The “granddaddy” of them all, rooftop installations are still the reigning champion of panel installs, as they’re perfect for residential homes as well as commercial applications and take up no extra square footage on a property. With the advancement of modern technology, we’ve seen a surge in popularity for rooftop installations — and with good reason! With lower costs, easier installation, and an improved design over standard mounts (including no bulky legs sticking out from your roof and ruining your curb appeal), there’s little wonder why they continue to be so popular.

Most of the time, rooftop solar installations are fixed-tilt (meaning the panels remain stationary and at a fixed angle) and use two separate rails to adjust for any seasonal tilting of your roof. However, because roofs are inherently flat when they’re new, this isn’t much of an issue during normal conditions. For older roofs that are less-than-flat or more complex shapes, ballasted systems are often used. This simply means that the panels are attached directly to your roof using either sandbags or some sort of ballast material instead of using rails. While this is usually only done on commercial installations due to the lack of a uniform shape, in most roofs, it allows for a lower-profile installation.