Answers

I think the solar panels can be fitted at the other places too like on the terrace. If you can have much space in front of your house, you can utilize it with the swimming pool in your yard Which will help to make your home look beautiful and also help to increase the value of that property. For those, who wish to have a swimming pool in their yard, can take help of this site to contact professionals and have glass pool fencing near your swimming pool.

Vey true. Hope it all went correctly.

In addition to the other advice already provided, know that a Solar Assessment will be necessary. The system has a method of showing what shadowning of the panels happens during ALL times of the year, during ALL hours of daylight. That is how your Solar company will be able to tell you how much they will produce, the payback ROI, etc. They will probably be able to tell you visually which location to consider, and then do the assessment for what ever location is most favorable on your property. They should also be able to tell you that if you cut down certain trees, how it will improve your solar capabilities. Hope that helps!

This unique array below had to also take into account how the multiple rooflines shadowed the panels at certain times of day and certain times of year.

We would suggest getting a ground mount system, not only does this allow you to place your array in a prime location but it will also save you the hassle of removing them down the road when the roof needs replaced.  Any solar provider should be able to show you the difference in production with a roof vs ground array. Good luck.

Hi Brian, 

Yes in those cases a ground mounted solar array may be your best option. You can site the solar in a more ideal location for sun access. There is typically some added cost involved in a ground mount vs. a roof mount. 

Solar shingles are expensive and unproven.  I recommend Sun Power photo voltaic solar.  An average home is $20,000 to $30,000 and the return on investment is 4 to 6 years on a 25 plus year system.

 Well according to Elon Musk yes they are but I'm not sure you can get hold of teslas new shingles  or get a price on them yet. But if you haven't checked them out, check out the YouTube video on tesla's new roofing

Let's hear it for Elon Musk and his efforts to move the solar industry forward!  Solar shingles have lots of potential. Hopefully, Tesla and Solar City will get it right.  We used solar shingles about 15 years ago when installing a new roof and encountered some issues: 1) They were expensive! I would recommend getting a quote for both traditional PV panels versus the shingles and see what pencils out. The cost of PV has come down significantly in the last couple of years. Once you get the quote, be sure and compare the cost/efficiency/performance ratios of the two systems. 2) Maintenance can be an issue. There are more electrical connections with a roof shingle system vs a traditional PV system. More things to create potential problems. The shingles are typically installed in "strings" - where mulitple shingles work together in units.  If one shingle has a problem, the entire string "goes down". Check to see how Solar City addressses this issue: can you easily identify where the bad shingle is and be able to replace it easily?  Otherwise the efficiency of your system is compromised significantly.  Another maintenance issue is keeping all the shingles clean.  There is more work to wash down an entire roof periodically to remove dirt buildup than there is for a traditional PV system. 3) Availability: Is Tesla/Solar City providing the units in Atlanta?  It may take them some time to gear up their distribution and train people to install them properly.  Both important things to consider.

All that being said, it certainly makes sense to have your roof generate power for you!  Regardless of whether you go the traditional PV system or shingles route.  Best of luck!

Alex, the region you are in is crucial and consider the cost vs time of recapitization

Alex,

Solar is one of the best home improvement opportunities available to homeowners today.  The return-on-investment is over 100% (unlike most of home improvements).  See immediate cash flow savings by "zeroing-out" your energy bill.  The increase in value and decrease in time-on-market will also help when it comes time to sell.

There is still a 30% federal tax credit available, as well as other incentives depending on the state where you live.  Financing options range from cash purchase to lease/PPA.  You'll see the best rate of return on a cash purchase, though any option is usually better than the price you pay for utilities.

Solare Energy has been serving San Diego for 25 years and provides our customers with a free energy audit and rate analysis before designing a solar panel system for their homes.  This allows us to accurately size the system to your energy consumption needs and get you the best value for your investment.

Learn more at www.SolareEnergy.com or call 858-547-4300 for San Diego area solar installations.

Rob Shaw
Marketing Manager
Solare Energy, Inc.
San Diego, CA

Solar Panels are increasing in energy generation and energy storage is getting better and better.  You definitely need to make sure that your dwelling is positioned on the property to maximize benefits.  While it is way down the road, make sure to investigate the implications of what happens when the day comes to replace your shingles.  I would make sure you also have adequate insurance in the event the panels are damaged by hail, trees etc. and that you have a comprehensive maintenance program in place should you elect to have panels installed.  You may want to check with your local building code authority and see if you are able to have solar panels on your property other than on the roof if you have enough space.  Just like the VCR, solar panels are coming down in cost and going up in efficiency, so you may want to wait.  If you could have many less panels in the near future, that produce more output, that may be the best choice. Here is a link of many residential applications https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0LEVzpL309ThhkA45xXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0YXQwZXBpBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDQxNl8x?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-745-s&sz=all&va=solar+panels+homes

Alex,  

Solar panels are a great long term solution for energy savings. The average time frame for recovering the initial cost of the panels and installation is about 5 years, so if you are planning on living in the home for longer than 5 years, you will begin to see a return on your investment around year 6 and beyond. Also a big bonus is that tax credits are available to homeowners on both the state and federal level for solar currently!

Hope this helps! Good luck with your new home =)

Eric Consuegra, Arocon Roofing and Construction

+1

If you can amortize it into the long term loan on the home, it is a 100% no brainer.

Yes!!

The shape of your roof will definitely have an impact, but generally speaking, solar pays for itself in spades.

The other thing to consider is that solar is ideally tailored to your personal electricity requirements, which you won't know for sure until you've been in the house a few months (a year, for a complete picture). You're probably safe installing a smaller system (which is what you usually find on new construction), but you'll likely find it won't cover everything. If you decide to go forward now, just make sure the system is expandable down the line; this is one of many reasons you'll want microinverters as opposed to a string inverter.

Good luck!