Posted on November 25, 2022 by Phillip Camerer

As this tax year nears an end, many grid-tied homeowners get bombarded with visits and calls from solar companies these days. That’s because this is the last year for homeowners to take advantage of the solar tax credit.

But before installing solar panels onto your home’s roof, there are some important factors every homeowner needs to consider. Before signing a solar installation contract, here are a few critical factors to remember.

• How it works
• Various Forms of solar technologies
• Solar equipment needs

How Grid-Tied Rooftop Solar Works

Homeowners whose homes draw power from a local utility company are called grid-tied. When solar roofing panels get installed, it converts raw energy produced by the sun into reusable direct current (DC) electricity for use throughout your home—two commonly used solar panels: solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal.

Some homeowners use both panels to help increase solar efficiency. That’s because thermal panels convert roughly 90% of the solar radiation into heat, whereas PV panels are only 15 to 20 percent efficient at electric power. However, PV efficiencies have improved thanks to monocrystalline technology, which gets discussed further in this blog.

Solar PV

The upfront cost for a rooftop solar PV installation is higher than for solar thermal panels. PV cells get used more frequently to produce electricity.

Solar Thermal

But suppose you’re a homeowner looking to lower your upfront installation cost. In that case, you might think about solar thermal panels to generate heat energy for your hot-water heater or even heat your home.

Solar Equipment Needs

Homeowners considering solar panels should remember that solar panels come with more equipment requirements than you might think. A home installation solar kit will often include the following:

• Solar panels
• Radiant inverters
• Racking Solar Panels
• Performance monitoring
• Energy storage options

Solar Panels

Solar panel systems come in two types of technologies: monocrystalline and polycrystalline.

Monocrystalline is more efficient and comes at a higher price point than polycrystalline. The distinction between these two techs is color. Monocrystalline has a dark blue or black tint, while polycrystalline panels have a light blue hue, are less efficient, and are far more affordable.

Radiant Inverters

In the United States, most homeowners are familiar with direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). Better known as AC/DC. Inverters come into play when DC needs to convert into AC. Here are three common types of inverters:

• String Inverters
• Microinverters
• Power optimizers

Racking Solar Panels

An essential component of solar panel efficiency is the angle. To improve solar panel efficiency levels for max output, panels get mounted on a home’s south-facing roof pitch at an angle of 30 to 40 degrees.

Performance Monitoring

One significant selling point for most homeowners is the ability to self-monitor solar energy usage by the hour. Performance monitoring permits a homeowner to detect performance issues and maximum electrical output.

Energy Storage Options

One complication of solar panels is net metering, which means if your home is grid-tied, your utility company may apply a credit to you if it generates more power than you use.

For example, if you have a solar array installed, you could see your energy bill begin to fall. That’s because the utility company tracks the energy flowing to and from your home, known as net power.

Depending upon where you live in the four-state area, the laws and regulations may require utility companies to buy the excess energy from homeowners who are still grid-tied. But if net metering is uncertain in your state, you may benefit more from having a solar battery.

Talk to A Roofing Contractor About Your Home’s Roof Warranty

If you are thinking about having a solar panel system installed on your home’s roof and you have a TAMKO roof, you need the team at Phillip Camerer Roofing. Their certified roofing pros will talk with you about your TAMKO roof warranty and if solar panels will void the manufacturer’s warranty.

As a certified TAMKO roofing contractor in Joplin, Missouri, Phillip Camerer can extend you and your family an enhanced limited warranty and help get the financing needed for your home roofing improvement project. Contact Phillip Camerer Roofing by calling (417) 451-5479 to get all your roofing concerns answered today.