If you are thinking about adding a solar electricity system to your house, the costs and the savings are large issues. First, there is the initial expense of purchasing and installing the solar panels array. But there are also a lot of methods that you will be saving money, not only with your immediate energy savings, but savings against rising energy costs and the increase in your home’s value as well.

Since there so many factors go into installing a solar electricity array, each house needs to be considered on a situation by situation basis. The pitch of the roof, the direction it faces, the position of shade trees or buildings that might block sun from reaching the panels must all be evaluated. And an exact valuation is very vital for each solar electricity system to function at maximum solar efficiency. Professional solar roof panel installers can give exact quotes for the supplies and installation for your individual site.

Your immediate solar panel energy savings will depend on whether or not your local electric company participates in net metering. Net metering refers to the policy which some electric power companies have of purchasing back excess power that is produced by customers who have solar array installations. If your local electric company offers this, you will see a considerable reduction in your power bills. Some consumers actually have a zero balance each month as their solar panel system generates enough electricity for their own use as well as surplus to send back into the power grid. But even if you power utility does not allow net metering, your power bills will still be reduced. During the day when the sun is hitting your roof solar arrays, your appliances will be running off your own solar energy rather than electricity from the grid.

And there is also the likelihood that solar electric systems will become valuable assets to homes in the near future. As electricity costs continue to climb, awareness of the value of alternate power systems is on the rise. If you have a history of power savings that you can show to a potential purchaser, it can be a strong incentive for them to choose your house over one that has higher energy operating costs. And since electricity prices are predicted to be higher in the future, your solar power panel system represents a real hedge against inflation. A solar electric system also means that your home won’t be affected by brown outs and electricity outages that can occur due to bad weather or simply due to grid overload.

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 worried that installing solar photovoltaic panels on your home will result in time consuming, costly and complicated maintenance, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Most solar panels used for residential systems are made of solar photovoltaic cells encapsulated in thick glass, mounted onto metal racks. Since they have no moving parts, once they are installed they require minimal maintenance.

Of course, this may depend on where you live, what kinds of weather conditions are typical for your area and whether or not you have a lot of trees in your yard. For instance, if you live in a area where there is a lot of snow in the winter, you may have to spend some time after a heavy blizzard cleaning off the solar panels so the sun can reach them. Or if you live in an area that has regular dust storms, or an urban district where there is a lot of dirt in the air, you may have to clean off the glass cells periodically to maximize their efficiency. But if it rains repeatedly enough, that should be adequate to keep your solar panels clean enough to function properly.

If there are a lot of deciduous trees in your yard that shed their leaves every autumn, you may need to make sure that those leaves don’t cover up your solar power panels. Even evergreen trees will shed their needles and may require a periodic clean up. But a quick swipe with a broom should do the trick.

Of course, the solar panels are not the only components in the system. If you have an off grid system, it will include power storage batteries and perhaps a back up generator. These components will require more monitoring and continuing maintenance than the solar power panels themselves. It’s always a good idea to arrange for regular inspections to make sure that your entire solar electricity system is running properly.

If your solar power panels are tied to the grid, you will still have an inverter as part of your system. It converts the electricity that your solar panels generate into alternating current that your appliances can use. Even though it has no mechanical parts, it is an essential component and should be frequently inspected.