Solar Panels: How Can You Start Preparing Your Roof?

Solar panels install mostly on your roofs. If you have a backyard that frequently has sunlight, you won’t need to prepare it meticulously as you would your roof. However, most homeowners install their solar panels on roofs, making a well-prepared roof crucial for their installations. Here are various ways to start preparing it to maximize both your solar panel installations

Get a New Roof

If your roof has protected your home for 20 years, it’s time to replace it once you plan to use solar panels. Roofing materials serve as the pseudo-foundation of solar panels, meaning a weak roofing material can bring down a brand-new solar panel system in record time. There’s no way around it — have your roof repaired or replaced before buying solar panels.

Use Only The Best Brands

It’s great to have much competition in the solar panel manufacturing industry. However, the industry is still far from having a standard quality regulation team nationwide and globally. Therefore, make sure to do deep research on brands you plan to use. Consult with local solar installation teams in Golden, CO, to learn about their partner manufacturers. For example, Roper Roofing and Solar works with LG and GAF in providing high-quality solar panels and solar roofing.

Hire a Solar Panel Installation Team

Lastly, we highly recommend hiring a solar panel installation team. Most solar panel and roofing manufacturers only entrust their materials (and your warranty) to solar installation teams that they trust.

Big League Roofers reaffirms these instructions. Learn more about it below.

What Type of Roofing Materials are Best for Solar Panels?

Solar panels can be installed on various types of roofing shingles (materials). Asphalt -shingles are a good choice if they’re in good condition and have enough usable surface area.  Not all roof types qualify for solar panels. For example, flat roofs made of tar and gravel are not suitable for solar panel installation.

What Roof Type (Style or Design) is Best for Solar Panels?

Solar panels can be installed on almost any roof style with a few exceptions. The roof on your home, garage, shed, or barn could all be potential candidates for roof-mounted solar panels. Whether it’s a gable, hip, or a combination roof, a solar installer can figure out the best way to mount panels. Solar engineers and installers can split up solar arrays into multiple sections to follow the rooflines and work around roof components, such as skylights, box vents, or pipe boots.

What Roof Slope is Best for Solar Panels?

To maximize sun exposure, a residential roof-mounted solar system should be at an angle equal to the latitude of their install location, but this isn’t always possible. A roof slope that angles between 15-40 degrees should suffice for most solar power systems. Individual solar panels can also be adjusted to an optimal angle that maximizes their sun exposure. Your solar panel installers can help determine if your roof slope is suitable for solar panel installation.

What Roof Slope Orientation is Best for Solar Panels?

Another factor that has an impact on solar panel power production is the direction or orientation of the roof slope where the solar panels are installed. In the Northern Hemisphere, the general guidance is for solar panels to face south because south-facing sides of roofs get the most sunlight during the day. (Continue reading here to learn more)

You can always count on us at Roper Roofing & Solar to provide you with the best solar panel installations in Golden, CO. Contact us today to learn more about everything that we can do for you.