Answers to Some Commonly Asked Questions About Solar Power for a Home
Many homeowners today are considering solar panels for their home as a way to reduce the pollution created by electrical power plants and to save money on their power bills. If you're one such homeowner, you may have some questions about solar power itself and about having those panels installed on your home. Note a few of those questions here so you can determine if this is the right choice for you.
How long does it take to install solar panels?
Installing solar panels isn't usually a one-day job, as technicians need to add brackets to the roof to keep the panels in place and then wire them to converters which are then wired to your home. Every installation job is different, of course, but don't be surprised if a technician tells you that the entire job will take several days if not a full week. Remember too that they will need access to your home's electrical panel box and other such areas to do all the wiring that's needed for your home to be connected to the solar panels.
Will solar panels require holes in the home's roof?
This depends on the panels you choose and the home's roofing materials, but some may need to have their brackets screwed into the home's framing rather than the roof. However, this type of hole is usually very small as it's only needed for a small connector for the bracket and will be sealed so there is no leakage or air escaping from the home. If you're concerned about damaging your home's roof, note that you can also typically have solar panels mounted in your lawn as stand-alone panels.
Does a home need to be facing a certain direction?
If the major portion of your roof doesn't get direct sunlight, you may not get all the solar power needed for all of your home's electrical needs. In this case, you can either rely on city-powered electricity when the solar power is depleted, or you can opt for stand-alone panels, as mentioned above. These can be placed on your lawn in an area where they will get direct sunlight throughout the day so they can collect all the solar power you expect.
Before you assume that your home won't support solar panels because of its construction and how it's situated, talk to a technician about the size of solar panels your roof could support and the direction they would face and how much electricity your home would need. They can then advise you on your best options.