Once you make the decision to install solar panels on your home, you are going to need to make a series of smaller decisions that will impact the type of equipment you purchase and how the installation process goes. These choices will impact the overall cost of the solar installation project for your home.

Choice #1: To Keep or Replace Your Roof

The first thing you need to do is inspect your roof. One of the most common places to install solar panels is on the roof. You need to examine the condition of your roof to learn if it can withstand solar panels. Solar panels are designed to last for a couple of decades, so you want a roof that can withstand a couple decades of wear as well. If you have an older roof, you may need to replace the roof in order to install solar panels on it.

Choice #2: Where to Mount the Solar Panels

Second, you need to determine where you want to mount the solar panels. Although one of the most common places to mount solar panels is on rooftops, you can also mount your solar panels on the ground. Where you put the solar panels really depends upon where the sunlight hits your property. You want your solar panels to be located where they are going to get the most exposure to the sun; your solar panels need lots of sunlight in order to produce energy for your home.

Choice #3: To Use or Not Use Solar Batteries

Third, you need to determine if you want to hook up your solar panels to the electrical grid so that excess power from your solar panels flows back into the electrical grid. With this option, the electrical company pays you for that energy. On the flip side, you can store the excess energy that your solar panels create within solar batteries. This will allow you to pull energy from your own solar batteries when your solar panels are not getting as much sunlight.

Choice #4: Micro-Inverters or String Inverters

Finally, you need to determine if you want to use micro-inverters or string inverters. Micro-inverters are necessary if your roof isn't positioned to optimally face the sun or if all your solar are facing different directions. String inverters work best when your home faces toward the sun and if all your solar panels can face the same direction.

When it comes to installing solar panels on your home, you need to determine where you want to place the solar panels, the type of inverters to use with the solar panels, if you want solar back-up batteries, and if you need to upgrade your roof as well.

Contact a company like Aram Solar to learn more.