Solar panels have many benefits, but that doesn’t mean they make sense for every home. To get the full value of solar, your house needs to be a good fit.
If you’re thinking about installing solar panels for your home on the Olympic or Kitsap Peninsula, Cascadia Solar can help you determine whether your house is suitable for solar panels. We are a local solar company that’s committed to helping our customers make the best decisions for their homes, and sometimes that means recommending that they don’t install solar panels.
In this guide, we explain the key factors to consider when deciding whether to invest in home solar panels.
Shading and Sunlight Access: Is Your Roof Sunny Enough?
The best roof for solar panels is a sunny one! Solar panels work by converting sunlight into electricity, so access to direct sunlight is crucial. If you live in a wooded area and your roof is heavily shaded by trees, you may not be able to produce enough solar energy to justify the investment.
How Much Sunlight Do Solar Panels Need?
In general, solar panels need about four to five hours of direct sunlight per day. You can still benefit from solar panels if your roof receives some shading, but it’s important to understand that shade will impact your solar output. If your house is heavily or consistently shaded throughout the day, solar panels may not be a great fit. As part of your solar consultation, we’ll evaluate your roof’s overall shading and estimate its yearly electricity output to help you decide if solar is worth it.
Roof Size and Design: Do You Have Enough Space?
Another critical question is: Does your roof have enough space for solar panels? There are two factors that contribute to this. The first is size; you need enough square footage of roof space to fit the number of solar panels your home needs. Solar panel sizes vary, but most residential panels take about around 20 square feet of space.
A typical home requires around 20 to 25 solar panels, which means you would need at least 400 square feet of usable roof space. That brings us to the second factor: roof design. Solar panels can’t be installed on top of obstacles like skylights, chimneys, or vents. They can’t span roof ridges or valleys, either. If your roof has a complex design with lots of small broken up roof planes or several obstacles, it will limit the amount of usable space available and therefore your home’s solar potential.
What Happens If You Don’t Have Enough Roof Space?
If you don’t have enough space to install the number of panels you need, solar may not be worth it for your home, especially if financial return is important to you. If your roof size is limited but you still want to explore solar, we can help you maximize your setup by placing high-efficiency panels in the most productive areas of your roof. In some cases, we may be able to install ground-mounted solar panels as an alternative, but keep in mind that ground-mounts are significantly more expensive than rooftop solar panels and also require sufficient space.
Roof Age and Condition: Is Your Roof Ready for a Solar Installation?
The condition and age of your roof are essential when considering solar. Most solar panels are warrantied for 25 years, so you want a roof that will last equally as long without needing to be repaired. If your roof requires significant repairs or replacement soon after you go solar, you’ll have to remove and then reinstall your panels, which is expensive.
Should You Replace Your Roof Before Installing Solar Panels?
If your roof is getting close to the end of its lifespan, you should wait to install solar panels until after you’ve replaced your roof. But, if your roof is relatively new (less than 10 years old) and in good condition, there’s no need to replace it before going solar. However, it’s a good idea to have your roof inspected before your solar installation to ensure that it’s in good shape and that no repairs are needed.
Roof Orientation: What’s the Best Direction for Solar Panels?
In the US, south-facing roofs capture the most sunlight throughout the day and year, making them the best orientation for solar panels. If your roof faces east or west, solar can still work, but your output will be lower. We generally do not recommend putting solar on north facing roof planes.
Final Thoughts: Should You Install Solar Panels?
A house that has a fairly new roof with plenty of life left in it, ample space, good sunlight access, and a south-facing orientation is the best candidate for solar energy. But installing solar panels is, ultimately, a very personal decision and ensuring that your house can support a solar array is only one piece of the puzzle. You also have to think about your solar goals. If your ultimate goal is to save money on your electric bills and maximize your financial return, it’s important that your house is an ideal candidate for solar. But, if your goal is to offset your environmental impact or increase your energy independence, you may be okay with a less-productive solar installation.
Even if you don’t have the “perfect roof” for solar (and very few homes actually do!), you can still benefit from generating any amount of your own clean energy for years to come. We recognize that going solar is a big decision, and our team is here to make sure you have everything you need to make an informed decision that is right for you and your family.
Cascadia Solar is a local solar company that has been installing solar panels on the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas since 2008. Our process starts with a thorough consultation that includes evaluating your roof, your energy consumption, and most importantly your goals, to help you determine whether solar panels are worth the investment for you.
