Are you considering to invest in solar by installing solar power systems at your home to save on your electricity bills and reduce carbon footprints? However, if your budget can’t afford solar installation, you can take advantage of solar loans and different financing options available to make solar installation affordable. You can get a specific percentage of the installation costs through solar subsidy which differs from state to state.
Here is a comprehensive guide to things you must consider before you invest in solar installation:
Assess Your Home’s Solar Suitability
Before you consider installing solar panels at your home, ask yourself, is solar power for you? Consider the roof’s condition and age. If your entire roof or a certain part is damaged, you need to repair it before installation.
Also, consider the roof age because if your roof lasts between 5 and 15 years, it will increase the solar system maintenance cost. The roof must be strong enough to handle and support the solar panel. If the solar panel weight is excessive for the roof, there is a possibility that it will be damaged. The duration of the roof and solar panel should match together to reduce the effort, money, and time of invest in solar and maintenance.
Make sure the roof has sufficient space for the solar panels and faces south or west to capture the required sunlight. Another aspect to consider is shading from nearby tall trees or buildings. The shady obstacles may not allow enough sunlight to hit the panel surface. Also, pay attention to average sunlight hours and weather conditions in your local area.
Understand Your Power Requirements
Invest in solar power starts with assessing your current power consumption. It is important to sum up the electricity your home appliances consume every day. This is not rocket science as you can estimate monthly consumption in kilowatts per hour (kWh) through your electricity bill. To correctly evaluate the power requirements, check the average monthly electricity usage for the last 12 months.
Alternatively, note down the electrical household appliances you use daily. Add the time for the device that runs daily. Determine the consumption duration, power rating, and run time using a specification chart in household electrical gadgets. Multiply the runtime of a device with a power rating to calculate watt-hour. Do the same for each electrical appliance and add the individual watt-hour numbers to calculate the total.
Find a Reliable Panel Model and Installer
Based on your power requirements and solar suitability, choose the right solar panel model and size. Consider numerous factors like warranty, efficiency, etc. for optimal power generation. If this seems troublesome for you, find the best rooftop solar system installers in Delhi NCR recognized for offering free consultation and comprehensive solar system installation services customized based on the client’s requirements.
Reliable installers take care of every aspect of solar installation including site inspection, installation design, installing all components, maintenance, etc. They can define the right solar panel that perfectly matches your objective and budget.
Determine Your Budget
Estimate the cost of installing solar systems in your home based on your monthly power consumption mentioned on the utility bill. You need to consider the initial costs of solar inverters, warranty, installation, the number of panels required, and maintenance costs.
Power Grid Access
Examine the conditions of integrating solar panels with the electricity grid in your property. The produced current must be conducted to the solar inverter and transformed to the usage pattern for the electricity generated by gathering sunlight to transfer to the electrical appliance. Decide on whether you need an on-grid, off-grid, or hybrid solar system configuration.
Permissions, Approvals, and Authorizations
Once you are done with all the previous steps, you will receive an installation proposal. If you accept it, you will require permission from local authorities to legalize the solar installation. You can also determine what type of solar subsidy is available in your community for residential solar installation.
Before final implementation, the local energy concessionaire must authorize the solar installation in your building and its connectivity to the power grid. The specialized technicians and engineers are assigned for authorization. They use property characteristics and technical know-how to get approval from the local electrical distribution company.
Site Inspection
Some days before the installation, professionals from your selected installation company will visit your building to determine solar suitability. They consider all the crucial factors mentioned above like roof structure, proper orientation, etc.
Solar Panel Installation
Now comes the day of installation when solar panels are installed by the chosen installers based on the site inspection results and solar suitability. All solar panel components are gathered like solar panels, a solar inverter, a charge controller, mounting systems, and a battery pack. The professionals connect the brackets for fixing, mount all components, set up an inverter, fix the solar panels on the roof, and do necessary wiring.
Installation Inspection
Before starting the use of installed solar panels and utilizing solar electricity, a local inspector will inspect the installation to ensure that installation was performed appropriately and authorize the start of solar system use. After getting approval, the solar system will be linked to the grid. During the inspection process, a meter is exchanged or installed for a bidirectional model that determines the amount of power injected into the network and used per day in the home.
Cleaning and Maintenance
To ensure the long-term and optimal working of installed solar systems, regular monitoring and maintenance is required. Clean solar panels regularly to get rid of collected dust, dirt, and other substances. The reputable installation company provides AMC (annual maintenance contract) that covers maintenance and cleaning to address any problem quickly and help with necessary repairing and replacement of solar system to maximize solar power generation.
By following this comprehensive guide, you can ensure the installation of suitable solar panels cost-effectively and conveniently. You can do the installation by yourself if you have complete knowledge of solar panel installation. However, expert installation is recommended to prevent any possible damage that can void the warranty and affect the system’s performance and power production.