Things to Consider Before Installing Solar Panels in Your Home

Your roof’s condition. The material and the layout is one big consideration for your solar panels. Your roof should be in impeccable condition. Asphault roofs only last 20 years and your one time installation of solar panels last for about 30 years. Repair any damage, replace the roof all together if you have to. Also consider the roof material, layout and direction. Flat, concrete or ceramic, Spanish tileroof need more proper installation.

You also need totally unobstructed roof space for the panels. The exact space required depends upon the type and number of panels you are using.
The second thing you look at is the location you possess. The more the sunshine falling on your rooftop, the more energy you will produce. Mostly if you are living in the south or southwest of your country the more sunlight you’re gonna get. Cloudy places also are okay but you need extra panels to suffice your energy requirements.

Suggested Read: Do Solar Panels Generate Enough Energy to Meet House Hold Electricity Requirements?

Locate : Solar Panel Manufacturers in your area

A lot also depends on your home orientation. South, southeast, southwest facing roofs will produce most energy for homes above the equator. While north facing roofs will have a tougher time.

Also see that there are no obstructions around like tall trees, satellite dishes, shadows cast on your roof as this will prevent energy production and absorbtion.

Your paneled options: You can have them on the roof or mount them on the ground, let’s say you have a large garden in your house but these are more expensive, requiring more labor and materials.

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Another way is to mount your panels with a tracker which moves panels to follow the dear, dear sun. Though this is much more expensive. There are many panel types. High efficiency panels give greater energy efficiency. How you are connected to the grid, you have to decipher and work on. Research a few companies’ pricing, what they are offering, their quality standards, the jump into installation.

The first one down may not be the best one.

• Signing a contract with a particular company. Look for the following things.
• Financing expectations.
• Expectations of ownership
• Performance expectations
• There could be entities who might collect data on your electricity production and usage.
• The company who has access to your electrical production and usage data.

If this is not well detailed. Ask your questions. Do not sign anything till you’re fully satisfied. Check for warranty and check out the credentials of your contractor. Check prices and quality of the panel. Cheaper ones may create hazard or even cause a fire and could be less energy efficient. So don’t necessarily choose cheaper ones to save on cost. You might end up paying a higher price later. It could be risky.

Solar panel warranty lasts for about 25-30 years. Installation warranty comes into play if the installation is not correct, this will lat for 2-10 years. Inverter warranty is another you can look at. Make sure you have the right insurance.

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Look for rebates by the government. It will lower your cost. DIY possible or not. You can consider. Best to call in professionals. There can be many problems.

• Wiring problem:Contact an electrician.
• Leaking roof: For instance if solar panel holes have to be drilled in the roof. These need to be resealed. If not done with your roof the roof will get damaged and might get leaky.
• Maintenance is required regularly. Ask about maintenance procedure from your contractor.
• Most important advice: If your maintenance is poor then your system won’t last very long.

So here we have given you things to consider before you install solar panels in your house. You could consider these points before you go solar.