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Avoid These Rookie Solar Power Mistakes

There are plenty of benefits that come with solar panel installation, including the fact that solar energy is sustainable and eco-friendly. If you are considering switching to solar, there are mistakes that you need to avoid so you can get the most out of your investment. 

Scroll down to learn more about some of the most common mistakes that we have seen at Solar Bear. 

Mistake #1: Ignoring the Structural Makeup of Your Home’s Roof 

Solar power can add significant weight per square meter to a roof. Therefore, you need to be sure that your roof can structurally support that much additional weight. 

It is also essential to consider the type of roof that you have. A roof with shingles or made from metal panels may be easier to install a solar panel system on than one that is made of tile. 

Mistake #2: Improper Sizing of the Solar Panel System 

The easiest way to calculate the appropriate size of solar panels is to calculate your power consumption and then install a panel system that provides that amount of energy. The problem with this is that it can neglect important factors that can impact the amount of power that your solar system can produce including:

• Panel orientation
• Voltage settings of the solar system’s inverter
• Natural efficiency declines 

If you do not account for these factors, you may not have an accurate size or number of solar panels for your energy needs. To determine which solar panel size is right for you, work with an experienced solar panel contractor from Super Bear from the beginning. We will ensure that your solar panel is right for your house size and specific energy needs.

Mistake #3: Purchasing the Cheapest Solar Panels on the Market

While you may want to switch to solar power to save on your utility bills, you don’t want to cut corners when it comes to purchasing high-quality solar panels. While low-cost solar panels might seem like a great idea right now, they will cost you more down the line when you have to replace components or the entire system because it became faulty or broke down completely. 

Of course, you do not have to choose the most expensive system on the market, just ensure that it is high quality and will last for years. 

Mistake #4: Placing the Panels Away from the Sun 

We get it, solar panels are hardly the most attractive feature to install on your roof, and for many homeowners, keeping them out of sight is best. While there is no problem with placing your solar panel system out of view, they need to be installed where they get enough sunlight.

Also, it is best to choose a place where there are no tree branches to shade or obscure your solar panels. A knowledgeable solar installer can help you identify the proper location for your panels. 

Mistake #5: Opting for a DIY Installation

Solar installation is not something that you want to attempt on your own unless you have the proper expertise to pull it off. 

Before beginning a DIY solar installation, ask yourself:

• What size solar panels will suit my required energy needs?
• How much roof support will the solar panels need? 
• How will the solar panel wiring be completed? 
• What is the perfect place to install solar panels?

If you are unable to answer these questions with certainty, it is best to leave the installation to a professional from Solar Bear, as a small mistake in the installation process could cause endless headaches in the future. 

Install Solar with Confidence 

Say yes to solar and get them installed by our professional team at Solar Bear! We will ensure that your solar panels are the right size for your home, efficient, and facing the sun for the ultimate amount of energy capture. Ready to install? Call us today for a solar panel consultation—407-904-7585!

Signs that Your Roof is Right for Solar

You know that solar power saves you money on your energy costs, especially in Florida, and you know that solar has other benefits, too—it can even make you money on the side if you play your cards right—but you might not be sure where to put your solar panels. Some neighborhood associations help with this—sometimes neighborhoods will expect all solar users to put their panels on their roofs, but sometimes the choice is left up to you, the homeowner. 

There are particular benefits to installing solar panels on your home’s roof as opposed to elsewhere in your yard or house, but installing solar panels on your roof requires specific conditions to function effectively. The good news is that solar panels work well on most roofing materials, which means many roofs are perfectly suited for solar!

Here are some tell-tale signs that your home’s roof is right for solar:

A good roof for solar already naturally gets a lot of sunlight during the day. 

It may seem obvious, but the best way to tell if your roof is going to be good for solar panels is to sit and watch how much sun your roof gets throughout the course of the day. If your roof is sun-soaked, solar panels will work well. If your roof doesn’t typically get too much sun, maybe thanks to dense treelines or your home’s position relative to a taller home or building nearby, no matter how good the rest of your roofing conditions are for solar, installing solar panels on your shady roof will probably not work as well. 

A good roof for solar is south-facing.

A south-facing roof will absorb the most sunlight for the longest duration throughout the day, since a south-facing roof will be exposed to sunlight from sunrise to sunset. A roof that faces east or west is also perfectly acceptable for solar panels—an east-facing roof will get a lot of sun in the earlier half of the day (since the sun rises in the east), and a roof that faces west will get a lot of sun in the latter half of the day. If your roof faces north, you might consider installing your solar panels in a place in your yard which gets more consistent sun. 

For solar panels to work most effectively, it’s good for your roof to have close to a 30-degree slant. 

Your roof’s angle is also important to consider when you’re thinking of installing solar panels. A roof that is totally flat might make solar panel installation easier, but in the long run, solar panels which are installed flat can get damaged in weather and can cause rainwater to pool on your roof, which could lead to damage. Particularly in the Tampa Bay area, given our heavy rainfall, this is something you’ll want to avoid. On the flip side, though, it is difficult to install solar panels if your roof slants too steeply, so you’ll want to take into account how deeply your roof is pitched for this reason, too. 

