ROOFING MERCHANT SIG Roofing has harnessed the power of mapping technology to create an online solar calculator.

Now live on the SIG Roofing website, the new tool helps roofers to quote on solar installations and evaluate the cost and payback period for any UK domestic property.

New Solar Calculator

The SIG solar calculator uses the latest solar and satellite technology from Google to automatically scan the building’s roof, calculating the most cost-efficient panel array for optimal solar potential, sometimes showing that fewer panels will allow for the same return due to roof positioning.

Fully informed about the building shading, angle, direction, and numerous other data points, it overlays the number of solar panels that can fit in the space and their projected effectiveness.

The user can select more or fewer panels than it suggests on a building to create an ideal setup. From this data, the SIG Roofing calculator can calculate what solar product is required, including any relevant fixings, provide the cost of materials, and estimate the energy the solar panels will generate each year. If the user also provides the current annual energy usage in KWH for the property, the calculator will also work out the payback period.

The solar calculator is ideal for roofing contractors to help them generate immediate onsite quotes for solar materials needed for domestic properties, says SIG. Contractors can also input their personalised installation costs for the project, which can be added to the calculator to provide their homeowner customer with a further complete cost and payback estimate.

Solar Solutions

“We are pleased to be one of the first in the world to use Google’s Solar Potential technology to simplify the process of providing solar quotations for our roofing customers,” said Chris Lodge, Managing Director for SIG Roofing.

“There is no doubt that solar energy has seen a renewed interest in recent years. This has been driven by regulations and increasing energy prices, prompting homeowners to consider installing solar panels to reduce their energy costs. The forecasted growth of solar panels is huge as we are all encouraged to invest in ‘greener’ technology to reduce our carbon footprint.

“SIG Roofing has invested heavily in solar over the past year, from stocking a wider range of solar components, both in branch and on next-day delivery options, as well as expanding the special solar team and increasing the training available to both customers and colleagues.

“There’s never been a better time for roofers to get involved in installing solar solutions, and our job is to help make this evolution as simple as possible. This new Solar Calculator is another initiative to make it easier for our roofing customers to list the materials required and price up the installation for a solar job.”

The calculator user journey has been specifically designed for roofing contractors taking on solar installations, says SIG. The Solar API functionality can map any size building if there is Solar data available; however, larger commercial opportunities will continue to be supported by industrial specialists within SIG Roofing’s solar team.

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