How many solar panels do I need for my house? Should I go for solar financing or pay upfront in cash for my solar system? Which solar company in New Jersey should I choose for my installation?
These are some of the common questions you’ve probably already considered since you began researching residential solar. Although important, they are far from the only things that should occupy your mind when going solar. Here are some of the lesser-known things to consider:
Roof Condition
When solar companies pitch you a quote, it’s usually based on the assumption that your roof is suitable for solar installation. Quite often, that assumption is soon found to be baseless.
If your house has an aging roof, especially older than 10 years, it’s usually recommended that you redo the roof. Otherwise, you may have to redo your roof in a few years, and at that time, the disassembly and reassembly of the solar system can prove expensive. In some cases, damages to solar panels can cost you dearly.
Solar Panel Weight
Solar panels are quite heavy in weight, and you’ll be requiring several of them to be installed on your roof. If your roof does not possess the structural strength to support its weight for 25-30 years, it may need some reinforcements.
Roof’s Water Flow
When snow accumulates on your solar panels, the heat retained by the latter usually melts it quickly. There should be plenty of space between the bottom row of the solar array and the edge of the roof. This way, when the snow starts to melt off it collects at the bottom and hopefully will slide off gradually without an avalanche-like effect.
Accessibility For Care
It’s not enough that your roof has sufficient space for the solar panels; it should also offer enough roof area to make maintenance easy. If one or more solar panels are faulty or even when you need to clear away the dirt or debris collected on the panels, you should be able to maneuver between the panels with ease and do the job.
Natural Disasters and Insurance
Almost all the equipment installed as part of your NJ solar installation comes with long-term product warranties. And, the workmanship is usually covered by the solar company. In the case of Green Power Energy, we extend a flat 25-year warranty on workmanship so that you can enjoy complete peace of mind.
However, force majeure damages like storm damage, blizzard damage, and other natural phenomena are not covered by warranties. So, you should consider adding your solar installation to your homeowner’s insurance. Most insurance companies do it without any hassles.
