Which Way Should My House Face For Solar Panels

The following is a guest post by dr.

Which way should my house face for solar panels.

Orientation of the panels. The sun doesn t have to be beaming directly on the panels at the perfect angle. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south. The direction that your solar panels face is ultimately dependent on whether or not your system is connected through net energy metering nem and under a time of use tou payment structure.

Solar panels convert light into dc electricity. Does my house have to face south for solar to work. The short answer is no. Since the majority of solar panel owners keep their system on the grid we can split this grouping into simply those who pay for energy based on a tou payment.

Net energy metering and time of use. The pull or magnetic declination will vary in direction and strength depending on your location. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. The earth has a fluid outer core made of iron and nickel which pulls the needle of your compass slightly away from true south.

The direction your panels face is certainly a factor in how much they will generate and closer to south is better but it is only one factor. Five or six years ago the question of which direction solar panels should face was easy. Where should i install solar panels if the direction of my roof doesn t face the north. Which way should my solar panels be facing.

When you re thinking about getting solar panels to adorn your rooftop and power your home there s a lot to consider. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. Because high feed in tariffs were available they simply had to have an orientation facing north in order to maximise the amount of electricity they produced and so earn the most feed in. Solar panels facing east or west won t get as much light as those on a northern facing roof.

Solar south or geographic south. North is the only direction that we don t want to put panels on. We can install panels on south east or west facing roofs. While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face.

It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day. If your roof faces east west rather than north south you have a few options. If your roof faces slightly off south or even straight east west it is still very likely that solar pv could generate savings and income for you. So what direction should solar panels face.

Apart from how much power each panel can produce how many panels you ll need what size and how well they ll work with your rooftop you ll also want to consider the best direction for solar panels to face.