I have learned thru my partner that sun slate roof tiles are not as efficient as the standard module panel. any solar panel produces heat as a by product and this heat is generated thru the back of the panel. where as you need air flow to keep the module cool. 3" is the min amount required for air flow any less will reduce the % of current produced. tile modules are less efficient but more appealing in my opinion.Sharp has just come out with there new tile. i went to a 1 day class 2 months ago and installed these on a mock roof at the Sharp center in So Cal. the module is about 18" x40", it can replace about4 tiles.Sharp has modifided the panel and has raised it up about 1" off of the roof and has this new type of item(not released yet, hush) that allows air flow under the tiles, these will do very good on the market. most people think that because you are getting solar modules, you can increase the amount of electricity that you use. but remember when you size your system it is sized for the total kilowatts thru the last year, this is your standard amount of electricity used. if your system is sized for that amount and then you add to your electricity usage you will increase youw anunally wattage. which will decrease your amount you are putting back on the grid, thus increase the amount of your bill.i have heard my partner tell all of his customers, if you have a gas water heater, "keep it".

I realize this is a bit old, but I am convinced my energy costs went up when BG&E installed a "smart meter." I've tracked my usage, average temperature, and bill amount since 2004, 2 years before I got my panels. I don't trust the power company no matter what they say. They can do anything they want.

What kind of solar panels? PV or HW. We have hot water solar panels which are heavy, but if you go with photovoltaic which are very light you're probably alright. Roofing is designed so a 200lb maintenance man can move around and work on the roof in addition to the normal live and dead loads required by the building code. Our house has typical 30yr fiberglass roof shingles on a plywood subroof with building paper. The installation required adding some brackets, drilling some holes with flashing and sealing. It's inspected every year along with the a/c & back-up boiler and hasn't caused any problems.

Sorry, I'm not often on this forum so I just saw your question. We installed 14 solar panels in Oct 2014 and went "live" 2 mos. later. Our reasons were: Electricity costs from our local utility are high and getting higher all the time. Constant rate increases. Our electricity bills were at the $100-135/mo level - and we use natural gas for cooking, furnace and water heater! All our lighting is high-efficiency CFL or LED. Going "green" is cost-effective in our area if you plan to stay at least 5 more yrs in your home. We chose to remain connected to the "grid". Whole-house storage batteries are still too costly and bulky. The Federal solar tax credit was a great incentive and our CPA was impressed, he said it ended up being almost a dollar-for-dollar refund to us for that year's tax return. Because all three state utility companies wanted to encourage solar, they had been offering "net zero metering", up to a limit of xxx number of solar systems installed. After 10 yrs our utility was fast approaching its limit. NZM is a sweetheart financial deal for consumers. Instead of the utility buying our solar energy at wholesale prices, as it does for all its regular suppliers, we are credited the same price per kW as the utility charges us for the power we use. The NZM was recently modified and now consumers with solar panels can enjoy the NZM rates for 20 yrs after the installation of their system, retroactive to the original install date. We'll be long gone from this house by the time 2034 comes around, LOL. We remodeled our entire home 26 yrs ago and although we've kept it well maintained and reasonably updated, it doesn't have the "bells and whistles" that new construction/remodeling would have. The layout is excellent, both bathrooms updated, and a ton of storage space everywhere -- but the kitchen is mid-range quality, not as fancy as the newer ones. We always keep resale in mind. People here are passionate about solar, but few homeowners have sprung for the up-front purchase price (many people lease, which cuts savings considerably). Being able to sell a home that has the NZM pricing on electricity until 2034 (after that the utility can begin crediting the homeowner only the wholesale energy price, not the retail energy price), is a very big selling point. Savings will always depend on how many sunny days happen during the billing year. Remember, we were paying $1200+/yr just for lights and appliances. Once solar is installed, the utility only bills once a year for electricity. There is a modest charge for connectivity to the "grid" of $10/mo. However, under the NZM contract, the utility has to CREDIT us for that charge. After 2034 the homeowner will have to pay that charge monthly, there will be no more crediting back. Our first full year's bill for electricity was.....$6.37. Our second full year's bill was higher. We got more rain/less sun. Our total bill was $120.44, or just about $10/mo.