Home solar energy installation

You can also integrate the energy into the materials that are needed for buildings. A little while ago, transparent solar energy windows were introduced by some companies as well. Consider these best solar panels for your home to get started living more sustainably. While solar panels definitely provide you with a cheaper alternative, at the time of installation they can cost you a lot of money.

The more you need energy, the more will be the installation cost. The cost of the entire installation process will include paying for solar panels, solar powered batteries, wiring, inverter, and lastly, for the installation. On the bright side, the government can give you credits for adding the solar panels, and there are some providers that aim to fund your installation. However, these options are not available to everyone.

For some, reducing the costs of solar panels is not an option. The installation procedure and funding depends on where you live and what your payment plan is.

In a way, your energy savings could be equal to your monthly payment. However, because solar technology is constantly growing, there are chances that the costs may come down in the coming years. This is one of the biggest cons of solar panels. We all know that the entire concept of solar energy depends upon the energy of the sun.

The solar panels convert the solar energy into energy that you can use at your own home. However, what happens when it is cloudy or rainy? It can be worse if you are living in an area that naturally has harsh weather it is almost always rainy.

This naturally means that you already have a limited time to collect solar energy as it cannot be done at night. Follow our guide to understand how solar panels perform in weather conditions. Out of the remaining time, if it starts to rain or gets cloudy, it can really affect the productivity of your solar panels. That is why we recommend weighing your options in case you are colder regions. For those of you who have large energy needs, this can pose a challenge.

The more energy you need, the more space your solar panels will require. Even the best solar PV panels need a lot of space. In some cases, the roofs are not big enough. If you have a small roof that cannot fit the number of solar panels that you need, it can become problematic quickly. What is the point of installing solar panels if they cannot fulfill your energy needs?

In the end, it may end in more loss than profit. An alternative way to this problem is that you can install some of the panels in your yard.

That option has its own challenges. If your yard does not get sufficient sunlight, you are out of options. Assess Your Solar Potential. Consider the following:. Nearby shade trees. Contractors will also help evaluate shading, but also consider your own or your neighbor's trees that are still growing and could shade your system in the future. The age of your roof and how long until it will need to be replaced.

If you expect to need a new roof within the next few years, you may want to consider making that improvement before installing solar. Neighborhood or homeowner association HOA restrictions or approval requirements. Some states now have "solar rights provisions" limiting the ability of HOAs to restrict solar installations or limit solar access. These provisions vary state to state, and by municipality; check into your own HOA covenants and state laws. Assess Your Options for Using Solar.

Purchasing a Solar Energy System. Community or Shared Solar. Consider community solar if one or more of the following apply to you: You are unable or do not want to install solar at your home or property You are unable to claim state or federal investment tax credits You do not want to be responsible for maintenance or repairs Learn more about community and shared solar.

Solar Leases. Solar leases are a good option if one or more of the following apply to you: You want to install solar at your home, but you are unable or do not want to purchase a solar energy system You are ineligible for state or federal investment tax credits You do not want to be responsible for maintenance or repairs You want to reduce your electricity costs You want to sell unused electricity produced by your system back to your utility through a net-metering arrangement.

PPAs are a good option if one or more of the following apply to you: You want to install solar at your home, but you are unable or do not want to purchase a solar energy system You are ineligible for state or federal investment tax credits You do not want to be responsible for maintenance or repairs You want to reduce your electricity costs You want to sell unused electricity produced by your system back to your utility through a net-metering arrangement You are interested in procuring solar at a limited up-front cost.

Solarize Programs. Solarize programs are a good option if one or more of the following apply to you: A Solarize program is available in your area You want to purchase a solar energy system to install at your home You are eligible for state or federal investment tax credits You are willing to be responsible for maintenance or repairs note that most solar energy systems offer warranties, and many installers offer operations and maintenance plans You want to reduce your electricity costs and sell unused electricity produced by your system back to your utility through a net-metering arrangement You want to increase the value of your home.

Estimate Your Solar Electricity Needs. Review electricity bills to determine annual electricity needs. Your usage will be shown in kilowatt-hours kWh. Review each month of the year; you may use more electricity in some months than others e. Some utilities offer tools that can help with this review. Consider any planned changes.

If you will be purchasing an electric vehicle or are planning a home addition, your electricity needs may increase. If you are continuing to make significant changes to improve your home's energy efficiency, you may need less electricity than you used in the past.

When interviewing installers, consider asking the following questions: Is your company familiar with local permitting and interconnection processes?

