Solar Panel Installation Cedar Rapids
What Process Does Solar Panel Installation Follow?
Solar systems are not cheap – though they do help you save a lot of money – and may require a real investment. As a result, you need to know how much solar panel installation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa may cost you. Thankfully, we at RJ Construction know how to handle this type of demand and will work hard to ensure that you get the kind of high-quality system that your home needs. In this way, you will be satisfied with your solar power for years to come.
Structural Assessment
The first step when going through solar panel installation is assessing the structure of your home. This step is critical because it helps to gauge whether or not your home is safe enough for installation. Typically, it starts when a structural engineer comes to your home, checks out the roof, and looks throughout the rest of your house. Often, this process can take a few weeks to finish.
As they look throughout the home, they will check for any leaks, breaks in the roof, or foundation problems that could impact your solar system. Then, they will gauge the overall strength of the roof, the types of shingles you have, and the damage that could be done to your roof by the solar system. When they are done, you’ll have a pretty good idea of the value of your roof and your home.
If they think that your roof is strong enough, they will give the okay to your solar specialists. At this point, they will work on the design of the solar system to ensure that it meets your needs. Typically, this process requires looking over your home, checking the strength of other areas, and creating a design that is easy to integrate onto your roof without causing any real complications.
Getting Permits
If you thought that waiting for the inspection was going to take a lot of time, the dreaded licensing and permit process would drive you crazy. That’s because your system will need various permits, licenses, and more from your city and your homeowners’ association before you can begin. Talk to each of these groups – or get help from your solar company – to get the paperwork necessary for solar panel installation.
Please fill it out as soon as you get it and turn it immediately. If you don’t, you’ll extend your wait even longer. That’s because you’re going to be waiting a while for approval. The officials must check all of your paperwork, including inspection reports and more, to get an idea of whether or not your system will be appropriate. Once they do, they have to process the paperwork and get legal approval.
So, just how long can you expect this process to take? If you are lucky, you’ll get all of your approval in around two weeks. In this best-case scenario, you’ll have been waiting at least a month before you get your solar power installed. But get ready for some bad news – sometimes, the approval process can take as long as eight weeks. And there isn’t much you can do to speed it up.
Installation Itself
Here comes the greatest irony of this whole process – the short length of the solar installation process itself. Unlike other types of system upgrades, most professionals should be able to handle a solar unit pretty quickly. Do you want to know how long this will take? After waiting up to two months to start the installation, how long will your installers be working on your home?
Usually, this process takes no more than 2-3 days. No, that’s not a typo – it should take less than a week to handle this installation process. That’s because innovations in solar design have made it easier to integrate these items on roofs. Just as importantly, professionals fully understand this process and can perform it much more effectively than they used to do in the past, helping to enhance efficiency.
After all of these steps have been taken, your professionals will then have to do a full and final inspection of the system. And…we hope you are sitting down. This step can take up to an entire month to finish. Ironically, it usually takes no more than a handful of days to install the system but months to handle all of the other aspects. But we promise that the wait is more than worth it for your improved efficiency.
Connection
Finally, once the inspection is over and your system has been approved, the solar panel installation process is coming to an end. You’ve spent up to three months waiting for your new system, and you’re ready to turn it on now. All you need to do is get the proper professionals to connect it to your home and the electrical supply, and you can start saving money on electricity.
The first step here is to install a bi-directional meter on your home. These meters help to track the direction of your power, how much you use, and the strength of your solar connection. After solar specialists install this item, they will hook your unit up to the power grid and your home. This step can take mere minutes to perform and, once they pull the switch, your unit will be active. As a result, your home will have the power that it needs for years to come after installation.
Don’t Ignore the Powers of Solar
As you can see, the best solar panel installation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa doesn’t have to be a significant challenge. Instead, you can get high-quality energy at a reasonable price and get the system that you need to keep your energy running more efficiently. So please don’t hesitate to contact us at RJ Construction today to learn more. Our professionals have years of experience and are ready to work with you to produce the kind of help that you need for your home and your electrical needs.