Perfect Roof Pitch For Solar Panels

Solar contractors recommend using the latitude of your home s location as the degree of tilt.

Perfect roof pitch for solar panels.

30 degrees is ideal but as long as it s not too steep to install safely the pitch is relatively unimportant. However pitch angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations. For example the latitude of los angeles california is 34 degrees so the tilt of your solar panels would be 34 degrees. This does not mean however that every rooftop solar array will be capable of producing the same amount of electricity.

There are several factors in your control when it comes to finding the ideal pitch for your solar panels. For optimum performance a solar panel should be at a 30 degree angle and face south or southwest. Many roofs are going to have slopes between 30 and 40 degrees which means that solar panels can lie flush against the roof and produce enough electricity for attractive returns. The ideal angle for solar panels is to have them angled at the same number of degrees as the latitude the panels are at.

Overall the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces. If you are trying to install solar panels on a steep roof it may not be possible to place panels at the optimal tilt with traditional racking systems. That means if you re in a northern state you probably want to have a 45 angle or even possibly slightly more.