The solar roofing boom is here for real in the Bay Area, and we’re excited to see the solar revolution spread, bringing substantial energy efficiency to thousands of Californians and reducing both carbon emissions and our collective dependence on The Grid. That said, many “solar curious” consumers still feel somewhat intimidated by the prospect of switching over. To that end, we’ve prepared the following brief FAQ about solar roofing installations and system maintenance.

1. Will your system break?

As with any other electronic system, solar roofing can malfunction. However, most solar roofing systems come with lengthy warranties on their most important components. Depending on the company’s policy and the specifics of the part, warranties may last as long as 25 years.

2. What can you do to hedge against problems?

Keep your panels clean of debris, particularly after big storms and during the fall season; spot and repair problems before they grow and spread; and have professionals check your panels on a regular basis to ensure optimum performance.

3. How will you know that the system is working properly?

To prevent problems, you need to monitory your system’s function continuously. Fortunately, most solar companies monitor the systems they install and inform customers when problems occur.

4. What if you need to fix your roof?

Depending on the nature and scale of the damage, the solar panels may need to be removed first. Unfortunately, the solar company will not cover this cost. Thus, if you have an older roof, or you need to make repairs, take care of these issues before you install solar roofing. Another great way to avoid problems with finger pointing as solar and roofing companies claim the other is responsible is to have one company perform both a roof inspection and a solar installation for you, this way you have one party to deal with in the event of an issue and your installer has a greater incentive to ensure a perfect job.

Solar Roofing Puts Money in Your Pocket and Eliminates Green House Gas Emissions

Transitioning to a solar energy household can be exciting but also scary, especially if you’re used to using grid energy, and you’re already engaged in big projects, such as moving into a new home or finishing a big remodel. We can help! Call the Century Roof & Solar professionals at (888) 233-7548 or (510) 780-9489 or contact us from our website to learn more about your roofing options and to price out various energy saving strategies.

Heat on solar tiles does impact the way your green technology works, but not exactly in the way the conventional wisdom might have you believe. More heat beaming down on your roof actually starts to reduce the efficiency of the solution after a certain point. What accounts for this counter-intuitive result? The energy that comes from the sun’s rays translates to power, but this energy is not necessarily equivalent to the amount of heat generated by sunlight.

So what does this quirk of physics mean for you as a homeowner or landlord?

If you look into solar solutions, scan through the manufacturer’s information for the temperature coefficient. This metric will tell you how much your energy production decreases when the panels heat up past a certain point. The opposite is also true, by the way. Cooler temperatures can allow certain solar technologies to absorb more of the sun’s rays and increase the energy output.

You can also look at the efficiency rating. This metric indicates the usable percentage of sunlight that the solar technology will absorb. This rating impacts the amount of space you will need to dedicate to a solar solution installation.

Ask your solar company for advice on the best solar technology for your location. Whether you live in a warm environment where temperatures regularly rise or you’re situated in a foggy, windy, shady spot near the Bay will impact the solutions that are appropriate for you as well as your ideal solar cell placement. For the maximum efficiency, you must match your solar solution for your geography and landscape.

Our East Bay Roofing Experts Know Solar!

Our team can help with these calculations, so you can maximize the value of a remodel or investment. Call (888) 233-7548 or fill out a contact form today!

For fifteen years now, since 2000, photovoltaics have been the fastest-growing renewable-energy technology. According to the International Energy Agency, photovoltaic solar tiles are likely to provide 16 percent of the world’s energy by 2050, up from only one percent at present. In the United States alone, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Administration, solar energy production has been more than doubling annually for over a decade. What does this astonishing trend mean in employment?

It means good news. In the United States, employment in the solar-energy sector is increasing 20 times faster than in the job market overall. One in every 78 new jobs last year was in the solar-energy field, the largest single category being solar roofing installations.

As to the quality of the jobs in this field, wages and working conditions are better than average. One indication of this is that over 90 percent of those working in solar energy work exclusively in solar energy. Nationally, the median wage for a solar photovoltaic installer is $19 an hour.

Solar energy currently employs upwards of 174,000 workers in installation, manufacturing, selling, and distribution. By a strange coincidence, 174,000 is the same as the total number of full-time workers involved in coal, counting miners, power-plant workers, and people employed in transport. This is, quite literally, a tipping point, the moment when the falling number of coal workers meets the rising number of solar-energy workers. For fifty years, changes in mining technology have been reducing employment in coal. The number of miners fell by ten percent last year. Across the solar industry, employment rose by nearly 22 percent during that time, with a similar increase projected for the coming year, according to an employer survey by The Solar Foundation. The number of solar roofing installers has doubled since 2010.

In California alone, 1672 solar companies employ 47,000 workers, up 3,500 from last year. Century Roof and Solar is proud to be part of this growing, sustainable, and valuable industry.

Contact a Solar Company You Can Trust

Contact Bay Area solar company Century Roof and Solar today at (510) 780-9489 to learn more about how a sun-powered system can improve your life.

Burning fossil fuels has a direct impact on the levels of CO2 and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Driving cars, turning on lights, bathing, and cooking all indirectly serve to elevate CO2 levels. Left unchecked, high concentrations of CO2 gas in the atmosphere could unpredictably alter the world’s climate.

Solar solutions can help reduce CO2 pollution and effectively reduce the amount of greenhouse energy consumed residentially and commercially. Those who choose to install solar enjoy energy savings of up to 80%, and they can receive grants, tax breaks, and other subsidies to offset the initial cost of investment.

