Solar energy has helped many homeowners gain control of their costs and enjoy a great return on investment. Transitioning to solar will increase your home’s value and protect the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.1 If you’re reading this, you may be wondering about the steps involved in going solar and how long it takes. We’ve created this overview to help explain the solar installation process and what to expect.
Pre-Installation Work
First things first, before any installation work can start, a few essential steps are necessary to determine your family’s energy needs and ensure your home is solar ready. A quality full-service solar company will analyze your past utility bills and determine your energy usage. This will help engineer and design a system that produces enough energy to meet your family’s needs and reduce your dependence on the power grid. Then, the solar company will analyze shade and sunlight in the area where solar will be installed. This will help design a panel formation that will generate the most energy for your family. A site survey is also performed to ensure the area where solar will be installed is secure enough to hold the system. Your main service panel will also be inspected, and if needed, can be replaced. A full-service solar company like SunnyMac will also manage the paperwork and administrative work needed to obtain township approval and rebates. Solar systems typically take around one day to complete from start to finish.
Solar Installation Day
If you’re a SunnyMac customer, installation day begins with an introduction from the crew lead overseeing your installation. The crew lead will review plans with you and ask questions about your specific preferences. They will want to know where you’d prefer to run the conduit and install the inverter. They will offer suggestions and feedback if needed. It’s visually more appealing to run the conduit through the attic or roof space if available. We usually recommend this option to customers. We also follow all mandatory fire codes.
Solar Installation for Roof Mounts
The method of solar installation performed depends on the type of roof you have. Note that SunnyMac does not install solar on tile or cedar shake roofs, as they do not provide enough support to safely hold your solar system. Before any installation work begins, we use a lumber crayon, which is a non-permanent chalk-like marking instrument, to outline the planned location for each panel. This ensures the solar array is placed exactly where needed according to the plan, which is structurally engineered and approved by the township and engineers.
Asphalt Shingle Installation
We use a state-of-the-art flashless system that does not require shingles to be lifted. This top-of-the-shingle flashing uses a butylene base to completely weather seal the attachment point to assure that leaks will not occur. This top down attachment methodology allows for minimal interruption to your roof system to insure that the initial roof construction remains undisturbed. We ensure all panels are equally level and that there is enough height to maintain proper cooling and ventilation under the panels. The panels are installed and secured in place to the railing.
SunnyMac offers an extensive, long-term warranty that covers all parts of your system and our workmanship. We seek to provide complete peace of mind. A quality full-service solar company like SunnyMac also specializes in roof installation. We have a Roofing Department with 50+ team members and foremen with decades of experience. We have earned the coveted designation of Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Partner. Roughly 39% of our solar installation jobs in 2024 included a new roof installation, so you can trust you’re in experienced hands.
The next step is installing the inverter. This is an important component of your system, as it converts DC energy from sunlight that has been captured by your panels and converts it into AC energy. This form of energy is what powers the items in your home, such as washers and dryers, TVs, HVAC systems, and more. The disconnect for your system is installed within 10 feet of where we make the connection to your home’s electricity. This is how you can turn your system off, should the need ever arise.
Metal Roof Installation
We can also install on metal roofs, including hexagonal corrugated and standing seam types. The supportive rail is installed, similar to asphalt shingles, except the mounts are different to help protect the metal material of your roof. We use butaman washers to prevent water and rust, and mounts are made to fit over the grooves of your metal roof. No matter the corrugation style, we have mounts that fit it securely.
Flat Roof Installation
SunnyMac will install solar on several types of flat roofs, including modified bitumen, membrane, rolled composite and more. Since we can’t lift these materials, we install it directly on top using a flashless mount combined with a waterproof and weatherproof sealant.
Solar Installation for Ground Mounts
Some customers opt to have solar installed on land instead of the roof. Before any work begins, a quality full-service solar company like Sunnymac will obtain zoning approval from your township and perform a survey of the area beforehand. Because each township is different, it’s important to work with a long-standing company familiar with different townships. Some townships require the installation to be far removed from the property line.
The first step is to stake out the location. Then, we collect soil samples of the area to get the torque number and see how tightly the piling needs to be installed into the ground. Air-powered drilling equipment is used to impact posts into the ground securely. Then, we install rails and lay panels on the rack. Your system needs to be connected to your electricity. To do this, we dig a trench that runs from your electricity to the ground mount. Similar to a roof mounted system, the disconnect still needs to be within 10 feet of where we connect to your electricity. It is typical to install the inverter near the ground mount, for simplicity.
Get Your Complimentary Savings Analysis
SunnyMac was established in 2009 and has installed over 12,000 solar systems. If you are interested in learning about the potential return on investment you can expect by transitioning your home to solar, contact us today. One of our Solar and Roofing Advisors is waiting to provide that information to you and answer any questions you may have about going solar.
Resources:
- Delaware.gov. Considerations for installing solar panels in Delaware. Accessed 10/18/24.
