There are many homeowners who ponder the question, does rooftop solar make sense?
Are solar roofs worth the trouble of installation? Well the answer, can be different based on various factors.
Note that rooftop solar panels have several virtues and they must be considered seriously by all.
However, what we are discussing today is whether installing solar panels on your roof makes sense for your specific situation.
There is no single explanation that fits all. What you need to do is go through each of the points given below, consider them carefully and as per your living conditions, come to an informed conclusion.
Considerations if rooftop solar make sense for your home
1) Total cost of installation
The total cost of installation of rooftop solar panels consist of a few elements.
First there is the actual solar panel cost. Second there is the cost of labor for installation and third, which many forget, is potential cost for repairing your roof.
It is important you as a homeowner understand if your current roof is capable of holding considerable added weight on top of it. If it cannot, there would be a need to reinforce its strength.
If the roof already has some cracks or lose tiles, these would need to be repaired before installing solar panels.
Apart from this, there may be an added cost of wiring or rewiring of your home electric grid.
You have to take into account the entire cost of installing rooftop solar panels and then figure out if this falls under your budget.
2) Weather conditions in your area
One of the drawbacks of the way solar energy works is that currently the technology is not able to store energy in an efficient manner.
Energy is immediately used by your home or sent to the electric grid of your area.
Now there are of course solar panels that do a better job of energy storage and distribution. However, these come at a higher cost.
Hence, you need to consider whether your area gets sufficient sunlight or whether you need to spend extra on solar panels with better storage capacity.
A quick note here, there are solar panels in the market that work even in snowy, cold conditions with low sunlight. You may want to find out about these and how much electricity they can produce on a daily basis.
3) Recurring costs of both roof and solar panel maintenance
This is another point that many homeowners miss out in the beginning.
Rooftop solar panels have an element of recurring costs in them. This is in the form of panel maintenance and also your roof maintenance.
Since solar panels are drilled directly on your roof with nuts and bolts, there can be wear and tear over time.
Some roofs can develop cracks. Therefore, periodically your roof must be checked to ensure it is in good shape and also that your solar panels are working as expected.
4) How much electricity will it generate?
After all said and done about rooftop solar panels, what matters at the end of the day is how much electricity can it generate.
Will it generate enough kilowatts to power your entire home? Will you be able to go off-grip with your solar panels? Would you need a hybrid model where you use solar panels and the energy shortage needs to be filled by your existing electric setup?
These questions are quite specific to each individual house. Please first check how much energy your house is consuming on a monthly basis.
Based on that, calculate whether the energy produced by your rooftop solar panels is enough to run your home as usual.
It could happen your roof can only handle a certain number of solar panels due to its size or weight capacity. In this case, just solar energy will not be enough for your home.
On the other hand, it could happen your solar panels produce more energy than required. Here, you can sell the excess energy to local electric companies who would be happy to purchase it from you.
5) Local laws and legislation
On his show Real Time with Bill Maher, the host revealed how it took over three years for him to get permission to finally start using solar energy for his shed in California.
Now while I do not know the reason why it took that long to get the approval, you should check with your local authorities about the laws and regulations with respect to installing rooftop solar panels in your home.
From getting the required permissions to activating the panels and also supplying excess energy to local companies, there would be laws governing these in each state.
Find out about the laws, ask other homeowners who have installed solar panels to understand how long the entire project would take and what permissions are required before getting started.
6) Is it worth the final cost?
After factoring in the final cost of installation, the recurring costs involved, the laws and regulations, the amount of energy your solar panels will produce and if roof repairs are required, you can then get an idea is rooftop solar panels are worth it.
In some cases, the answer will be an overwhelming yes. In other cases it could be a ‘may be’ and in few cases, it would be an outright no.
Check what would be the case for your specific situation and take a decision if the cost and initial hassle is worth it for you.
7) Home value post installation
In some localities, installing solar panels can increase home value. In other places, it could decrease its valuation.
Some new homeowners prefer buying a house with a clean slate. Some prefer having solar energy preinstalled as it takes the stress of installation out from their hands.
Each area, city, state is different. Please take advise from an expert or a licensed realtor in your area to comprehend the effect on home valuations by rooftop solar panels.
8) Cleaning of solar panels
Bird droppings, dust and other particles can accumulate on your rooftop solar panels over time.
These reduce the efficiency of these panels and could result in low energy generation.
Hence, you need to get your solar panels cleaned with a frequency that is relevant to how dirty they get in your area.
Cleaning of solar panels can add to the recurring costs of maintenance. Also you can check if you need to employ professional services for the cleaning or if you can do it yourself.
While cleaning of solar panels is not a make or break kind of a situation, you do need to keep it in mind before opting for rooftop solar panels.
Final thoughts
In most cases, installing rooftop solar panels are a good idea.
You can convert your residence into an eco-friendly home and perhaps even generate excess energy for a part-time side hustle.
It is only in a few cases that solar panels may not make sense right away and it is better to carefully consider each point and take an informed decision rather than to regret at a later date.