Positioning your solar heat panels

If you’ve decided to install a solar thermal system at your home or business, you’ll need to think about how to place your solar heat panels. Your system’s efficiency depends on how much solar energy the solar heat panels can collect, so placing the panels appropriately is a top priority. At Smith Sustainable Design, we position solar heat panels using the proper orientation and tilt for optimum performance.

Solar heat panels need to be placed in a space and direction that allows them to collect the maximum amount of solar energy each day. During a site survey, we will determine which direction is best for your panels to face. Typically, solar heat panels in New Jersey and Pennsylvania should face south. We will also consider the orientation of your roof if you’d like to have your panels mounted on the roof, and landscape features to determine how the solar heat panels will be affected by shade throughout the day.

The tilt of your solar heat panels is another important factor that helps us maximize your solar energy collection. The angle of your roof plays a part in helping your solar heat panels collect the sun’s energy to heat your water. Most panels today are mounted flat to the roof, so the roof pitch will also be the same angle as the tilt of the panels. A flat mount looks better to many homeowners than a rack mount. The angle of your roof will be used to help us determine the appropriate sizing of your entire solar hot water system.

Positioning your solar heat panels properly is crucial to the performance of your system. The solar heat panel installers at Smith Sustainable Design and specially trained to consider orientation and tilt to develop an optimal installation plan for your equipment. Contact us today to schedule your site survey.