It’s a common misconception that installing solar panels on your roof will make your house hotter. The opposite is often true! Solar panels can help reduce your energy bills and keep your home cooler in the summer months. Let’s take a closer look at how solar panels work and how they can benefit your home.
Do solar panels make your house hotter?
Solar panels do not make your house hotter because the solar panels create a ventilation space, creating a cooling effect on the roof. According to a study done by researchers at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, solar panels lowered the amount of heat hitting the roof by an impressive 38 percent, keeping a building’s roof 5 degrees cooler than areas exposed to direct sunlight.
Roof-mounted solar panels create a ventilation space
When solar panels are mounted on brackets, they create a space between the roof and the panels. This space allows hot air to rise and escape, lowering the temperature of the roof and attic.
To understand how solar panels mounted on your roof create a ventilation space, it is first necessary to understand how heat is transferred. Heat is transferred through three different methods: conduction, convection, and radiation.
The ventilation space between the solar panels and roof transfers heat from the roof with convection to the air, dissipating the heat. This effectively reduces the heat on the roof by as much as 38 percent.
Do solar panels make your roof last longer?
Solar panels can also have a positive impact on your roof. Installing solar panels can help to extend the life of your roof. Here’s how:
Solar panels protect from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can cause damage to your roof over time. The panels also act against wind, hail, and other elements.
Solar panels can help keep your attic cooler in the summer months, preventing heat from damaging your shingles.
The installation of solar panels can help to strengthen your roof by providing additional support. This is especially important in areas where roofs are susceptible to high winds.
Overall, solar panels can be a great way to save money and protect your roof.
Do solar panels reduce attic temperature?
The attic is the house area that is directly below the roof. In hot climates, the temperature in an attic can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun heats the roof, and the heat is then transferred to the attic. Solar panels can help reduce the temperature on the roof and in an attic by shading and cooling the roof through the ventilation space created by the solar panels.
a Cooler roof means a cooler attic. The installation of solar panels can help reduce the temperature of your attic by as much as 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
