San Diego, CA – The benefits of installing solar panels on your home go far beyond the electricity produced. According to new research from the University of California, San Diego, the shade provided by an array of solar panels will actually insulate your home from heat to the point of reducing cooling costs. These savings are estimated to result in a 5% discount on the price of the system over its lifetime.
A research team at the Jacobs School of Engineering used thermal imaging cameras to analyze the difference in heat signatures between roofs with and without solar arrays. On average, the roof structure of a solar array building is 5 degrees cooler than buildings in direct sunlight. One would expect shaded roofs to be cooler, but the surprise came from how much cooler they were. One study found that a building saw a 38% reduction in the amount of solar heat directly hitting the roof, indicating that savings could exceed the 5% estimate in the long run.
Your solar panels essentially act as roof shades that absorb the sun’s heat. Air between the panel and the roof helps dissipate this heat since most solar arrays are installed on a slope. It has been found that at night, solar panels also help to retain the heat stored in the building, being an effective insulator in winter.
Solar panels can be mounted on most roofs with minimal perforation or structural interference. There is a wide variety of shelving and mounting hardware options, and most can be installed by the homeowner or general contractor.