Since one of the greatest yearly expenses in most homes is cooling and heating them, homeowners always want to minimize these costs if they can. While insulation and other techniques can save you quite a bit, another excellent approach is to take advantage of solar energy to supply the power for your home-comfort system. There are several factors, however, to think about before you make this investment:
Location
If you own a home in an area that has restrictive covenants, such as those imposed by a homeowners association, or in an older neighborhood with many historic homes, you may not be able to use solar panels on your roof. At the very least, you may have to go through a lengthy appeals process to get permission. Get this checked out before investing in a system.
Your Roof
An important thing to consider is the size of your roof, since it must be large enough to meet the space requirements of the solar panels you will be installing. The roof must also be more or less angled toward the south so the panels can capture the sun’s rays as it moves across the sky.
Obstructions
It is vital that the solar panels not be blocked by anything. If the sun is obscured by buildings, trees or other landscape elements, the system will not work properly. Some obstructions, such as a tree, you might be able to remove.
Power Connections
Another point is whether your home can handle the connection. A professional installer or an electrician should check your home’s fuse box and lines to ensure you can safely take advantage of solar energy. You should also contact your power company to find out if they offer credit for power you feed into the power grid when you’re not using all the power you generate.
Keeping your Metro-East home comfortable while saving money is the great benefit of using solar power. If you have any questions about how to can take advantage of solar energy, please contact Ernst Heating & Cooling today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about solar energy and other HVAC topics, visit our blog.
Ernst Heating & Cooling services Hamel, Illinois and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!Â