When it comes to building a sustainable future, no technology may have done more for the planet than solar. Solar allows home and business owners to harness the power of the sun and turn it into viable, clean energy with which to power their homes and their devices. And here’s the best part—solar can be retrofitted into the roof of nearly any existing structure.
Why the roof? The roof often has an unencumbered view of the sun for the most hours of sunlight every day, and that allows them to produce the most energy, making them the most efficient and the best investment. Likewise, roof-mounting solar panels keeps them in an area that’s otherwise unused for anything beyond protecting your home, which means they’re out of the way, often out-of-sight, and are of little to no impact to your daily life. Plus, solar can be mounted to just about any type of roof, including both residential roofs, commercial buildings, and industrial complexes alike!
Concrete Tile Roofs
Concrete tiles are one of, if not the most common type of roof found throughout the Phoenix area because of their superior durability when it comes to heat and brutal hours of sunlight, both extremely common in the Arizona desert. When summer months can easily soar into triple-digit temperatures, you need a roof that can withstand the damage, and tile roofs tend to be the best at it while also being outstanding at rejecting heat and keeping your home cool. Plus, with the slope of your roof, it’s super simple to install panels, as they often don’t need to be propped up or additionally supported in order to get a good view of the sun.
These roofs do have a downside: concrete tiles can be brittle, and walking on them can cause them to crack or shatter, resulting in damage to your roof. This tendency may cause some people to think that mounting solar panels on them can be dangerous or potentially risk serious damage to their roof. To put it simple, this isn’t the case. We simply select mounting hardware that’s specifically designed for use with tile roofs and seamlessly integrates into your tiles without cracking and damaging them. Likewise, trained solar panel installers know how to work on these types of roofs so that they don’t damage your tiles and your installation is done in accordance with high standards of quality. Tiles that do break are easily replaced.
Asphalt Shingles Roofs -Pitched-Most common Asphalt Roof
Asphalt is a popular material for pitched roof applications. Asphalt shingles are an easily-installed, inexpensive roofing material made from common industrial materials, making them one of the most popular choices for roofing materials all across the country. While their cost is certainly their greatest upside, they aren’t as durable as clay or concrete roof tiles or other more expensive pitched-roof materials. They’re also more prone to damage from things like hailstorms heavy winds, and extremely high temperatures.
However, they are one of the easiest materials to install solar panels onto. Because they’re fairly durable when it comes to foot traffic, they’re easy to move about on. Likewise, adding solar panels on top of them actually can help extend their lifespan by protecting them from immense heat and brutal sunlight. It’s also super easy to attach mounting hardware to asphalt tile roofs due to the flexible nature of the material, and any necessary repairs can be easily conducted.
Foam Roofs
Their white color makes them outstanding for hot-weather climates like the Arizona desert, and they’re particularly good at avoiding cracking caused by heat that many other types of flat roofs may struggle with. We can also install on foam roofs, using specialized materials that are specifically designed to prevent any damage to your foam roof while also securely fastening down your panels. Likewise, because foam roofs are also usually either flat or low-pitch, finding a place to mount panels on them is usually extremely simple.
Let us show you how much you could save by switching to solar, and how our panels work with your already-existing roof! Call Arizona Solar Concepts at (480) 462-6399 or contact us online today!