If you reside an area that has weather extremes, you may be wondering if solar cells are reasonable for your residence. After all, tornados, snow and ice storms, hail and hurricanes take their toll on regular roofs each year. Would it really make sense to install solar cells on a roof that has to withstand those kinds of weather extremes? Here a few specifics that will help you decide.

1. It makes sense to be worried about hail or wind damage to the glass that encapsulates the solar cells and allows them to have exposure to the sun. But the answer is to make sure that the solar power panels you use are made with high shock tempered glass. High quality solar panels are made with glass that can uphold its integrity during 60 miles per hour storms dropping 3/4″ hail. So they will usually resist conditions that are similar to what your roofing material will tolerate.

2. Before your home solar power cells are installed, your contractor must make sure that the roof itself is able to carry the load of the solar panel roof arrays. As soon as that is established and the solar panels are attached to the roof, they should be able to remain solidly in place. In the case of a tornado or hurricane, your solar cells will typically stay attached to your roof. The only way you can lose them is if the roof itself comes off.

3. In areas where there is large snowfall, snow may cover the solar panels and block them from receiving direct sunlight. In that case, they cannot generate energy and it will be essential to brush off the snow. But the panels themselves will not be damaged by a heavy snowfall.

4. The bigger worry would be that the roof itself may not be capable to hold out the weight of a heavy, wet snowfall. In that case, it would be smart to shovel the roof as well as eliminate the snow from the solar panels. But in the case of a small amount of snow, the warmth retained by the solar panels is typically enough to melt off the snow and keep the panels clean.

5. As a last point, verify with your homeowner’s insurance policy. Solar cells are usually incorporated in the coverage at no additional cost. If not, consider altering to a policy that will provide sufficient coverage.

If you are thinking about installing a residential solar electricity system in your house, you will need to know your current energy usage. Usually, you can get this information from your local utility company. Using these facts as a basis, you will be able to plan your solar panel system to fit the needs of your home. The climate in your region will have an impact on electricity use, as will the direction your windows face, the amount and location of trees on your site, and the types of appliances you own. Even the kind of light bulbs you use can make a difference.

The annual temperature extremes in the geographical district you live in will be a big factor. If you live in an area with temperature extremes in winter or in summer, you will use more power to warm or cool your home than if you lived in a reasonable climate.
South facing windows in a cold climate can help decrease your heating bills. North facing windows in a hot climate can reduce cooling bills.

Older trees can provide shade and help lower cooling bills during the summer, while the exposed tree limbs allow sunlight in during the winter months. All of these factors contribute to your overall power usage. And installing energy efficient insulation in walls, roofs and floors help decrease utility bills in all climates.

If possible, convert all of your appliances to energy efficient models. Newer appliance models often use as much as 50% less power than older models, especially if they need repairs and are not working at peak efficiency. Changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs also makes a significant impact on dropping energy consumption.

After evaluating your home for these factors, you can plan to construct a solar cell system by multiplying your typical daily kilowatt hour usage by about 0.25. This should give you a approximate guess of the daily kilowatts your solar cells will need to generate in order to supply your current electrical needs.