Which Way Should My House Face For Solar Panels

Joshua rhodes a postdoctoral research fellow in the webber energy group and the energy institute at the university.

Which way should my house face for solar panels.

Since the majority of solar panel owners keep their system on the grid we can split this grouping into simply those who pay for energy based on a tou payment. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. If your roof faces east west rather than north south you have a few options. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.

Solar panels facing east or west won t get as much light as those on a northern facing roof. Does my house have to face south for solar to work. The most optimum direction to face your solar panels is somewhere between south and west. If your roof does not face the right direction then surface mounted panels or pole mounted panels may be your best bet.

Five or six years ago the question of which direction solar panels should face was easy. The direction your panels face is certainly a factor in how much they will generate and closer to south is better but it is only one factor. North is the only direction that we don t want to put panels on. Which way should my solar panels be facing.

If your roof faces slightly off south or even straight east west it is still very likely that solar pv could generate savings and income for you. Where should i install solar panels if the direction of my roof doesn t face the north. The sun doesn t have to be beaming directly on the panels at the perfect angle. Net energy metering and time of use.

So what direction should solar panels face. The following is a guest post by dr. The short answer is no. We can install panels on south east or west facing roofs.

The direction that your solar panels face is ultimately dependent on whether or not your system is connected through net energy metering nem and under a time of use tou payment structure. Apart from how much power each panel can produce how many panels you ll need what size and how well they ll work with your rooftop you ll also want to consider the best direction for solar panels to face. Orientation of the panels. Because high feed in tariffs were available they simply had to have an orientation facing north in order to maximise the amount of electricity they produced and so earn the most feed in.

While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face. The direction solar panels should face is true south a k a. The earth has a fluid outer core made of iron and nickel which pulls the needle of your compass slightly away from true south. When you re thinking about getting solar panels to adorn your rooftop and power your home there s a lot to consider.

It is at this location that your panels will receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.