Installing a tile roof is a sound investment. It will last about 50-75 years and provide great insulation. The fact that there is no need to reroof it too often makes it better for the environment as fewer repairs mean less waste.
Adding solar panels makes the house even more sustainable, but will it work with the tile roof? Let’s find out. And if you are looking for solar companies Charleston SC, check out this place.
Is There a Reason to Combine a Tile Roof with Solar Panels?
The short answer is — yes! They both make the home sustainable, but in different ways. The tile roof consists of many overlapping tiles. This way, there is room for air and ventilation, unlike flat-lying tin or shingles. This space acts as an additional insulation layer, making heating and cooling your home more efficient and, thus, saving money on energy.
Solar panels can decrease your energy consumption even more or even eliminate it. The power you get from solar panels will cover a portion of your monthly consumption and even exceed it with the right conditions. The surplus can be sold to your local utility company.
The tile roof also has a beauty factor — as well as being functional, it looks good. It is sturdier, warmer, and lighter than other roofs. A tile roof is a long-term investment, lasting 30 to 40 years.
Solar panels are made up of flat panels and traditional solar panels, which look like flat metal squares or panels and on the side, something that looks like a round cloth with hooks on it. Flat panels are quicker to install because there isn’t any wiring involved. The solar panel for home works by harnessing the sun’s energy through an array of small solar cells that convert sunlight into electrical power.
What’s more, both will drastically increase the value of the house and lower your carbon footprint.
Are Solar Panels and Tile Roofs Compatible?
Since tile roofs became so popular, solar panel companies had to come up with mounting methods for tiles as well. Surely, they couldn’t just drill through them, as it would easily crack the ceramic tiles. Also, people who live in antique houses wouldn’t be too happy with the prospects of their hundred-year roof getting drilled.
Instead, when mounting solar panels on tile roofs, workers remove the tiles under the racks and drill through the underlying surface to install the mounting braces. This is much easier and cheaper, and the roof can be easily fixed in case panels have to be removed. The preserved tiles simply return to their rightful place.
Where Else Can I Install Solar Panels?
If you are not comfortable with the idea of drilling through your roof or blocking the beautiful tile pattern with solar panels, you can use floor-planted ones. But consider that there are major downsides to them. First, they will take a major part of your garden space.
So, if it is limited or you wanted to reserve it for something else, this will be a problem. Second, installing solar panels on the ground is more difficult than doing that on the roof. You’ll need to do the underground wiring and install special mounts. The entire process will take much longer as well. And finally, if you live in a place that requires signing a homeowner association agreement, you may not be allowed to do that from an aesthetical point of view.
If you are fine with that, good for you. Ground mounting does not affect the power production of solar panels in any way.
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