Solar panels cannot only decrease your energy bills by a lot but are also a great friend of the environment by decreasing the dependence on fossil fuel-derived and other forms of energy that are detrimental for the globe.
The ideal location for the installation of solar panels in your home is the roof. This is because the roof gets the most amount of sunlight and the solar panels need it to make useful electricity. However, there are some things that need to be taken care of before you can install solar panels on your roof to harvest the energy of the sun. Here are the things that must be considered when you decide to install solar panels on the roof of your home.
Things to Consider Before Installing Solar Panels on a Roof
- Assessment of the Roof’s Integrit
The condition of your roof is one of the most important things to consider when installing roof-mounted solar panels is the structural integrity of the roof. Roofs generally have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years. If your roof is nearing its end, you need to replace it before you can go for installing solar panels on it. Hire a professional roofing expert to get an idea of the condition of the roof and whether or not it is suitable for solar panel installation.
- Type of Roof
Solar panels can be installed on all sorts of roofs, including gable, hip, and combination roofs. Asphalt shingles are the preferred roofing material for installing solar panels but any other can also work fine. You don’t need to worry about the structure or the components of the roof like the skylights, box vents, and pipe boots as the solar engineers can work their way around them.
- Ideal Roof Slope for Solar Panel Installation
The slope is a very important factor dictating the success and output of your roof’s solar panels. As the sun does not shine vertically above the roof, the solar panels need to be at an angle to receive the maximum possible amount of solar energy for the maximum amount of time in the day. Depending on your geographical location and weather, any angle between 15 and 40 degrees can be the best choice for the installation of solar panels.
- Roof Orientation
One of the other important factors involved in maximizing the output of a solar panel setup is the orientation of the solar panels. In the Northern Hemisphere, where all of the US is situated, the best orientation for the installation of solar is the south-facing side of a roof. This is because the south-facing direction is the one that gets the most amount of solar energy throughout the day.
- The Local Building Code
This is not a technical but a legal point that you need to take care of. In every area, the local law dictates the minimum and maximum surface area of a roof that can be utilized for solar panel installation. You must consult an expert to consider these things so that you can calculate how much energy you can generate by installing a solar panel setup on your roof.
The Final Verdict
Solar panels are a good way of decreasing energy costs and are a green way of generating energy. While the roof of any home, garage, barn, or any other building can be used to install solar panels, there are some things that you need to consider before deciding to install roof-mounted solar panels and we have covered the major factors in the text above.