Often obtaining building permits and receiving permission to interconnect can be long and tedious processes. Ensure that the installer is familiar with these local processes will ensure that your system is installed and connected in a prompt manner. Can the company provide references from other customers in your area? Talk to other customers in the area to learn about any challenges they faced and how the company helped resolve them.

In the future, though, you will likely be able to install solar yourself. SETO awardee Fraunhofer CSE is developing a plug-and-play solar array that enables consumers to easily attach the panels to their roofs using an adhesive roof mounting system and connect it to the grid in under 12 hours. This is still in development — until it is available at your local home improvement store, you should work with a certified solar installer.

It estimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected PV energy systems for any address in the world. These tools are great for getting started, but make sure to work with a solar installer for a custom estimate of how much power your solar energy system is likely to generate. The amount of money you can save with solar depends upon how much electricity you consume, the size of your solar energy system, if you choose to buy or lease your system, and how much power it is able to generate given the direction your roof faces and how much sunlight hits it.

Your savings also depend on the electricity rates set by your utility and how much the utility will compensate you for the excess solar energy you send back to the grid.

Check the National Utility Rate Database to see current electricity rates in your area. In some cities around the country , solar is already cost competitive with the electricity sold by your local utility. The cost of going solar has dropped every year since , a trend researchers expect to continue. It should also be noted that energy efficiency upgrades complement solar energy economically. Consumers have different financial options to select from when deciding to go solar.

In general, a purchased solar system can be installed at a lower total cost than system installed using a solar loan, lease, or power purchase agreement PPA. If you prefer to buy your solar energy system, solar loans can lower the up-front costs of the system.

In most cases, monthly loan payments are smaller than a typical energy bill, which will help you save money from the start. Solar loans function the same way as home improvement loans, and some jurisdictions will offer subsidized solar energy loans with below-market interest rates, making solar even more affordable. The tax credit expires starting in unless Congress renews it. Learn more about the ITC. Solar leases and PPAs allow consumers to host solar energy systems that are owned by solar companies and purchase back the electricity generated.

Consumers enter into agreements that allow them to have lower electricity bills without monthly loan payments. In many cases, that means putting no money down to go solar. Solar leases entail fixed monthly payments that are calculated using the estimated amount of electricity the system will produce. With a solar PPA, consumers agree to purchase the power generated by the system at a set price per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced. Navigating the landscape of solar financing can be difficult.

The Clean Energy States Alliance released a guide to help homeowners understand their options, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each. Most people think that a roof mount is the most convenient and aesthetically pleasing, but there are many reasons that people choose other options: if your roof is small, unstable, or in the shade; if you aren't able to face the panel towards the equator facing south in the northern hemisphere and facing north in the southern hemisphere ; if you like the simplicity of a ground mount; or if you have extra land.

Pivoting stands are an attractive alternative because they are able to follow the sun throughout the day, so they can be far more efficient, but they're also more expensive. If you have enough open space, a ground mount may be better. With any of these mounting options, you should make sure that there are no local ordinances or homeowners association rules against them. While most people want to focus on panels and inverters, it's important to remember that solar panel racks are critical.

Besides the orientation and shading issues we discussed above, you also need to find out the wind category in your area as well as your soil conditions if you plan to install a ground mount system. Even with off-the-shelf parts, many permit offices will not give you a permit if the racking approach does not have a civil engineer's stamp of approval. Solar is still new to a lot of people, including engineers, but solar racking systems are in essence just giant erector sets and getting an engineer's approval of a proposed structure is often required.

Now, having chosen your solar modules, you'll need to decide on a solar inverter. Again, the inverter changes direct current DC from the panel into alternating current AC that your appliances can use. There are several considerations here. First, you'll need to make sure to choose a grid tie inverter rather than an off-grid inverter. Second, you need an inverter that can handle what your panels generate, so make sure the wattage of the inverter is as strong as the wattage of your array.

Third, you can consider solar micro inverters , smaller inverters that are connected to each panel instead of the entire system as a whole. After selecting panels and an inverter, the rest of the system known as balance of system , or BOS is simple to plan. You'll need to contact your local utility about the metering system - in most cases, they will give you the two-way meter also known as a "net meter" for free.

You can also consider a battery backup. For safety reasons, solar inverters will shut off current in a blackout, even if the array is making power, so that linesmen aren't zapped by errant solar systems while making repairs. If you install a backup battery bank, you can power critical loads independent of utility power. This requires specific wiring from the battery to the critical loads, but enables you to have power if the grid goes down.

PV systems with battery backup are considerably more expensive. Now that your system is planned, you only need to figure out installation, solar financing for your solar power system, and other various legal issues.