You’re staring at the facility’s energy bills again, and the numbers are doing what they always do: climbing. You’ve kicked around the idea of a commercial solar-plus-storage system to get a handle on those operational costs. Then you get home, open your own mail, and find your residential electricity bill has jumped, too. And it brings up the same question, just on a different scale: If solar works for the warehouse, could it actually work for my house?
Let’s be clear. Going solar isn’t just about bolting a few panels to your shingles. It’s a serious capital investment, for your business or your family. As an engineer or procurement lead, you’d never greenlight a six-figure project on a whim. Frankly, your home deserves that same level of due diligence.
Kamada Power 10kwh Powerwall Home Battery
Kamada Power 10kwh Home Sodium ion Battery
Why a Feasibility Checklist Matters Before Going Solar
We’ve all seen projects go sideways. Jumping into a solar installation without a solid plan is just asking for expensive surprises down the road. Running through a feasibility check first is about getting your ducks in a row. It lets you:
- Reduce financial risk: You’ll have a clear picture of the costs, the real payback period, and the potential ROI before you ever sign a contract. No more guesswork.
- Avoid installation surprises: Is your roof secretly too old? Is your electrical panel a relic from the 80s? Finding this out when the crew is on-site means delays and budget overruns.
- Maximize return on investment: A smart system—one that accounts for your roof’s orientation and local incentives—is going to generate more power and save you more money over its 25-year life. It’s that simple.
- Align with local regulations and incentives: Half the battle is navigating the maze of permits, HOA rules, and utility agreements. A good check maps this out from the start.
Quick Pre-Check: Are You a Good Candidate for Home Solar?
Before we get into the weeds, let’s do a quick gut check. You’re probably in a good position to go solar if you can nod along to these three points:
- You own your home. This one’s a non-starter for most renters, though landlords can certainly invest.
- Your average monthly electric bill is consistently north of $100. Any lower, and the payback period can start to feel painfully long.
- You know proč you’re doing this. Is it purely about the numbers? Or is energy independence during blackouts a big driver? Your motivation shapes the entire project.
If you’re still with me, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and look at the real feasibility factors.
Full Home Solar Feasibility Checklist
1. Roof Suitability
First things first: your roof. It’s the most valuable real estate for your solar system, so it better be up to the job.
- Age and Condition: Does your roof have at least 10, maybe 15, years of good life left in it? If you’re looking at a replacement in the next five years, get it done před the panels go up. Trust me, paying a crew to take down and reinstall panels is a cost you don’t want.
- Material: Good old asphalt shingles are the easiest and most common. Metal, tile, and slate roofs are definitely doable, but they often need special mounting hardware that can bump up the cost a bit.
- Orientation and Angle: In the US and Europe, a south-facing roof is the gold standard. But don’t despair if yours faces east or west—these are still highly productive, catching the morning and afternoon sun. An angle between 15 and 40 degrees is the sweet spot.
- Available Space: You need a clean, shade-free runway. A pretty standard 6 kW system will eat up about 300-400 square feet of that prime, sunny real estate.
2. Sunlight Exposure
Panels need fuel, and that fuel is sunlight. How much does your roof actually get?
- Local Solar Irradiance: This is just a fancy term for the amount of solar energy hitting your area (measured in kWh/m²/day). You can look up your numbers with NREL’s tools. More sun, more power.
- Shading: That beautiful old oak tree in the yard? It could be a production killer. Same goes for chimneys or your neighbor’s new addition. Use Google Project Sunroof for a first pass, but a real installer will do a detailed on-site analysis.
- Seasonal Variations: You’ll make bank in the summer and less in the winter. Any decent proposal will model this out so you know what to expect for the whole year, not just the best-case months.
3. Structural and Electrical Readiness
This is where DIY assessments often go wrong.
- Roof Load-Bearing Capacity: Panels and racking add a couple of pounds per square foot. Most modern roofs are built to handle it without breaking a sweat, but if you have an older home, it’s wise to get a structural engineer to sign off.
- Electrical Panel: Think of your main panel as the grid’s front door to your home. For a solar-plus-storage setup, a 200-Amp panel is really what you want. If you’re running on an old 100-Amp panel, an upgrade is likely in the cards, so budget for it.
- Space for Equipment: You need a spot for the brains of the operation—the inverter and possibly a battery. Usually, this is a bit of wall space in the garage or basement. From our work with industrial ESS, we know that planning for proper ventilation and access here is crucial for long-term performance and safety.
4. Local Regulations and Permits
Don’t sleep on the paperwork. It can be a surprisingly big hurdle.
- HOA and Zoning: Does your Homeowners Association have an opinion on how solar panels look? You better believe some do. Check the rules first.
- Fire Code Setbacks: Firefighters need a clear path on the roof. Most local codes mandate setbacks around the panels, which can shrink your usable space.
- Net Metering: This is the big one. It’s how your utility credits you for extra power you send their way. These policies are changing fast across the country, which is a major reason why battery storage is becoming so popular.
5. Incentives and Rebates
This is the part that makes the math work.
- Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC): The big kahuna. It allows you to deduct a hefty percentage of the total system cost—including the battery—from your federal taxes. It’s a direct, dollar-for-dollar reduction.
- State and Utility Incentives: These are all over the map. Some states offer their own tax credits, cash-back rebates, or other perks. Digging into what’s available where you live is a critical step.
6. Battery Storage Needs (Optional but Strategic)
Ten years ago, a battery was a luxury. Today, it’s at the heart of any smart energy strategy. Here’s where the conversation gets really interesting.
- Záložní napájení: Want to keep the lights on and the fridge cold when the grid goes down? A battery is the only way a solar system can do that. It’s your personal uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
- Energy Independence: With a battery, you store your own cheap, clean solar power from the daytime and use it at night. This beats selling it to the utility for pennies and buying it back hours later at a premium. It’s called “self-consumption,” and it’s the future.
