So you might be asking yourself an increasingly popular question, “Is installing solar panels on my home a good idea?” Luckily, we have a formula for you!

This article will help you calculate solar’s value and ROI without spending hours on the internet trying to research different methods of calculating returns. Some questions will have obvious answers, while others will be a little more technical, however by the end of this reading, you’ll know if solar is the right solution for your home or business.

Questions:

1. Do You Own Your Home? or Rent?

Landlords might not be too happy to find out you installed something on their roof… And you’ll be even less happy than your landlord when you find out they’re the ones reaping the returns and raking in the savings!

2. Is There Sun Where You Live?

Unless you live in a cave underground, the answer to this is almost always, “yes.” Even if you live in the North Pole or Antarctica, you may be surprised to find out solar panel efficiency actually increases at colder temperatures.

“The efficiency of photovoltaic modules declines as the temperature of solar cells increases to more than 30°C.”    – Ecoflow.com

And the sun is even closer to the Earth during the pole’s summer seasons. Although it does take a vacation from shining for the other 6 months of the year…

3. How Much Sun Does Your Roof Recieve?

Everyone loves a nice big tree that provides ample shade in summer months, but too much shade can make solar panels a poor investment. It varies because the sun never sits still, but if your roof is on average shaded for anymore than 50% of the day, solar panels may not provide the power output and returns you’re looking for.

“The maximum group size per diode, without causing damage, is about 18 cells/bypass diode, for silicon cells. For a normal 36 cell module, 2 bypass diodes are used to ensure the module will not be vulnerable to “hot-spot” damage.” – PVEducation.org

At Maverick Alternative Energy, all of our solar panels have atleast 36 cells, 2 bypass diodes, and will always be installed in parallel. Meaning when one panel is shaded, the others are still able to produce at near maximum efficiency.

“Bypass diodes and solar cells in parallel allow bypass paths to allow the cells to still form a complete circuit and produce energy even when one cell is shaded.” – Reddit.com

4. The Age and Slope of Your Roof

Most solar systems perform best on roofs with south-facing sides (in the northern hemisphere) and a slope between 15-40 degrees. East-facing works too, and West-facing is the second best choice for Calgary homes, due to the majority of electricity consumption being used in the evening when people are more likely doing things like laundry, using the microwave or stove, and playing video games or watching TV.

You should also consider the age and longevity of your roof, which can vary greatly. Metal roofs have an average lifespan of 40-70 years. While more traditional asphalt roofs last between 15 and 30 years.

5. What Incentives are Offered in Your Area?

In Calgary, and the rest of Canada, our federal government offers the Canada Greener Homes Grant (ended March, 2024 see below), and the Canada Greener Homes Loan, (most people got both if they qualified) which offers up to $40,000 at rates as low as 0% interest for 10 years! Way more than enough to put solar panels on your home.

“The Greener Homes Grant program was supposed to last seven years, but it has proven so popular that the money is being used up at a faster rate than expected.

The federal grant helped knock $5,000 off the price of installing rooftop solar panels on Nicolas Gautier’s Calgary home. He’s also taking advantage of a related federal program providing an interest-free loan.

“It was sort of a no-brainer for us,” said Gautier of the savings.” – CBC.ca

The Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) is another innovative financial tool offered at the provincial level by the Alberta government that allows both residential and commercial property owners easy access to financing programs.

“CEIP covers up to 100 per cent of project costs and offers convenient repayment through property owners’ regular property tax bill. CEIP project financing can be repaid at any time. Interest rates and terms are set by each participating municipality.” – ABmunis.ca

Our friends across the border in the US wish they had these incentives. While mosts states do offer their own amazing programs and incentives, the only other industry we can think of that offers interest-free loans to it’s customers is the Canada Student Aid program, (albeit with more stipulations, and less time).

We specifically specialize in solar installs serving the Calgary and surrounding areas, but if your our friends from the south you can click here to learn more US based information.

How do I qualify?

You’ll need an approved solar contractor like Maverick Alternative Energy to qualify for most of the programs. Otherwise everyone would be collecting the loan for who knows what…

If you want to save yourself the research and get expert help qualifying and applying for the programs, contact us at Maverick Solar and we will help you through the process together.

REDEFINE POWER

Maverick Alternative Energy Inc.