The best roof for solar is large and rectangular, with few vents or chimneys to work around. 

Because most solar panels are generally large and rectangular, it makes sense that if your roof is shaped similarly, that means your roof is better suited for solar. The same holds true if your roof has fewer vents or chimneys that you’ll have to work around. But don’t fret—these days, solar panels can be purchased in lots of different shapes and sizes, so odds are good you’ll be able to find the right combination of shapes to work around whatever features your roof already has built in. 

A good roof for solar is in good condition—it is structurally sound with no major defects or repairs expected. 

Last but not least, it’s important to take into account the current condition of your roof. After you install solar panels, it can make other roof repairs more tricky, time-consuming, and costly. Solar is best suited for well-made, newer roofs, though here at Solar Bear, we are always happy to service any solar panel related roof issues for you after installation. 

Solar Bear Tampa 

Keeping these five factors in mind will help you decide whether your roof is right for solar. But don’t worry–our Solar Bear experts are always here to help assess your solar needs and assist you in making a decision on where the ideal place for your new solar panels is. Call us today at 813-922-3735!

How to Talk to Your HOA or Neighborhood Association About Installing Solar

Want to install solar on your home or condo in Tampa, but unsure of how your HOA will react to this choice? Some HOAs or Neighborhood Associations might express resistance to the installation of solar on your roof or home, but they cannot prevent you from installing solar on your own home, thanks to Florida’s Solar Access Law, which you can find here. The law states that while homeowners’ associations can dictate where and how you install your new solar panels, they cannot keep you from installing a solar power system if you choose.  

Talking to your HOA about solar can be as simple as letting them know about your decision, or as complex as citing to them the Solar Access Law and then discussing applicable restrictions. 

Either way, it’s a good idea to keep the benefits of solar in mind when approaching your HOA, so that your conversation will go more smoothly. Here are a few points to mention during your talk about installing solar: 

1. Solar panels are proven to increase home value. 

As we’ve mentioned on our blog before, solar panels can actually raise the overall value of your property, meaning that installing solar panels on your home also increases the valuation of the neighborhood as a whole.  

2. Solar panels save money—meaning you can further beautify your home in other ways.

Using solar power instead of or in addition to traditional electric to power your home also saves you money on your electric bill every month, which definitely comes in handy during the hot and muggy Florida summer. But these savings can also help you save to pay for other, more aesthetic improvements to your home and lawn—a solar pro that will certainly make your HOA happy. 

3. Solar panels are often functionally invisible to the average passerby.

Depending on where your solar panels are installed (especially if you choose to install them on your rooftop), most passerby will never even see your solar panels, unless they’re looking closely for them. In most cases, a homeowners’ association will be concerned about solar for aesthetic reasons—what if it throws off the symmetry of the neighborhood, visually speaking?—so bringing up this point, that solar can easily be discreet, is usually a good way to go.

Keeping these positive attributes of solar in mind during your conversation with the homeowners’ association will help them see the benefits of adding solar to your neighborhood. And remember, in Florida, it is legally your right to install solar panels on your home. If you need backup, our team at Solar Bear Tampa is here to help you through the whole installation process. Call us today at 813-922-3735! 

Solar Power and Insulation: Why is Insulation Important for Solar?

Whenever you discuss home energy, whether that’s green, solar energy, or traditional energy, insulation is an important topic. Why? Well, in some ways the answer is simple: a well-insulated home costs less to keep cool in the summer or warm in the winter, because good insulation prevents cool or hot air from seeping out through leaks. Good insulation is essentially the equivalent of keeping your back door shut when you run your air conditioner unit, or using a bucket without holes in the bottom. When it comes to home energy conservation, good insulation is just good sense, all around. 

But insulation is doubly important for solar power. Solar power comes in two basic flavors: active solar energy, which is the kind of solar energy that solar panels capture and then convert into the energy that powers your home, and passive solar energy, which is the kind of solar energy that naturally heats anything that sits out in the sun for too long—a rock, your body, or, if you build using the right materials, even your home. 

Passive solar energy can give us great insight into why insulation is such a huge topic in the solar power community. If your house is better insulated, in the winter, it can use passive solar energy to retain the heat your home absorbs from the sun over the course of a day (and thus reduce your heating costs). On the flip side, if your house is insulated well, it will keep the same passive solar energy from overheating your home in the summer. Insulation essentially provides a barrier between the inside and the outside of your home, preventing excess energy from leaking out into the world (and keeping you from having to pay for it). 

Additionally, solar panels themselves can act as additional insulation when placed on a roof, as has been shown through a study published in the scientific journal, Solar Energy. Due to their reflective surfaces and the way solar panels are installed, these solar panels actually act as giant shades to the roof of your home, helping you further conserve energy and thus reduce heating and cooling costs even further. 

If you’d like to learn more about whether your home has the right insulation for solar, contact us at Solar Bear Tampa today, and we’ll set up a time for a free consultation. Call 813-922-3735 now, and learn how solar power can revolutionize your home’s energy costs.