- Choosing the Right Battery: You’ll see two main chemistries out there: the workhorse Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) and the up-and-coming Sodium-ion Battery (Na-ion Battery). Which one is for you?
This table breaks it down based on what we see with our industrial clients every day:
Comparison: LiFePO4 Battery vs. Sodium-ion Battery for Home Energy Storage
| Funkce | LiFePO4 Battery (LFP) | Sodium-ion Battery(Na-ion) | Key Takeaway for Homeowners |
|---|
| Bezpečnost | Excellent (very low risk of thermal runaway) | Superior (non-flammable, can ship at 0V) | Both are very safe, but Na-ion’s chemistry gives it an edge for ultimate peace of mind. |
| Počáteční náklady | Mírná | Lower (projected, due to abundant materials) | Sodium-ion is on track to become the long-term cost leader as it scales. |
| Životní cyklus | Excellent (3,000–6,000+ cycles) | Excellent (3,000–5,000+ cycles) | A tie. Both options will easily outlast your solar panels. |
| Teplota. Výkon | Good (-20°C to 60°C) | Excellent (-40°C to 60°C) | If you live in a place with punishing heat or cold, Na-ion is the clear winner. |
| Hustota energie | Higher (120-160 Wh/kg) | Moderate (100-140 Wh/kg) | An LFP battery of the same capacity will be a bit smaller. Not a big deal for a garage. |
| Získávání materiálu | Relies on lithium & cobalt (in some types) | Uses abundant sodium (salt) and iron; no cobalt/lithium | Na-ion has a much more sustainable and stable supply chain. No contest here. |
So, what’s the verdict? If you’re in a temperate climate and tight on space, a proven LiFePO4 system is a great call. But if you live in Arizona or Minnesota, or if rock-solid safety and a future-proof supply chain are your top priorities, a sodíkovo-iontové baterie is an incredibly compelling alternative. Its performance in extreme temperatures alone is a game-changer.
7. Financial Feasibility
Alright, let’s talk money.
- Upfront Cost: All-in, a typical residential system will run you somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 před you claim any incentives.
- Doba návratnosti: How long until the system pays for itself? After incentives, you’re usually looking at 6 to 10 years.
- Financing: You don’t have to write a huge check. Solar loans, leases, and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are all common ways to finance a system, each with its own pros and cons for ownership.
Expert Tips from a Battery & Solar Integration Specialist
Having been in the trenches designing these systems, from forklifts to data centers, you see a few things over and over.
- Hybrid systems are the future. Period. With net metering credits shrinking, just exporting power to the grid is a bad bet. The real power is in a solar + battery system where you control your own energy.
- Don’t ignore degradation. Every panel and battery loses a tiny bit of oomph each year. A quality proposal will be honest about this and show you a 20-year forecast, not just a rosy Year 1 number. Ask to see it.
- The DIY assessment has its limits. It’s easy to underestimate the shadow from one tree branch or to miscalculate wire sizes. A professional on-site assessment is worth its weight in gold.
You’re not in this alone. There are some fantastic free tools out there to get you started:
- Solar Calculators: PVWatts from NREL and the calculator on EnergySage are excellent starting points for your home’s potential.
- Shading Analysis: Google Project Sunroof is great for a quick, high-level look.
- Sample Feasibility Table: Get organized. Use a simple table like this to track what you find:
| Feasibility Check | Status (Good / Fair / Needs Check) | Poznámky |
|---|
| Roof Age (>10 yrs left?) | Dobrý | Roof replaced 3 years ago |
| Roof Orientation | Spravedlivé | Mostly West-facing, some South |
| Shading Issues | Needs Check | That big oak on the SW corner… |
| Electrical Panel (≥200A?) | Needs Check | Panel looks old, pretty sure it’s 100A |
| Local Net Metering | Dobrý | Utility has a decent 1-to-1 program |
| Battery Desired? | Ano | Definitely want backup for outages |
ČASTO KLADENÉ DOTAZY
How much roof space do I need for solar?
Figure about 100 square feet of roof for every 1.5 kilowatts (kW) of solar panels. So, a pretty typical 6 kW system needs around 400 square feet of clear, sunny space.
Do I need batteries to go solar?
Need them? No. You can install a grid-tied system that just lowers your bill. But by měl you get them? If you want power when the grid is down or want to use your solar energy at night, then yes, a battery is essential. It’s quickly becoming the new standard.
Can I go solar if I rent my home?
For a rooftop system, it’s tough. You almost always need to be the homeowner. But you might be able to subscribe to a community solar farm, which lets you buy into a large, off-site solar project and get credits on your bill.
What is the average payback period for home solar?
Across the US, it generally falls between 6 and 10 years after you account for all the tax credits and rebates. It can be faster in states with high power costs and great incentives (think California or the Northeast) and a bit longer elsewhere.
What if I have a flat roof?
Absolutely. Flat roofs are no problem at all. Installers use a ballasted racking system—which just uses weights to hold everything down—to angle the panels perfectly toward the sun. We see it on commercial buildings all the time.
Závěr
Figuring out if your home can go solar is a project in its own right, but it’s the most important one you’ll do. By walking through this checklist, you’re no longer just guessing. You’ll have a real handle on your roof’s potential, your home’s readiness, and the actual financial picture. More importantly, you’ll be able to have a smart, confident conversation with installers and end up with a system built for performance, not just a fast sale.
Ready to see how these pieces fit together for your specific home? A quick, no-obligation chat with an integration expert can help you map out your needs and see if a solar and storage system is the right move. Kontaktujte nás Let’s discuss your project.