DIY Guide To Solar Panel Installation

Savings, savings, and savings. The question of how to save in an utterly developing world concerns many. Indeed, the answer to that question is in a mindful consumption of everything accessible to humankind. For instance, people all over the world thrive towards environmental sustainability, which raises concerns regarding the financial part of the so-called movement. However, it turns out that the reality is different. One of the crucial steps to take to reach environmental sustainability is replacing fossil fuels with a renewable resource – solar energy. This switch is a crucial yet savvy step forward to being a sustainable citizen. Not only are monthly fixed costs for solar energy incremental, but also the ways to complete solar panel installation are many and savvy. Yes! Savvy! With solar panel installation you either need to take professionals’ help or do it yourself – DIY it. With incremental fixed electricity billings, DIY installation option makes the process even savvier. What about knowing more about DIYing solar panel installation? Let’s go!

Benefits of DIY Solar Panels

Save: Upfront installation costs are really high, which make the photovoltaic (PV) panel installation a financial burden. If done DIY, the installation comes at no additional cost for the professional crew. The thing is that with professional solar panel installers, the payment per watt is $2.5. Instead, with DIY installation it costs $1. See, it comes at handy as on average $7,500 potential savings accumulate. 

DIY Joy: Depending on the type of personality you have, DIY projects may interest you, especially if you are someone who loves taking on challenging projects. What better challenging project can you find if not a solar panel installation? It is a chain of procedures that should be completed professionally, otherwise the PV system won’t work as expected. Besides, for the completion of these procedures, different skill sets are required, including negotiation abilities, financial planning, power tool proficiency, etc. Taking all these as a package required to overcome the challenge with PV installation, it may turn out to be a pleasurable task if you are that challenge seeker. 

How To Proceed With The DIY Plan

Step 1: Carefully decide on what your goal is. The goals may vary between different options like generating savings, accumulating backup power, or getting independence from the grid. Depending on the goal you choose, you get the opportunity to determine the best type of the PV system that suits your needs. 

Step 2: As soon as your goal is assured, you should go with one type of these three PV kinds, including grid-tied, hybrid, and off-grid. For the first type, you get the lowest possible upfront costs. This allows you to save money. For the second type, you get multifunctionality which gives you the opportunity to accumulate backup power. For the third type, you get independence from the grid as it operates solely on its own. 

Step 3: Check whether rules and regulations allow PV panel installation in the area or a document is needed.

Step 4: Design it! Several factors like energy consumption, climate, panel orientation & angle, efficiency, loss of conversion, shading, expandability, and battery size alongside its charging come at you simultaneously. During the design phase, you may think about installing a home battery. Let me give you a piece of advice: consider buying a solar panel kit upfront to eliminate the additional costs of buying separate products on the go. 

These 4 steps are the crucial ones to take care of. After these, documentation and supplier processes come. Only after these processes are overcome, the main installation takes place. 

First, you install the racking and mounting system to have a firm base for the equipment.

Second, you bring into connection the microinverters. 

Third, you engage the grounding wires into the work.

Fourth, the roof junction box gets installed.

Fifth, the installation of the main equipment – solar panel takes place.

Sixth, check-ups on home run connections start.

If completing these steps successfully, after a final inspection everything is ready for the switch. 

Going solar has never been both savvy and joyful!