There are many factors that affect the performance of your solar energy system, including how sunny it is where you live, which way your house faces, and even the pitch of your roof.
Ideally, a fixed, roof-mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. However, pitch angles between 30° and 45° will work well in most situations. Overall, the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces.
Why Angle Matters With Rooftop Solar
Just like other variables that affect production, the financial impact of the slight decreases in solar productivity related to your roof’s slope, depends on electricity prices. Actually, regardless of where you live or the tilt of your roof, adopting solar power provides significant savings. The angle of your roof actually has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your solar energy system faces. Optimal electricity production occurs when solar panels face east at a tilt equal to 15°. However, even if you raise the tilt of your roof all the way up to 30°, production only decreases by about 10%.
In addition, property owners can often find additional savings through sell back programs that offer rebates from net settlement of energy. The main point to remember is that even if your solar panels aren’t installed at the perfect angle on your roof, they can still deliver significant financial returns.
Assessing how the different performance variables will affect your financial outcome can get complicated. Solar Era can offer you the most competitive quotes in your area, and then calculate the financial benefits each options provides. This process makes it a lot easier to find the option that’s best for you.