Installing a solar energy collection system on your home is a good way to lower the amount of money you spend on electricity every month. In fact, with the right system, you may even be able to generate enough electricity that you can sell some power back to the electric company and make a small profit. 

Checking the Home

Before you start putting solar panels on the roof of your home and calling it good, there are some things you need to check to make sure you can use solar power for your home. The roof of the home needs to be strong enough to support the weight of the panels on the roof. If the roof has any damage on the outside or an insufficient structure under it, the roof may not be a good candidate for solar panel installation.

A roof that needs replacing is not an ideal place for the panels because the panels need to be removed to allow roofers to install a new roof on the home. One solution is to replace the roof on the home first, then install the panels for your solar system. The added cost of installing a new roof might not have been in the budget, but replacing the roof can make the home more energy efficient and save you even more money over time.

Alternative Locations

If the house is not able to support a solar array, or if it sits the wrong direction for the panels to get good exposure to the sun, you may want to look at installing a ground array. The only real difference is that the ground array means that the panels are on the ground and can be moved to increase their efficiency. 

As the sun moves, the array can also move so that it is facing the sun and collecting the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the year. Moving the panels daily is not practical but moving them once a season is a great way to ensure that you are collecting the most light energy possible and storing it for later. 

Storage and Selling Energy

When you collect solar energy, the electricity generated is stored in batteries from the solar company. With a large storage bank, you can store enough power for a long time in your batteries and if you have a large amount that is going unused, selling it back to the local electric company is just a bonus. Your home must be connected to the electric companies system to allow you to send them electricity and if you set it up properly, you can make a nice little residual income from something you are making anyway.