A big factor we must look at before we can install is the direction of your roof. The ideal roof will be spacious and face the south for the greatest amount of solar energy. South-facing panels receive sunlight all day, since the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Panels that face east or west will actually still create a good amount of energy. On the other hand, North facing roofs will not end up producing a sufficient amount of energy. Thus, we advise that solar panels should NEVER be installed facing the north.

The steepness of your roof, or the pitch, should equal to the latitude of the roof’s location! Isn’t that neat? Even if your roof is flat, we recommend installing on an angle through the use of mounts. Generally, we find that solar panels installed on a pitch angle of 30-40° get the job done.

We want solar panels to receive the most amount of sun as possible. Shade that is cast on your roof can reduce the amount of energy that can be ultimately produced. Ideally, we want to avoid putting solar panels on shaded areas on your roof created by objects such as chimneys, buildings, or trees. If there are trees creating shade, we recommend trimming them to increase the amount of surface area where we can install solar panels.

Regardless, a little shade on your roof is not going to be a big problem. We will take this into account when we calculate the number of panels needed for installation.

Most roof materials are great for installation, but slate, cedar, shake and clay tiles may be less suitable for installing a system. Or sometimes your roof might be old and more prone to breakage. Feel free to contact us if you are unsure about your current roof’s conditions.

Frankly, some people just prefer to have ground-month panels installed instead. We would be happy to advise you, whether you a interested in a roof mount or ground mount system

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