Important Factors To Consider With Your Solar Panel Installation

The first step when considering solar energy for your home is a property evaluation, in order to determine whether your home is a good fit for solar energy. If the evaluation is positive, it will also provide important information about the best options for layouts orientation, and overall design.

Below are specific items we take into consideration during your property evaluation:

We conduct a visual roof inspection to ensure that your roof is suitable for the installation of solar panels. Depending on how many solar panels you’ll need, your new solar energy system can put a considerable amount of added weight on your roof. Therefore, it’s important to look for any visible damage or support issues that may need to be repaired before installing your solar panels.

It’s not critical that you have a large home, but in order to get the best energy savings, the roof does need to be large enough, with a certain amount of unobstructed surface area to allow room for the solar panels that will be required. Obstructions may be roof vents, chimneys, skylights, etc. Our solar design team has experience in creating custom solar energy system configurations for all roof sizes and layouts, and will provide the best solution for your situation.

In order to maximize the amount of energy your solar panels will be able to produce, it’s important for your solar panels to get as much direct sunlight as possible. Our technicians have methods and tools to determine how any shading may affect your solar system. If your roof is heavily shaded the from trees or other obstructions, you will not get the maximum efficiency from your solar panels. If you have shade from unmovable objects like chimneys and nearby structures, there’s not much that can be done, but if you have shade from tree branches, they can be trimmed to help increase your system’s energy output.

Depending on the direction that your roof faces, the energy production from your solar panels may vary. Our expert solar technician will evaluate your situation and make the perfect recommendation for your solar panel placement.

Depending on the direction that your roof and solar panels will be facing, there is an optimal angle that your panels should be tilted to produce the most energy. The goal is to tilt the solar panels so that the sun is striking them as square, or perpendicular, as possible. The more direct the sunlight hits, the more energy productive your solar panels will be. Depending on the position and slope of your roof, we provide various solar panel mounting systems to provide the best results.

After taking all the above information into consideration, if it’s determined that a roof-mounted system is not the ideal solution for you, you still have options. Our solar technician can recommend a good location on your property to install a ground-mounted solar energy system, so you’ll still be able to take advantage of the benefits of solar energy for your home.