How to Buy Solar Panels For Your Home

Learn how to buy solar panels for your home.

Buying solar panels for your home is not difficult, although many are intimidated at first by the thought. Most people don't feel like they have enough knowledge about solar panels to make a good decision. Solar energy is becoming an option that is too good to pass up though lately, especially considering the government rebates and tax credits for solar energy that have recently materialized. The transition will require an initial investment, but over time, you may see a very sizable return. Here is how to buy solar panels for you home.

Instructions

1. Determine whether your home is a good site for a solar energy system. Consider the location of your home and which way the roof is facing. The solar panels need to be exposed to the sun directly for as much of the year as possible. A south-facing roof is ideal in the United States because the sun is in the southern hemisphere for most of the year. If you are building a home far away from an established power grid, you will likely be able to install a solar system for less money than extending a power line from a utility company. Trees, mountains, and other obstacles can affect the efficiency of your solar system as well.

2. Decide how to power your home during night hours. While the solar panels will still harvest energy during cloud cover, you will need to power your home somehow during the hours when the sun is not shining at all. Generally, this is done through the use of batteries, or through the supplemental use of a traditional utility service. You can decide which is best for you based on your priorities and motivation for switching to solar energy.

3. Determine the square footage you will need to install a sufficiently producing solar system for your home. Figure out how many Kilowatt Hours you use on a daily basis. This information is available on your current electric bill. You can get solar panels at a wide range of levels of efficiency, so you'll need to calculate the energy output needed to provide electricity for you home, and then divide that by the available square footage on your roof. That will give you the minimum level of production per square foot that you will need to achieve with your solar system.

4. Shop for used solar panels that meet the minimum output per square foot for your situation. The older the panels the less efficient they will be, although old and used solar panels are still extremely reliable. In other words, the more efficient your solar panels need to be (energy output per square foot) the more you will have to pay for them. This is why it pays to do the math to determine the minimum efficiency needed for your home.

5. Hire an electrician to install your panels. This is not a job for someone who does not know what they are doing. You will find this step is worth doing right, even if it costs a little more.

6. Apply for government rebates, tax credits, and other incentives. This should be factored in while you are still in the decision-making process. You may find that changing an item or two in the planning process will qualify you for more rebates and credits.