The Right Questions To Ask To Save On Solar

Solar panels aren't just for left-leaning, tree-hugging, environmentalists. If you’re only as enthusiastic about saving money as you are in saving the planet, solar panels can help you do this. Their cost has come down, their effectiveness has gone up, and Congress prolonged a 30 percent federal tax credit for installing them until the end of 2019. All of this suggests solar panels can now pay for themselves in as little as five years, depending on where you live. But are they appropriate for your particular home? That’s a question that raises more inquiries. Ask yourself these questions before concluding.

Questions About Your Home

Which direction does your roof tilt? Because of the United States’ situation on the globe concerning the sun, south-facing roofs are the most fruitful for solar, followed by west-facing and then east-facing roofs. North-facing roofs are the least pleasing for solar, and many consumers rule them out.

Is your roof overshadowed by the landscape of your property? Ideally, the sun will shine on your panels for at least five hours a day. If trees, hills or other structures block the sun from reaching your roof, that’s a dilemma. 

What is the size of your roof? You require about 100 square feet of area per kilowatt of solar system. An average household solar system is five kilowatts, 20 panels, in size. So, for that, you’d need approximately 500 square feet of area.

What’s the slope of your roof? The perfect angle for solar panels is 30 degrees, but they can get installed on roofs reaching from zero to 45 degrees. Solar panels for flat roofs are installed on slanted racks. If your roof is very steeply tilted, the sun may not approach the far side. Investigate your roof throughout the day to see what’s happening up there.

Roofs Matter For Solar

What kind of roofing do you have? It’s most effortless to install solar panels are on asphalt shingles or corrugated metal roofs. Placing them on slate or tile roofs is more complicated and expensive. Your jurisdiction may not approve solar panels on a wood shake roof because that’s a possible fire hazard.

What is the age of your roof? Solar systems are regularly warrantied to last for 25 to 30 years. That indicates your roof should have many years of life remaining when you install solar panels. Otherwise, you’ll have to remove them when you replace it momentarily, which adds to the expense.

How big of a system do you need? Be advised that salespeople can be overly positive about how much power a solar system will produce. That’s why you should run the amounts yourself using the Energy Department’s impartial PVWatts Calculator. The average five-kilowatt system generates an average of 7,000-kilowatt hours per year.

How many years do you plan to live in the house? It’s beneficial if you plan to stay in your home long enough for the solar panels to pay for themselves because it’s hard to foretell how much potential buyers will value solar panels and whether you’ll recoup your expense.

Just make sure, and promise us here at HahaSmart you will have a look at what we can offer you on the cost of solar panels and cost of solar installations. We will strive to find you the best prices available. Follow the solar experts. Try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need and how much you can save on your energy bills each month.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.