Geographical location
The question on most people’s minds is, “Will solar work on my home”. Usually the answer is a resounding YES! You don’t need ideal conditions for solar to be effective. Although it is true that the more sun the better, most areas within the United States are sunny enough for solar. Solar is really about saving money. And the sunniest locations don’t always have the highest savings. How much money you save is mostly driven by how high the electric rates are in your area. Here in the Northeast the cost for electricity is high and are expected to go higher in the future. Consider this, Germany with its high cost of energy has sixty times more solar systems installed per person than we do here in the United States. Germany gets about the same amount of sunlight as Alaska.
Roof configuration
The perfect roof configuration for solar would consist of a large unobstructed area facing south with a 30 degree pitch. Incidentally, the compass feature on your smart phone works great. Don’t worry if your home does not have the perfect roof configuration. Most homes don’t. Fortunately, there is wiggle room with solar so you can still reap the benefits of having panels on your roof. For example, roof areas that face east and west can be used for solar. A roof with a pitch between 15 and 40 degrees, which includes most roofs, can be used for solar. Most roofs don’t have large unobstructed areas. There may be dormers, skylights chimneys or other protrusions in the way that break up the open space. Generally solar installers can design your array around these obstructions to maximize production.
A big consideration when it comes to all things solar is shade. Are there trees nearby that block the sun? Can they be pruned if need be or removed altogether? If a tall building blocks the sun from hitting your roof that may be a problem.
Energy Geeks has made a commitment to saving you money on energy. Our holistic approach looks at your entire home as a system. We provide a no-cost home energy assessment designed to show where your energy use is greatest and how it can be reduced. Each item described in the energy assessment will include a price specific to that measure. Thus providing a menu-like list where you can choose the entire package or just specific items from it. But we don’t stop there, we also install these energy efficiency measures and upgrades. Followed as prescribed, these measures will reduce your energy consumption which in turn will reduce the number of solar panels needed. Reducing the number of solar panels needed not only lowers the cost of the entire system it reduces the amount of roof area necessary to install it.
The time to go solar is now.