Getting solar panels installed on your home is a great idea. There’s no home renovation you can do that pays you back money every single month. It’s a long-term installation that will benefit you for many years, you’re making your family and household green, doing better for the environment and you’re increasing the property value of your home. That being said there are a few considerations that you really want to make before getting solar on your home and this article outlines the top 3 considerations for getting solar on your home.
Condition of your roof
Because a solar panel system is a long-term investment and the plan is to have it producing money for you for many years we definitely want to make sure that your roof is in good condition.
All of the racking, solar panels, micro inverters, and solar components are screwed to the roof of your home so you want to make sure that we’re not going to have to take that all off because your roof was in poor condition in the start, now that doesn’t mean the solar panel system is not removable, it totally is, and the overall cost for removing and replacing a solar panel system isn’t the same as what it cost to get it established, so don’t let that scare you. But you do definitely want to make sure the roof is in good condition and you’re not going to need to replace the roof anytime soon.
For that reason we do a check on every roof that we quote to make sure that’s in reasonable condition. If it’s not we recommend homeowners start with doing a roof repair and then look at doing solar after.
Is your home somewhat south facing
As the sun travels through the sky it shines the most on south facing rooftops and slopes. That’s why it’s so important for solar panels to be south facing. Now it’s not common that every house is totally south facing and based on the reports and research we’ve done it doesn’t make a huge difference in the solar energy production if your home is not south facing.
We wouldn’t be installing solar panels on houses that are heavily shaded or have a roof that’s facing north, you will still make solar power but the numbers will be greatly reduced. For that reason we always recommend installing solar panels on a roof that’s at least somewhat south-facing so that we get the most of production out of the system we can.
If your house is not south facing or is in a bad location that doesn’t mean you can’t make solar power. We have lots of solutions available for situations like this such as racking that can be placed in your yard that allow us to put the solar panels in a prime location to make the most solar power they can.
How long you plan to live in your home
Installing a solar panels on your home is a big investment and it’s a long-term upgrade. There’s no better renovation to do on your house because there is no other renovation that pays you back money every single month. But in order to get the best return on your investment on the solar panel system you want to be at your home for a long-term. Make sure when you’re considering solar that you’re planning on living in your house for a long time.
Get an analysis of your home
If you are interested in solar for your home but are unsure about the condition of your roof or how much solar energy you can produce with your home, we can help you.
We do totally free virtual consultations where we can analyze your home and generate a report that will show you your solar energy output, bill offset, and more. Get in touch with us here to set up an appointment.
