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One of the biggest questions we hear all the time is: Will Solar Even Work for Me?
And almost all of the time, the answer is a resounding YES!
You don’t need ideal conditions for solar to work for you! What’s important to remember
is, solar panels can be installed on most roofs and you’ll be able to save a lot of
money and help the environment, too. A lot of people wonder if where they live
is sunny enough for solar. This really isn’t an issue. Most places in the U.S. that aren’t
particularly sunny are still just fine for solar. It’s true that the more sunlight
there is, the more electricity you will produce. But, solar is really about saving money and
the sunniest places don’t always have the highest savings levels. How much money you
will save is largely dependent on how high your electric rates are and what kind of rebates
and incentives are available to you. For example, this is why states in the northeast
have significantly higher savings than sunnier states such as Florida.
Keep in mind, though, people in Florida are still saving quite a bit of money.
Consider this: Germany has more than 60 times more solar systems per person than the entire
United States…. ….even though Germany gets roughly the same
amount of sun as Alaska. So, where you live doesn’t really matter when you are thinking
about going solar. So, what about your roof? What’s important
here? For everything to be absolutely perfect, your
home would have a large, sunny, south-facing roof with a 30 degree pitch. While those are
the best conditions, there’s still plenty of wiggle room that will let you benefit from
solar power. South facing roofs are best, but east and
west facing roofs still allow you to produce enough energy to get rid of your electricity
bills, save a lot of money and reduce your carbon footprint.
If you’re roof isn’t a perfect 30 degree angle, solar panels will still work if the
pitch is between 15 and 40 degrees. In fact, even if it’s flat, you can still
go solar as long as you mount your panels at a good angle.
Some other things to think about: how big is your roof? Is it big enough for the panels
you will need? Are there skylights, dormers, chimneys, or other things that break up the
open space on your roof? Generally, solar installers can design the layout of the panels
around these obstructions to maximize the production.
You also need to think about how much shade your roof gets. If there’s a tall building
that blocks the sun from hitting your roof - that could be a problem.
Shade from trees, however, is something you can work with. You can trim trees to let more
sun hit your panels and, even though it might not seem environmentally friendly to remove
them, it turns out that it actually is. If you do the math, the net benefit of the
average solar power system, after you remove a tree, is roughly the same as planting an
additional 180 trees. So while it’s not great news for the tree in question, it really
is better for the environment.
Now that you know that solar will work for you, it’s time to start shopping. You can
begin to comparison shop for solar PV systems using the EnergySage Solar Marketplace. It’s
the only online marketplace for shopping for solar that makes shopping easy and transparent.
Like anything else you buy, comparison shopping for solar will help you to get the best deal.
On the EnergySage Marketplace, solar installers compete for your business and give you multiple
options so you can find the option that’s best for you. Quotes from multiple installers
makes sure that you’re getting a fair price and the best terms for your solar panels.
It will only take only 5 minutes for you to enter your address and some information about
your energy bills and you will be on your way to receiving multiple quotes from several
high-quality, pre-screened installers in our network.
EnergySage will do all the work! When you’re ready to compare your quotes, we’ll present
them to you in an easy to understand, apples-to-apples format. We’ll also do all the math that
makes it easy for you to know which choice is best for you.
Because The EnergySage platform provides you with all the information you need to make
an informed decision, you can be confident that you’ll get the best deal! To learn
more or to start shopping, please visit www.EnergySage.com