Roof Pitch For Solar Panels

Solar contractors recommend using the latitude of your home s location as the degree of tilt.

Roof pitch for solar panels.

However pitch angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations. If you are looking at a roof plan for your home or business very rarely will it list the roof pitch in degrees instead it lists the rise and the run of the roof. Roof pitch or slope refers to the amount of vertical rise a roof has relative to 12 inches of the horizontal run measurement. Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces.

The illustration shows the pitch of a 7 12 roof slope meaning that the vertical rise measurement roof rise is 7 and the horizontal run measurement roof run is 12. Many roofs are going to have slopes between 30 and 40 degrees which means that solar panels can lie flush against the roof and produce enough electricity for attractive returns. Ideally a fixed roof mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. There are several factors in your control when it comes to finding the ideal pitch for your solar panels.

When you want to install solar panels it is vital to understand certain features of the roof and the solar panels. Purchase solar roof at one of the lowest cost per watt of any national provider and take control of your monthly electricity bill. For example the latitude of los angeles california is 34 degrees so the tilt of your solar panels would be 34 degrees. A solar panel roof load calculator helps you to establish the size and the weight of the solar panels that your roof can accommodate.

If you are trying to install solar panels on a steep roof it may not be possible to place panels at the optimal tilt with traditional racking systems. The following diagram will let you easily convert roof pitch. Solar roof is comparable in price to a typical roof with solar panels. Trackers are structures which hold the solar panels in order to move and or tilt them according to the position of the sun.

However solar trackers can be used on a ground installation or on a flat roof. For example a 7 12 roof pitch means that for ever 12 of horizontal distance the roof will increase in height by 7. At this level the solar panel can lie flat on the roof and get enough sunlight to produce enough electricity. In case the roof is very steep you may not be able to get the most optimal tilt angle for the panel especially if it is lower than the angle of the roof.