A solar roof may seem to be the answer to so many of your concerns. Over time it will save on your energy bills. Investing in solar energy also identifies businesses as committed to green energy solutions, which may attract the kinds of customers you seek. Building owners who install in solar panels likewise want energy savings and a way to make a sustainable difference in the way the building is warmed, cooled, and provides power to the many appliances, lights, and other electrically operated items.

In order to install and use solar paneling technology, you must be certain your roof is up to the challenge. Here are the most important concerns you must resolve before equipping a commercial building with solar panels.

Ensure Your Current Roof Can Manage The Load

A solar panel system is a weighty affair, with each panel imposing at least 40 pounds of extra weight upon your roof. The panels also require mounting hardware. To provide the power you need to operate your business or keep your building lit, cooled, and heated, you will need dozens of solar panels to be put in place.

The added weight will be considerable, and you cannot risk the damage done to your building if the panels are too much for the structure. You also must be certain that the present roofing configuration can accept the type of installation parameters your choice of solar panels imposes. An evaluation of whether the installation may impede your roof’s other functions, namely to keep the interior of your property dry and comfortable, is also necessary.

A licensed roofing contractor familiar with the codes and conditions in your location must be engaged to inspect your roof. Any problems concerning the load or the ability of your roof to both support the panels and protect can be identified, and a plan developed to respond to the issues, are exactly what an experienced roofing firm can provide to you.

Follow The Post-Inspection Plan

After the roofing contractor has evaluated your roof, work with them to begin repairs and improvements necessary to make the solar installation work well. Do not even think of moving forward with the solar panel installation until all the issues presented are resolved. The investment you are considering when placing a photo voltaic array upon you roof is both expensive and long term. Once the panels are in place you should expect them to last at least 25 years. You want the roof beneath them to be in good repair and sturdy enough to last as long as the panels.

Resist any thoughts of putting off repairs or ignoring what seems to be superficial damage. All damage must be found, a fix determined, and the proper steps taken to complete the repairs. If upgrades were suggested they, too, must be in place before the solar panels are installed. Keep in mind that 25 years of use is a minimum for the lifespan of solar panels. Often they still operate well and may give many more years of use. You want the roof to be in the same category.

You do not want to deal with the cost of dismantling and reinstalling the panels. A sound roof will avoid this, and you should do all in your power to make that happen.

Here Comes The Sun

To work appropriately, your solar panels must not have any barriers because of roofing materials, building protuberances, or shade from nearby buildings or trees. Make sure to work with both the company that will install the panels as well as a reputable roofing contractor to scan all areas of the roof to see where structures or other barriers will shield your panels from the sunlight. If you work with a competent solar panel installation company it is highly likely they have seen these problems before and had strategies to work around anything that blocks the rays of the sun from the panels. Let them suggest which of these fixes may work for your roof.

If any reconfiguration of the roofing landscape will help, a good contractor may be able to adapt things to make them work better. Once the sunshine streams in unimpeded you can begin to enjoy the benefits of solar panel clean energy generation.

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