Many aspects of a Solar project can be frustrating, which is why contractors charge so much for a turnkey solar installation. But, if you are smart and get your system from GoGreenSolar, you can avoid the cost of the contractor and keep clear of the most common issues of a do it yourself solar project.

With solar, the headaches start long before you begin installing. First, you have to decide how big of a system to get. This means evaluating your Roof and understanding your local fire code rules about setbacks and walkways. You will also have to determine how much solar your existing main service panel can accommodate and what your options are to modify it to so you can install more. Finally, you have to figure out what the system size will do for you in terms of saving money on your electric bill. This means understanding your current electric rate and what options you will have for your rate after installing the solar. Fortunately, the experts at GoGreenSolar can walk you through this whole process.

Once you have decided on a system size, you still have to choose what equipment to get. With dozens of brands of solar panels, multiple inverter types and all sorts of different racking options this can be a bit daunting. Researching it yourself could take months and every manufacturer says their product is the best so if you read every brochure available, you will even more confused than when you started. You definitely want help from someone with experience who can tell you what will work best for your individual situation and make sure you get a system where all the components are compatible and nothing important is missing.

Now you’ve finally selected all your equipment, but you still have to pull a permit before you can start installing anything. Solar is very complex and building departments expect a lot more than a few hand drawn sketches and some specification sheets. A typical solar permit (like the one you will get from GoGreenSolar) is 10-15 pages with all the notes, calculations and details that will get your permit approved easily. As a bonus, this permit paperwork will also be a guide for your installation as it includes helpful things like your wire and conduit sizing so you will save all the time of trying to figure that out.

But wait, you’re not done with the paperwork yet. You also have to apply for “net metering” with your local electric company. This is rarely a simple process and the timing of the submittal is different depending on which electric company you are dealing with. This is another place where GoGreenSolar can help you out. They have experience with electric companies all over the country.

Okay, now that you have finished your paperwork, you can start your installation. One of the most difficult tasks is right at the beginning – finding the roof rafters. Those rascally roof rafters are never spaced at a perfect 16” or 24” like they should be and a normal stud finder won’t work through all the layers of roof material and roof decking. Even the most experienced solar installers spend a lot of time sitting on the roof tapping with their hammer, listening for the difference when they hit a rafter. But, once again, GoGreenSolar has your back and now includes an ingenious new tool that doesn’t just find the rafter, it finds the actual center of the rafter so you can avoid splintering or splitting rafters with your lag bolts. 

There are many other things that could trip you up on your do-it-yourself solar installation but if you purchased from GoGreenSolar, answers to your questions are only a phone call or email away. From start to finish, we are with you through every step of the process.