Solar roofing solutions are also space saving and practical, both for homeowners and businesses. Thanks to the advent of cool technologies, like solar roofing shingles that look and act almost exactly like traditional wooden shingles, you can transform your property without adding a “showy” or cumbersome solar array. You can implement these kinds of roofing reforms almost anywhere – even in urban and largely shaded areas — and the savings may cover the cost of the investment in only a few years.

Modern designs are discreet; they can capture the sun’s rays even on cloudy days and in cooler weather. The only time these systems will not absorb energy is at night. Engineers have designed solutions that harness enough energy during the day to account for the unusable time at night.

The nation currently has enough installations to offset the costs of powering over a million homes. If the trend toward solar and other renewables continues to rise, the impact may be strong enough to slow down or stop the effects of CO2 emissions on the climate.

Contact Us to Save Money with Solar Roofing Solutions

If you’re interested in saving money while saving the planet, and you’re looking for a Bay Area solar company, please consider getting in touch for a free consultation. Give us a call at (510) 780-9489.

Have you been considering installing solar power roofing on your home, but you aren’t sure whether it’s right for you? Here are 10 reasons why it (probably!) is:

1. Simplicity. A quality solar roofing provider will manage all paperwork and answer any questions you have to make the transition as easy as possible.

2. Lower energy bills. With solar energy, monthly electricity bills will be significantly less expensive.

3. Reduced carbon footprint. By reducing or eliminating the use of fossil fuels, your home’s impact on the environment will become negligible.

4. Extra income. Many communities purchase surplus energy generated by private solar power systems.

5. Customization. Whatever your budget, local requirements, or home design, solar solutions exist to meet your needs.

6. Predictability. Not only will your energy bills be lower each month; they will remain consistent throughout the year.

7. Long-term investment. Solar panels aren’t simply a passing fad; expect them to become more popular over the next several years.

8. Affordability. Although going solar used to seem prohibitively expensive, tax breaks, grants, and financing options now make it accessible to more homeowners than ever.

9. Durability. Solar panels are strong and hold up to the elements over time, presenting little to no maintenance or repair costs.

10. Fixed cost. While electricity costs go up over time, the payments on your solar system will remain the same until paid in full.

Hire the Right Solar Roofing Company

To learn more about how a sun-powered system can improve your life, contact Century Roof and Solar – a Bay Area solar company you can trust.

©2014 Century Roof and Solar

Have you been investigating integrated photovoltaics and solar power roofing? If so, you’ve been learning why solar solutions are a big deal. Here are some facts about solar power and the sun that will blow you away:

• The sun is about 1 million times bigger than the Earth; it’s located approximately 93 million miles away. Although the sun is relatively large for a star, it is dwarfed by other more gigantic species of stars. The largest types of stars would stretch all the way to the orbit of Saturn;
• The sun itself is utterly minuscule in comparison with the Milky Way. If the sun were shrunk into a small grain of sand, the Milky Way galaxy (where the sun resides) would be the size of the entire planet Earth.
• In less than an hour and a half, the sun bathes the Earth with enough energy to fuel the entire human race’s energy needs for a full year.
• The sun gets bigger and hotter as it consumes its fuel.
• If you install a 10 kilowatt solar panel, you can generate 17,000 kilowatt hours every year — the equivalent of burning over 27 barrels of oil.
• Integrated photovoltaics have a lot of applications in technology; they’re used in hot water heaters, PV panels, and concentrated solar power apps (for large scale tasks);
• It costs about $4 per watt of capacity to install a solar panel;
• Most panels are not ideally efficient – a common PV panel converts just 15% of the sun’s energy to usable electricity.
• PV applications have led to booming advances in semiconductor material sciences.

Contact the Team at Century Roof and Solar for More About Solar Power

For help creating highly productive solar solutions for your family or building, contact the team at Century Roof & Solar for a free estimate. We can help you with any and all of your solar roofing questions.

© 2014 Century Roof & Solar

The solar revolution is upon us. More and more homeowners and business-owners are exploring the exciting, energy-saving, earth-saving benefits of solar roofing solutions. You might be excited to “go green,” too, and cut the dependency you have on the grid.

But what, exactly, do you need to know?

First, explore roofing contractors and solar companies thoroughly. Make sure that your installers have the certifications, insurance, and reputation to do the job right. (Learn more about the Century Roof & Solar team here at our website).

Next, determine what incentives you may be able to get. Your installer can alert you to possible tax benefits and rebates. You can also talk to the CA Department of Energy, which funds a great website about California solar incentives.

Next, figure out how you will pay for your system. Obviously, if you purchase the system upfront, you can generate higher savings over time. But you don’t necessarily have to invest tens of thousands of dollars upfront. You can get a loan and benefit from solar power without having to own the equipment outright. Investigate whether to get a lease or something called a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

[See Also: How to Pay for Your Solar Installation]

Contact Our East Bay Roofing Contractors Today

The team at Century Roof & Solar would be happy to explain the pros and cons of these various payment options based on your needs and preferences. Connect with us today to explore exciting and cost-effective solar solutions! Give us a call at (888) 233-7548 or fill out our online contact form here on our website to discuss your solar options.

Northern California’s leading roofing and solar company Century Roof and Solar’s owner Tony Diaz and GAF bring you this video segment from Designing Spaces. “Avoiding Roofing Disasters.”

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