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Why
Solar Electricity?
Is It Right For You? |
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| 5. How old is your roof? | |
Is your roof less than 5 years old? It's much easier and less costly to replace a questionable roof than it is to remove and replacing solar panels. Do you have a single layer of shingles on the roof? For example, the town of Smithtown requires no more than one layer of shingles when installing solar. What is your roof made of? Standard composite shingles are easiest when installing solar. Cedar shingle roofs require additional supports which increases the cost. Flat roofs require ballasted mounting systems or additional hardware, which adds to the cost of the installation. Return to the top.
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| 6. Do you have a large enough service panel to handle the system? | |
Generally speaking, a 100 amp service panel will handle up to 4,000 watts of solar. A 150 amp service panel will handle up to 6,000 watts of solar. A 225 amp panel will handle up to 10,000 watts of solar. Return to the top.
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| 7. If your roof is unavailable for solar, is there room to install solar panels on the ground or on other buildings on your property? | |
Ground mounted and pole mounted systems are sometimes a cost-effective alternative to mounting solar on a roof. Mounting solar panels on a garage roof which is in the sun can also be cost effective. The power from the solar modules can be connected to the garage sub-panel, which is already connected to the main panel on the house. Return to the top. |
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