Planning solar for a Limassol home: the roof, the loads and the proposal

One city does not mean one system

A coastal house with cooling and a pool uses electricity differently from a hillside home occupied mainly in the evening. An apartment also raises different roof-access questions from a detached property. The city name helps locate the project; it does not determine the equipment or the economics.

Start by describing how the property is used throughout the year. Include periods when it is empty and any changes you already plan, such as an EV, another air conditioner or a heat pump. This prevents a proposal from being sized only around yesterday's bill.

Look at usable roof space

Take photographs showing the roof, neighbouring shade, water-heating equipment, tanks and access routes. A large outline on a plan may contain only a limited clear installation area. The survey should establish the mounting approach and any building-specific work; these should be visible in the scope.

For a shared roof, clarify ownership, permission and which electricity account the installation would serve before selecting a package. Permission to use space and approval of an electrical connection are different parts of the project.

Bring consumption in kWh

Gather the last six two-month bills. Record the consumption and the period dates, rather than doubling a bill because it covers two months. An annual euro total helps discuss budget, but kWh and the daily pattern are more useful for matching energy flows.

• What usually runs while the sun is available?
• Which evening loads might be served by storage?
• Is EV charging already included in those bills?
• Which circuits, if any, need backup?

Ask for a location-specific generation estimate

The European Commission's PVGIS tools provide location-based solar-resource and photovoltaic-performance estimates. A proposal should also describe its orientation, shading and loss assumptions. A general annual figure is useful for an initial comparison, not a substitute for the roof design.

Compare the complete outcome

Check the panel and inverter models, battery capacity, mounting, electrical works, monitoring, applicable taxes and connection responsibilities. Ask which costs are fixed and which depend on the survey. Export and backup capabilities should be stated for your proposed configuration.

Use our calculator for an initial scenario and our solar-and-storage service for the property proposal. Compare the realistic and theoretical results with their different meanings. A low price or a short payback number is informative only when the scope and assumptions are equally clear.