It’s Always Sunny: Installing Solar Panels
With a little elbow grease, you can save money on your energy bills.
Solar panels are a brilliant way to save money on your energy bills and help the environment. If you’re thinking about installing solar panels, either DIY or getting a professional, here’s how it’s done.
Why solar panels?
Solar panels save money because, by design, they use up less electricity than regular circuitry. This means cheaper energy bills for you and less greenhouse gas emissions for everyone.
Solar panels also increase the selling price of your property. Homes with solar panels are worth up to 4.1% more than comparable homes without them.
How much do they cost?
The average cost of installing solar panels ranges from $10,000 to $25,000. Your final price will depend on the amount of panels you need to power your home.
Because more panels require a higher number of kilowatts, there’s a higher initial cost. However, keep in mind a 12-kilowatt system (with twelve solar panels) will save you more money over time than a 6-kilowatt system (with six solar panels).
How do they get installed?
Check out this video to see it in action.
Find the best location
- Direct Sunlight
Solar panels need direct sunlight to work well. It’s important to install them in a place that gets plenty of sun. Most likely, the sunniest place will be at the top of your house.
Installing the mounting system
- Stanchions
The stanchions hold the panels in place. A stanchion contains a lag bolt that goes straight into the roof rafters, a flashing that keeps everything watertight, and a stanchion that goes about 6 inches off the roof.
- The racking
The racking is installed to the stanchion using bolts. The framework needs to be even on all sides. After that, the panels go onto the racking.
Installing the micro-inverters
- DC to AC
A typical solar panel will take sunlight power and convert it into DC power (Direct Current power). But to be usable in a house, it has to be converted into AC power (Alternating Current Power). That is why you need a micro-inverter for every solar panel – if one panel goes out, then the whole system won’t be compromised.
- Before the panels
The micro-inverters are wired under each panel. The connection for the DC power goes into the solar panel, then converted to AC power with the micro-inverter to go into the house.
Installing the panels
- The big panels
Once the mounting system and micro-inverters are installed, it’s time to set the panels. After lowering each panel onto the stanchions and connecting the wiring, your solar panels will be ready to produce electricity!
Do you want to know if your building is suitable for solar power? Contact Signature Electric for our Solar Services. We can provide a complimentary remote roof analysis to help plan for or install solar panels to ensure the best setup for your solar power system.