CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More homes in the U.S. have solar panels on their roofs now, in fact, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows residential power installations rose by 34% in 2020.
Data collected from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows Americans, on average, save about $121 a month on their electricity bill when they switch to solar panels.
THE QUESTION
If a resident had a fire emergency at home, would solar panels keep the fire department from gaining access to the fire?
THE ANSWER
No, if your home has solar panels it would not keep the fire department from gaining access to the fire, but it could make fighting a fire a little more difficult.
OUR SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND
To bring a house fire under control, firefighters will often poke holes in the roof to “vent” the smoke, this improves visibility inside the home and improves the odds of survival for anyone trapped inside.
The North Carolina Department of Insurance said firefighters do face additional hazards from solar panels on roofs. Some of these hazards include the potential of electrical shock from the solar panel system, a greater risk of the roof collapsing during fire conditions because of the added weight, fire risk from battery storage systems and the potential for slips and falls while working on a roof with solar panels.
Because of this, a fire scene incident commander has to be cautious about letting firefighters on the roof to fight the house fire with solar panels
When responding to a fire, firefighters are trained to disconnect the power from the home. The Huntersville Fire Department said they take into account all of these variables when fighting a fire and while solar panels can present a challenge and some additional difficulty, they say it’s not something they can't navigate.
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