8 Crucial Points to Consider Before Installing Solar Panels on Your Roof

If you want to cut costs on energy bills, one of the best choices you can make is have solar panels installed. The question is, can you install them on your roof? If not, where should you install them?

Which way does your roof slant? 

If the solar panels are installed on a roof whose slant isn’t in an optimal position to catch sunrays, your solar panels will not function optimally. Houses in the US, Canada, and other countries in the Northern Hemisphere need to have south-facing roofs in order to catch much sunlight.

Is your roof shaded? 

If your roof is surrounded by trees or shaded by a taller building or a nearby hill, this can create problems as the solar panels will not be able to absorb enough sunlight.

What is your roof size?

According to Trusted Ottawa Roofing Company, it’s best if you have around 100 square ft of area per kilowatt of a solar system. Because the typical residential solar system is 5 kilowatts/20 panels in size, your roof will need to have about 500 square ft of space for installation.

What’s the angle of your roof? 

The angle of your roof is another important factor. The optimal angle for installed solar panels is 30 degrees. A solar panel, however, can still be installed on tilted racks on a roof with a zero to 45 degrees tilt.

Lease or buy?

You can choose to buy or lease the solar panels to be installed on your roof. Compared to leasing, buying may seem expensive in the short term but is actually more cost effective in the long term. Leasing is more advantageous if the house isn’t yours and you intend on relocating in the near future.

Type of roofing you have installed 

Installing solar panels on slate or tile roofs is complicated and expensive. If you have asphalt shingles or corrugated metal roofs, the installation will be far cheaper and easier. An installation on a wood shake roof is dangerous.

Age of your roof

The newer your roof is the better. If not, you may have to take off the solar panels when the time comes to replace or repair the roof. This is costly.

How’s the weather in your state? 

If you live in a state where the sun shines bright most of the year, your solar panels will yield a great return on investment. But if you live in a region where the weather blots out the sun most of the time, then you will only get the most out of your solar system during certain times of the year.