A guide to buying solar panels for the roof

Buying your own solar energy powered home lighting or heating system can be an exciting experience, but it is important to stay focused on the amount you can afford to invest into buying flat panels for your solar roof. Follow this guide for some tips on how to buy solar panels for your roof.

Tips for choosing the right system

Seek recommendations
Ask friends or neighbours who have had home systems installed for their opinions, and gather information on the pluses and minuses or any problems that they may have encountered. Manufacturer's warranty
This is one of the key points to note: the length of the warranty of the panel systems that you are planning on having installed for domestic electricity needs. If you are using a reputable company and the warranty lasts at least 25 years, you can expect your system to last long. This period of time is necessary to pay for itself, and give you some profit.
Efficiency
The source of your power, the sun is free, your efficiency is governed by the roof space that you have. Make sure that you have enough roof space to accommodate your system. You should allow eight square metres for each kilowatt to be generated. You only get what you pay for
If your system is costing less than what others have paid, you may be receiving a poor system or a poorly installed one. Equipment and installation are not cheap, and poorly installed systems will mean a poor performance that may not generate a saving for your electricity in the home.

Quality of the equipment to be used

Type of panels
If your roof space is limited, you may need to use highly efficient
mono-crystalline solar panels to generate more electricity for your needs. Filling your roof with inefficient roof panels will affect the ability to add more panels later. Another alternative is to use thin film amorphous solar panels. These work better in partial shading conditions.
Mounting
If your solar panels are to be fitted to your roof and you live in an area prone to high winds, ensure that the mountings are sufficient to hold your solar panels in place during these conditions.
Inverter efficiency
The inverter is the box that converts the DC power from your solar panels to the AC power that is required in your home. The quality of this box will determine the time that it takes for the system to pay for itself. Energy wasted during the conversion will cost you in the efficient use of your system. Quotes
Get more than one quote, but be wary of the quality of the systems to be used. The cheapest quote may not be the best long-term option.