A solar patio cover is currently an emerging category of solar panels. It uses patio roofs as a framework to install solar panels by replacing conventional patio roofs on your commercial and residential properties.
Small-scale solar installations are preferable over the roof because not all roofs are ideal for accommodating or adding solar panels. You can use several designs of solar panels to install in your homes to generate solar power. And Popular types include ground-mounted systems, solar carports, metal roofs with solar panels, and solar trees.
But as of now, the solar patio cover or solar awnings is a viable option in setting up a clean energy source for residential and commercial properties.
In this article, you will glimpse how solar patios is helping all environment-conscious individuals use pure energy sources.
Why Solar Patio Covers?
Solar patio covers are ideal for homes that don’t have a qualifying roof for panel installations. And surprisingly, solar patio covers are not limited to residential properties but are used for commercial spaces.
Today, restaurants, cafes, and many other commercial properties actively use and promote solar patio covers. The covers offer superb comfort to the guests in commercial spaces, simultaneously reducing overall operational costs.
The shade created by the solar patio covers will let you enjoy the sunshine all season, and the power utility will let you enjoy the entire year. Moreover, it adds up to the curb appeal and enhances the overall value of your home. There are many more benefits of installing solar patio covers!
It enhances the outdoor lifestyle and utilizes the environmental resources to its full potential!
Benefits of Installing Solar Patio Covers
To help you understand why solar patio cover is a win-win inclusion for both residential as well as commercial spaces, here are a few of the benefits for your reference:
#1 They Promote Cooling
Solar heat gain is the least common benefit of installing the solar patio cover [1] mitigation. It is like a primary defense layer for your house or commercial space to prevent the sun’s infrared rays[2] from causing any issues associated with the human body.
The room gets hot mainly because the roof absorbs the sun’s infrared rays. Hence, it increases the indoor temperature, which results in causing discomfort.
Solar patio covers, also known as solar pergola, repel harmful infrared rays that prevent the surface from heating up. As a result, the rooms with solar pergolas on the roof remain more relaxed than those with usual roofs.
Even your furniture gets damaged due to these indoor heat temperatures. Therefore, the solar patio cover on the rooftop will be a secondary shield for repelling heat from the worsening room temperature.
By installing solar panel patio covers, you can reduce the cooling expenses around your property. By incorporating solar panels, you will have lower energy bills during the summer.
#2 Prevents Solar Damage
The solar patio covers are accountable for protecting your house or office building from infrared and harmful UV rays. UV radiation can break down the chemical bonding of all objects around the house. As a result, the color fades away, and the object loses its integral strength.
Solar patios or solar pergolas can help reflect the ultraviolet rays! Therefore, in the region where the UV index is higher than the average value, people prefer to back up their property objects with solar patio covers/solar pergola shade structures / solar gazebos.
Solar patio cover installation can eventually add an extra defense layer to the leather furniture in your patio. Leather comes with properties similar to that of human skin! Therefore, they are more prone to experience intense sunlight damage, which is irreversible in the long run.
There are different types of patio covers that you can choose for your rooftop solar installation. The best ones are built with aluminum, enhancing the UV and heat resistance potential over wood.
Moreover, aluminum resists shrinking and warping over time and has a more extended life service. The choice of solar patio cover depends entirely upon the property owner.
When you add solar patio covers, make sure they are tough! The toughness factor will eventually help prevent fading of your house or office objects. So, install solar panels on your roof with a solar patio cover today!
#3 Make Accessible Patios
The most significant benefit of installing the patio cover within your house is it makes your patio accessible for all weather. You can have an excellent warm tea in winter, enjoy watching the rain, and enjoy an afternoon lunch in summer under the solar patio cover. Apart from having ample space to enjoy, you can access it anytime, irrespective of the weather.
In addition, Solar Gazebos increase the house’s value; refer to the Solar Gazebos Article to learn more about it.
Hence, installing solar panels with the patio cover is one of the most considerable benefits.
Comparison of Solar Patio Covers or Solar Gazebos with Rooftop Solar Installation
The rooftop solar panels are considered a logical choice for most homeowners. It is because this setting adds functionality to the roof. The average positioning of most roofs is ideal for capturing the sun’s rays. But not every roof is suitable to have solar panels over it.
The roof’s suitability for installing solar panels depends on orientation, size, and roof angle properties. Irrespective of whether you are going for ground-mounted solar systems, solar carport, solar awning, or solar patio covers, you’ll have to build standalone solar structures right from the ground up.
This approach will allow you to craft system designs that are perfectly optimized for enhancing solar electricity production. If you can go with the complete customizability of the new solar structure, it will add to your benefits.
But these changes will come at a considerable installation cost! Solar gazebos and patio cover arrangements are undoubtedly more expensive than rooftop solar installation. But the solar pergola cost is worth the investment with many impactful benefits.
Drawbacks of Solar Patio Covers
Like the perks, there are certain limitations to the patio solar system installation. So, if you consider adding up patio-mounted solar system designs, you should be aware of both perks and drawbacks of making an ideal decision.
The drawbacks of the solar patio covers include:
#1 Attracts High Installation Costs
The patio must have the strength to withstand the weight of the covers and solar panels. Therefore, the installation cost increases simultaneously.
#2 They Are Limiting
The roof will house only a few solar panels or covers if you have a smaller patio structure. Hence, this setup doesn’t allow you to stack up the panels, eventually reducing the amount of clean energy you can generate.
#3 Difficult To Find the Right Installation Angle
The solar panels are instrumental when installing a suitable space and angle. It is challenging to get the right angle on the existing patios of the house.
You should place the solar patio at an angle between 30 and 45 degrees for utmost effectiveness. Flat-roof solar patio covers might not leverage the full potential of solar energy from the sun. That can be a massive problem, affecting power generation and costing you more than the sloped solar patio covers.
Related: Learn More about Solar Panel Placement
Conclusion
So, this is everything that you should know about solar patio covers to decide whether you need them for your property. You might have to change the existing structure to help fit the effective patio cover installation.
So, if you are ready to take up the high installation costs for a long-term reward, solar patio covers are perfect inclusions for your energy-saving ideology. Get them installed in your residential and commercial spaces!
It was interesting to learn that commercial spaces like cafes and restaurants use solar patio covers to help reduce overall utility costs while providing superb comfort to the guests in these spaces. I run a dessert cafe in Kern County, and I was just thinking of switching to solar energy recently to help us save on expenses. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind while I look for a contractor to help me with the solar patio installation I need for my dessert cafe in Kern County soon.