So you know that residential solar panels have been very effective for many homes, and you’re thinking about the best ways to reduce your energy bills. That means asking one very simple question: are solar panels suitable for your house?
Here’s a quick checklist covering what you need to know:
Is My Roof Ready to Mount Solar Panels?
While they’re not as heavy as they used to be, solar panels are still sizeable. Panels covering a 3 metre by 3 metre area way around 180kg, and it only goes up from there. When we design and install solar panel systems on older buildings, the structural integrity of the roof they’re to be mounted on is one of the first things we check.
Of course, the more panels you have in place, the more energy you would generate. A smaller home, in particular, might not need much coverage to see a real difference in their energy bills.
Another thing to consider is the pitch the panels will be mounted at. Ideally, your roof would be angled somewhere between 35 and 40 degrees, though the effective window is something more like 10-60. Panels on flat roofs are often set onto angled mounts to get more energy out of the sun.
The best aspect for solar panels faces south, but east-facing and west-facing roofs are still valuable. North-facing roofs, however, catch very little direct sunlight, and we’d only recommend using a north facing roof under very specific circumstances.
And, of course, it goes without saying that if your roof is mostly shaded by taller buildings, high trees or geographic features, you may not get great value out of the system.
What Else Do I Need?
A device called an inverter is necessary to make use of the energy your panels capture. It will need to fit into your attic/loft area, and it’s around the size of a microwave. If you’re also fitting a solar battery, more space is needed. Again, this is something we take into account when designing a solar power system for a given property.
A lot of our customers worry about planning permission. Rather than go into that here, we’ll point you to a guide we already made about solar panels and planning permission.
If you’re not sure whether or not your roof is suitable, we encourage you to reach out – we offer a free quote and advice, and taking advantage of that can help set your mind at ease.