Best guide to going solar

Taking the first step to going solar is exciting! Once complete, you will first know what your best options are when choosing a solar energy system. Second, you will be able to competently size your system and identify whether it will be a roof-top or ground mounted system. Third, you will identify and choose whether you need a grid-tie, off-gird or hybrid with battery back-up. Finally, you will decide if you will choose your own systems components, or let Solaris design a system for you.
Four Simple Steps

Our guide will help walk you through all the steps you will need to take in surveying, evaluating, planning and installing the best photovoltaic system that will best suit your needs.

Related Article : https://www.solarafter.com

 Is solar right for you? -  Let’s identify the spaces you are working with and the availability of solar yields in your area. Analyzing your electricity bill is key, and lowering your usage where possible will prove worthwhile. Deciding whether the system will be a roof-top or ground mount is important for different cost and maintenance concerns.  It will also be important learn and understand your local, state, and federal incentives/rebates available, and how they might affect your installation.

What type of system do you need? – Every application is different, and the variables of one installation site may differ greatly from another. Understanding what type of system you need is important in gathering information on accurate hard and soft cost estimates. Grid-tied, off-grid, and battery back-up systems are the three main types of solar energy systems. Your installation site will need one of these to best suit your needs.

Sizing your solar energy system – Now that you have identified your solar availability, energy usage, and decided on the type of system you will need. The next step is sizing your photovoltaic system so it will accurately address your overall energy needs, as well as your anticipated future energy requirements.

How Do I Know If My Roof Is Suitable For Solar Panels
https://www.solarafter.com/how-do-i-know-if-my-roof-is-suitable-for-solar-panels

Design your system - Pick your components or let Solaris design your solar energy system

Before we begin designing, sizing, and preparing your site location for a solar energy system. You will need to evaluate your total power use now, as well as find opportunities where you can conserve and save.
There are many ways you can minimize and eliminate wasteful electric spending, which translates into savings when purchasing your system.

First, gather your energy bills and calculate your annual average Kilowatt Hours (KWh) usage, (make sure to note your highest usage and lowest if you’d like). You can do this several ways, one is to take twelve monthly statements and adding all KWh use together, then dividing that sum by 12 – this will show your average annual usage. You may also have an indicator of your total annual usage on your bill, online account, or you can always call your electric company customer service line and have them tell you your annual usage. This part is critical as you will need to know energy demands before sizing a system.

Reduce Wasteful Energy Consumption

Now that you have your annual energy usage, you can consider what is drawing your total monthly KWh use. Every residence or commercial building is different, and utilizes different appliances, lights and energy using equipment for their total electric demand.

You may either use our approximate Power Chart Usage Table for typical usage percentages and hourly watts of appliances. You can also try to use our Load Evaluation Chart to calculate daily energy usage.
Another way to monitor and help reduce energy spending is by installing a home (or commercial) energy monitoring device such as Neurio. The sophisticated yet simple and inexpensive energy monitoring solution that reports real energy usage and helps inform users with intelligent data to make smarter energy decisions.

Do Solar Work In Places That Gets Snow
https://www.solarafter.com/do-solar-work-in-winter-or-in-places-that-gets-snow

Alternatively, you can try contacting your utility or local government to find out about any energy saving plans. They may have free or low-cost programs for evaluating your energy usage and you can find out where your location may be losing energy through ducting, walls, windows and more.

Once you have completed analyzing and understanding your annual average KWh usage, you can begin evaluating the potential for solar at the residential, commercial or utility grade site for installation. Start by getting an aerial image of the proposed location through Google Maps or a map tool of your choice. You may also have blueprints or schematics showing layouts, area sizes including land, and directional designs showing where all parts of the site are facing in relation to North, South, East and West. Overall shading issues should also be mapped out if they may exist on your installation site.

Alternately, you can also try Google’s Project Sunroof which will show you your roof-top solar potential for select areas.

• Space – Will there be enough square footage either on roof or land to accommodate the total anticipated solar energy system? You will also need to meet code and regulations set forth by the local fire department on municipalities to adhere to their rules and regulations for a roof-mount photovoltaic array.  *If space is limited, we can supply you with higher-efficiency, higher-watt solar panels and other options to meet your energy demands.

can i buy solar panels and install myself
https://www.solarafter.com/can-i-buy-solar-panels-and-install-myself

• Roof and Land – Does your roof or land have the proposed integrity to handle a solar energy system? This is especially true for roof-top arrays, to be sure you may want to contact your roofer to ensure you do not void the roof’s warranty and that the roof will be able to handle the load of the solar array. Furthermore, the ideal orientation for your array will be true south, although west and east facing roof space can also be utilized. *Solar can be installed on many different roof types including; Composite Shingle, Flat Tile, Spanish S Tile, Flat and Metal Roofs.

• Shading – Anything that can cause an obstruction at any point during day light hours (both summer and winter), can affect the performance of your solar array. Trees, chimneys, or anything that will cause shadows to be present on top of the face of the panels will hinder performance. We can solve this issue by utilizing micro-inverters for your array if necessary.