There’s no question that solar power is an excellent source of renewable energy — and one that’s becoming more affordable day by day. But even with that being said, many homeowners still struggle with the idea of it. Part of this is because of uncertainty. Even if the solar panel system is affordable, many homeowners are unsure of how much power solar can provide, and if their house is a good fit.
A common assumption is that you need to have a home that’s exposed to constant sunlight every single day of the year. Not true! While that’s certainly ideal, you’d be surprised at how many homes can comfortably host a reliable solar panel array. While sunlight is obviously the biggest factor, there are several aspects of a home that we look at to determine how viable it is for solar power. Do you want to know if your home is a good fit for solar? Here are some indicators to look at:
Your Monthly Energy Bill
At Jolt Solar, we wholeheartedly believe in the environmental benefits that solar power provides. By harnessing energy from the ever-renewable sun, it draws less power from the electrical grid, which means the power plants don’t have to work as hard. While one home doesn’t make a huge difference, we could have a sizable impact on carbon emissions if solar is adopted en masse!
However, we fully understand that, for most people, money talks. And let’s face it — not everyone is so gung-ho about green energy that they’d increase their bills every month to accommodate it. That’s why the first thing you should look at is your energy bill. If you’re paying more than $75 a month on average, you will likely be paying less money overall each month if you switch to solar. And no need to worry about upfront expenses — at Jolt Solar, we provide zero down payment plans so that you can immediately start enjoying the cost savings without having to shell out a few thousand dollars upfront that you can’t afford.
Ultimately, it’s hard to say no to reducing your monthly bills. The best part? You’ll be doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint.
The Condition Of Your Roof
For maximum efficacy, solar panels are installed on the roof of your home. But these are large, heavy devices, so it’s important to make sure that your roof is ready for it. For relatively new homes, there’s no room for doubt — most roofs have a useful lifespan of a few decades or more. But not every home is brand new, and some of them have housed multiple generations of families.
While it is possible to temporarily remove solar panels for a re-roofing job, this is ideally something that you’d take care of before getting them installed. It’s easier, it’ll save you money in the long run, and it’ll guarantee that you get maximum efficiency out of your solar panel system with peace-of-mind.
The Local Climate
Now we’re getting to the important stuff — the weather. Sunlight, obviously, is a huge factor in the viability of solar systems, and you may think you’re out of luck if you live somewhere that’s frequently overcast. Think again! While climate does certainly have an effect on how well your panels will work, it’s not the end-all be-all decider that some people think it is.
Here are some bullet points to consider:
- Cloudiness: A common misconception is that clouds block sunlight. This isn’t strictly true — high efficiency solar panels can work even on cloudy days, so you don’t need to live in sunny California or the Mojave Desert to get max usefulness out of them. If you live in an area that has more overcast days than sunlight, we’ll give you an estimate of what your solar panel performance would most likely look like on average. But know this — clouds are not a dealbreaker!
- Hail: Hail is actually more of a concern than clouds, because it has the potential to damage solar panels. We don’t want to sound too ominous when we say this, as modern solar panels are built to last. They’re engineered to withstand the elements over 25+ years of 24/7 exposure to the elements, so it’s not like they’re going to bust apart at the first sign of hail. But if your area frequently gets hailed on in heavy amounts, it could be a cause for concern.
- Snow: Snow is the other weather-induced ailment that can be troublesome for solar panels. While snow clouds don’t obscure UV light, the snow itself does. That is to say, if your panels end up getting covered in a healthy dose of snow, they won’t be getting much power. Fortunately, snow usually slides off on its own due to their incline angle, but not 100% of the time. We’ve installed solar panels in states like Colorado where snowy winters are a given, so it’s not a dealbreaker, but it is an important factor to consider.
The Shade Over Your Home
Believe it or not, it is possible to live in a perfectly sunny area and not be viable for solar power. This isn’t common, but it’s possible because of shade. Shade is an indicator that the sunlight is quite literally not reaching an area, and if your house sits in it for most of the day, it doesn’t bode well for solar panels.
For most homes, this isn’t a concern, but there are some exceptions. You may have a massive tree that has overshadowed your home for generations. If you’re feeling good about solar, it might need to be cut down. Or, you may just live next to gargantuan buildings that cast large shadows on you. Maybe you live in a canyon where the great mountainsides block the sun on a regular basis. If your home is in a spot where shade quite literally can’t be avoided, you may not be the best candidate for solar power.
The Slope of Your Roof
There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for solar panel installation. Every home is different, and even two homes with the same exact layout might have their systems installed differently due to positioning relative to the sun.
The best solar systems are uniquely installed to harvest as much sunlight as possible. This takes into account the rotation of the sun and where it will be every hour of the day. Because of this, a roof’s slope is pretty important. Some homes have an uneven slope, with one short side and one long one. If the long side was positioned away from the sun during peak hours of the day, it obviously wouldn’t be as effective as a home with an opposite configuration.
Keep in mind that’s an oversimplified explanation. To understand how well-suited your home is for solar based on its roofing, we encourage you to contact our team of solar professionals today — we can give you a rundown on your unique situation.
Contact a Team of Solar Panel Professionals Today
From these basic factors, you can do a rough self-evaluation of how good your home is for solar, but we would encourage you not to jump to conclusions until you’ve spoken with a professional. At Jolt Solar, we can evaluate your home and give you a detailed rundown on how well solar power would perform for your house. We’re experts here, and we’ve helped more homeowners than we can count to adopt renewable energy systems.
Jolt Solar operates in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and Utah, with more states to come in the following year. We would love to help you get started with a solar energy system that’s perfect for your home. There’s no reason to sit around waiting for the renewable energy revolution — contact us today to get started!