Solar Panels Offer Positive Insulation Benefits to Buildings

With electricity prices continuing to rise it is not much of a secret anymore that installing solar panels onto your roof can provide significant financial benefits, especially with the impending carbon tax, and will also give you the satisfaction of knowing that your family is making a big cut to your carbon emissions. However not many people know that the presence of solar panels on your roof also bring another positive side effect;

In a study conducted by researchers and undergraduate students at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, thermal imaging showed that buildings with solar panelsinstalled are significantly cooler than those without. This is because the panels act as aninsulating barrier which shields the roof from direct sunlight so heat cannot penetrate the building. It has also been proven that the panels can store enough heat to minimise the need for heaters during winter or cold nights.

Thermal imaging showed that roofs are on average 38% cooler, which represents an additional 5% or so saving of energy used by your household. This may not seem like much at first, but if you think of 5% off your electricity bill throughout the 20-25 year lifespan of the solar power system you will appreciate the additional bonus that makes additional cuts to both your bills and carbon emissions without you even knowing it.

The researchers are confident that the results of their study are accurate although the time measured was short, and the data that they have collected is enough to create a model that will estimate the solar panels cooling or heating effects throughout an entire year.

The team of researchers also said that though there are many ways to passively improve the air flow and thermoregulation of a building, installing a solar panel system onto your roof will be hitting two birds with one stone, so it is better investment to make in your home than to have some other expensive renovations. Solar panels can already rightly claim to be the only home improvement that actually pays for itself, and this recent research just supports that further.

This discovery will hopefully propel the popularity of solar power even further and pave way to more installations in many buildings in Australia. The research is especially significant for large commercial buildings with tin roofs which have very poor insulation properties and so high electricity cost for heating and cooling.

The breakthrough signifies the continued evolution of the solar industry and how well it can help in the global fight against carbon.