Things to Know with installing a Solar Panel

If you’ve made the decision to install solar panels in your home, you’re making a smart choice that can save you money and help protect the environment. Green building and green living are the wave of the future, and solar panels can be a big part of that.

However, you may be wondering if you need a building permit to add solar panels to your home. The answer is “yes” — you will need a permit. Any addition to your home is likely to require a permit, and adding anything, including photo voltaic panels, without learning about and applying for the proper permissions can have serious consequences.

What Kind of Permissions Might I Need in Order to Add Solar Panels to My Home?

Getting a permit to install solar panels isn’t just about going down to City Hall and filling out a form. There may be local, state and federal building or safety standards you must comply with. Even if you’ve had solar panels installed before, the rules may have changed, or the rules may be different for your new location, so you still need to verify that you’ll be in compliance. You may also need to have a local electrical inspector approve that you’re meeting the appropriate electrical codes. Presumably, you already have homeowners’ insurance. Your insurer may also have regulations about any additions to your house that you need to comply with in order to avoid invalidating your policy. The power company may also need to be notified and clear your solar panel plans.

How Do I Make Sure My Solar Panel Additions Are Properly Licensed?

The best way to make sure your solar panel addition will not violate any codes is to have a professional solar panel installer come in, assess your building and your project, determine the permissions you will need and help you obtain them. One of the reasons people resist this idea is because they think it will be cheaper to install solar panels themselves. This is usually wrong for several reasons.

The first, as you can see, is that without the necessary experience, you might not get all the permissions you need, and this can be far costlier than having professionals do the job. But even beyond this, there are a number of expensive pitfalls you can encounter while attempting to install your own solar panels, including failure to install the panels correctly — which might necessitate professional intervention even after you spend a lot of time and money on the job — or damaging your roof, requiring an expensive roof repair that will probably not be covered by your homeowners’ insurance.

This is why, if you’re interested in adding solar panels to your building or home, it’s important that you contact Solar Max today. Solar Max is a highly experienced solar panel installer and knows the local regulations and can help homeowners obtain the proper permits.
We’ll talk to you and make a thorough inspection of your location, providing a comprehensive, no-obligation proposal before we do any work, so you know exactly what to expect from your new solar panel installation. Solar Max will put the panels in right the first time, so you get maximum energy savings from your solar panel installation in addition to the great look that comes from a professionally done installation job.

If you’d like to schedule a comprehensive, no-obligation assessment of your proposed solar panel installation project, or if you have any questions about solar panel installation, the benefits of solar energy, the necessary permits and how to obtain them, please contact us today.