How to Prepare Your Home For a Solar Panel Installation

You’re ready to have your solar panel installation, and you’ve saved enough to purchase a viable package that you still need a professional installation team in Golden, CO, to evaluate. At this point, you’ll need to rely on professional evaluations to create the solar panel array that can completely power your home.

Calling a roofer first is the initial step homeowners have to take before having solar panel installations. Here are a few ways we recommend that you do it.

Have a Roof Inspection

Roofers have in-depth experience in fully understanding your roof’s needs. They can tell you which sections are aging and require repair or if your entire roof needs a complete replacement. These inspections are usually free if you intend to use the same roofer to perform the repairs or replacements for your property.

Replace Your Aging Roof

Any roof that has gone beyond the age of 30 will require replacement because it can prematurely shorten the lifespan of your solar panels. For example, most asphalt shingle roofs have a 25-30-year lifespan that parallels the 30-year lifespan of most solar panels. With this in mind, installing a new solar panel array on a roof with less than a decade to support it is impractical.

Consult With Solar Panel Installation Professionals

Before you spend on anything related to your solar panel needs, we highly recommend that you consult with solar panel installation professionals. They can confirm your energy estimates and ensure you’re buying the best hardware for Golden, CO. 

Professional solar panel installation teams always work with top-notch solar panel manufacturers to provide you with the best materials that generate enough power for your property.

Here are a few more pointers from Paradise Solar Energy that you’ll want to learn about.

1. Decide How Much of Your Electricity You Want to Produce

First and foremost, you’ll want to decide how much of your electricity bill you’d like to offset with solar energy.

In most places, there are regulations that limit your solar system to 100% of your energy usage, meaning you won’t be able to “oversize” your solar system and sell the energy elsewhere.

For most people, installing a system that produces as close to 100% of their electricity usage is the most economic solution. However, this is dependent on how much space you have available to install your system.

Additionally, this may not be in line with your financial goals if you want to keep costs down in the short term. While there are soft costs that don’t change much regardless of the system’s size, installing a smaller system will cost moderately less than a larger system since you won’t have to pay for as much equipment.

How do you know how many solar panels you need? Grab your electric bill, take a look at how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) you use in a month or year, and call a reputable solar installer for a quote. Once they’ve taken a look at your property and gathered some information, they’ll be able to get you a cost and production estimate.

2. Consider Where Your Solar System May Go

To maximize the efficacy of your solar system, you’ll want a bright, sunny spot with exposure to the sun for most of the day. In the northern hemisphere, the best area to place the panels is south-facing roofs. However, if your south-facing roof is heavily shaded from nearby trees, you may want to have some of those trees removed or trimmed back.

If this isn’t for you, or you don’t have a south-facing roof, you may be able to place the panels on your west- or east-facing roof. Even though they’ll be slightly less exposed to sunlight, adding just a few more panels can compensate for any lost production for just a modest additional cost.

If your roof isn’t a good place for panels, considering installing a ground-mount solar system. You’ll want to scope out your property and think about a good spot. Like a roof-mounted system, exposure to sunlight is key. (Continued)

If you have yet to find a dependable solar panel installation team, you can always count on us at Roper Roofing and Solar. We’re a combined team of professional roofers and solar panel installation specialists ready to serve you at any time. Contact us today!