Solar shingleles are a reliably new product available for both residential and commercial customers. As the name suggests, solar roofing shingles are shingles that when used in conjunction with a solar system, converges the sun's energy into electricity that you can utilize in your home or business so reducing your reliance on the power grid which of course translates into a reduced electricity bill.
While solar panels and the concept of utilizing solar power have been around for years, solar roofing shingles have only been commercially available since 2005. When most people think of solar power, they tend to think of the large solar panels that they've seen on buildings but most people have likely never thought of placing such panels on their own house and for good reason. Aesthetically they look terrible and would probably detract from the home's value rather than adding to it. They just are not functional for a home either.
Solar roofing shingles are designed to not only be functional but practical as well. They are in fact the same size as regular roofing shingles, are designed to fit into your existing roof and are made in a way that makes it clear that aesthetics were in fact considered during design.
Solar shingles can often be installed by a skilled roofer so while you could get a roofing professional to install the shingles for you, you also have the choice of going with an experienced solar roofing professional, a company that specializes in solar installations if you'd prefer to get the specific expertise needed. The shingles themselves are reliably easy to install though.
While the look of the shingles has improved over the older generation solar panels, the performance and installation time required has also improved as well. Newer technology enables more efficient energy transfer and energy construction and installation times are significantly less than older technology too. While a solar roofing system can be expensive, local and federal tax incentives and grants can help to reduce the total cost of the system while anticipated energy savings will reduce your electricity bill over time.
Perhaps one of the best and sometimes most fascinating aspects of a solar shingles system is the fact that while you will not need to reduce your power bill to zero, if you live in a state such as Arizona or California where you're likely to produce more power than you need you might actually see a very large reduction in your bill if your solar system does produce more electricity than you consume. Many US states (39 at last count) offer you the ability to sell your unused power back to the local utility company for a credit. In that regard, you might end up turning your power meter backwards quite literally.
