.

If your roof is structurally stable enough to withstand the weight of solar panels, or if it would need additional support, a solar technician will decide.

Material and Shape of the Roof Matters

If you haven’t thought much about the shape of your roof, we can’t say that we’re blaming you. But it will play into how much sunlight you can harness, and therefore electricity. As it allows for a relatively simple installation, a typical gable-shaped roof is an ideal shape for a solar panel installation. But there are plenty of other styles of roofs that with solar panels can also work well. Installers can take into account the roof shape, shading, and degree of the pitch during a site visit, which together determine how much sunlight the roof is able to absorb effectively.

Some roof materials are better at maintaining solar panels when it comes to composition than others:

Metal (standing seam, tin, and corrugated) appears to be the simplest material for solar installation as it does not require roof penetration.
Shingle composition is also very simple for solar installation.
Tile roof surfaces rely on the material; concrete tile is basic, while clay tile is difficult because of its tile breakage propensity.

There are various kinds of solar panels to choose from

The best thing about solar panels equipping your home is that you are not limited to conventional roof installations. If your roof is not facing south or west, ground-mounted panels may be precisely angled on your property to soak up every possible ray of sunlight. Without taking up needless property, a solar carport can be an effective way to harness the power of the sun.

You can not only generate more electricity than you would on your shaded roof, but you can save more money by installing solar panels in the long run as well.

Related: Factors That Affect Your Total Solar Panel Installation Cost

Consider Which Direction Your Roof Faces

If you get a lot more sunshine days a year than the national average for the state. That makes any home a great candidate for solar power for residential use, right? Not necessarily.

Your panels won’t be able to soak up enough light to generate the amount of energy you need to power your home if your roof is not tilted toward the sun. Those with roofs that face south or west are the best homes for solar power. However, solar panels will theoretically absorb enough energy when mounted on the east- or north-facing roofs, depending on the pitch of the roof.

You Need a Solar Installer You Can Trust

When you hire someone to complete such a big project at home, you need to make sure that you work with a team that has a reliable reputation and matching credentials. Countless homeowners and businesses have selected us for our expert facilities and our cool, supportive installers