PV Gap

Kathryn Said:

best direction to face home for solar power?

We Answered:

In addition to the excellent answers above, some other considerations, if you get to choose where and how to build your home:

Make the south-facing roof large, and mostly clear of obstructions like vents and chimneys.

Have the roof sloped appropriately for solar - a general choice is to slope it approximately the same as the latitude of the location.

Make the roof strong, or at least one part of it, in case you want to support the tank for a thermosiphon water heater. Locate the water heater somewhere near where you might put a solar water heater on the roof, i.e., don't put the water heater far on the north side of the house if you can help it (in the northern hemisphere).

Put the electrical service panel near where you might put the solar array. Be generous with the size of the panel. Try to get one that is bigger than the sum of all the breakers used by the house. For example, if the house has 160A of circuits, get a 200A panel - and be sure some extra breaker slots are open. You will avoid having to redo the panel later, if you decide to add solar electric.