Is My House a Good Candidate for Solar Panels?
If you're thinking about going solar, you're probably wondering: Is solar cost effective? Is my roof suitable for solar panels? Will solar energy generate enough electricity to power my home? Who makes the best solar panels?
But first, it's important to explore if solar panels for your home make sense. Here are five key questions we ask anyone interested in buying or leasing a solar energy system to ensure their home is best suited for making power with solar panels.
1. How Much is Your Current Energy Bill?
Knowing how much you pay for energy is the first step in evaluating whether your house is a good candidate for solar power. The main question is, will it save you money? In some areas, electricity is very inexpensive. For most homeowners, the electricity bill is a dreaded monthly expense. The general rule is that solar makes the most financial sense for someone with a monthly electricity bill of at least $75.
Why? Because going solar replaces utility energy with solar energy, and we want our customers to see a return on that investment by paying less for that energy.
A utility bill of $75 is the threshold at which residential solar customers will see solar savings. There are several ways to go solar, depending on a customer's needs and goals.
SunPower offers zero-down lease, loan and cash purchase options, each with different benefits. Ask your local solar installer about available rebates, federal incentives, and electricity policies for where you live.
The overall idea is to pay less than you currently pay, lock in your electricity rate, and save money by generating your own clean energy onsite.
2. What Type of Roof Do You Have?
Solar panels work best with strong, durable roofing materials, such as composite or asphalt shingles, concrete tile, or standing seam metal. For roofing materials such as wood shake and slate tile, or for roofs made of clay with mortar or composite metal/stone coated steel, you can still go solar, but you'd want to choose a solar professional who has experience installing solar panels on those types of roofs. Also, the type of mounting hardware your solar installer plans to use is important and can influence the compatibility.
3. Does Your Roof Need to be Replaced?
It's a good idea to replace a roof that is near the end of its life before installing solar because solar panels have an expected useful life of 25-30+ years, and you wouldn't want to unnecessarily have to remove them. Solar panels should be installed on roofs that are in good condition and will not need to be replaced in the near future.
Considering that your savings from high-efficiency solar panels could pay for the cost of a re-roof in as little as five years after installation, it may be worth it to do any roofing work needed before your solar installation.
4. How Much Sunlight Does Your Roof Receive?
To see if your house is a good candidate for solar, try out a solar panel suitability checker such as Google's Project Sunroof. Then set up an appointment for a solar consultation with an expert who will visit your home to inspect its orientation (solar panels facing south capture more energy), roof angle and tree shading to see if your roof will receive enough sunlight to meet your family's energy needs.
Our solar consultations are free, and you can learn a lot about your home and the best energy options. The more direct sunlight your home receives, the more power the panels will produce. While top tier, monocrystalline solar panels are known for having the highest efficiency at generating power in low-light situations; excessive shading will reduce the amount of power that can be generated.
It's also important to know that we've partnered with Enphase to ensure each panel has a microinverter, an innovative solar design feature that allows your system to keep producing energy even if one panel is shaded. Neighboring panels that receive more sunlight can continue generating power for your home.
5. What is Your Local Climate Like?
Solar energy can be generated in all sorts of extreme climates, from rainy areas such as Seattle, Washington to extremely hot locations such as Los Angeles, California. Solar suitability checker tools can help you understand how this could affect solar on your home. High-efficiency solar panels convert direct and indirect sunlight into electricity, so they work even on cloudy days. A solar consultant will estimate the amount of energy your custom rooftop solar system can produce so you can see the potential savings before you decide to make the switch.
Ready to Learn More About How You Can Power Your Home with Clean, Renewable Solar Energy?
SunPower is changing the way our world is powered by making solar and storage more accessible to everyone. If you're considering installing solar panels or energy storage contact us today.
Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation! Our team of solar experts are here to help make your transition to a sustainable lifestyle.