Cut costs and save time with rail-less solar mounting on metal roof installations

By Ali Turner, S-5! 

See why rail-less mounting is revolutionizing solar installations on metal roofs and how you can unlock savings and improve efficiency on your next project. 

A photovoltaic (PV) system on a roof includes various components, including system design, solar panels, monitoring equipment, mounting hardware and labor. It may not seem like much, but hardware alone represents five to seven percent of overall costs and can have a significant impact on other expenses. Streamlining installation processes and reducing time spent on jobs by 20 percent or more has been found to increase the bottom lines for projects. 

You may be wondering how you can lower the real cost and time spent on your projects. One way to save on your budget is to use a rail-less attachment solution for every metal roof project. Over the years, rail-less solar mounting methods for metal roofs have gained popularity, and it’s easy to see why.  

Check out our blog on Rail vs. Rail-less: Which Is the Best Solar Mounting Platform for Your Roof? 

Rail-less products are much lighter than railed systems, which helps lower your racking cost. A high-quality, properly engineered rail-less mounting system can weigh 85% less than most railed systems and can cost much less in freight transport, reducing the carbon footprint and overall environmental impact of a project. When installing PV panels, this weight reduction can be critical to staying on budget and within the bounds of allowable added collateral load to the building structure. Rail-less solutions come pre-assembled, involving only three components rather than multiple components for rail systems, so there are fewer parts to manage from the beginning. Plus, once installers get the hang of the lay-and-play procedure, it takes only about 90 seconds to install a module. 

The S-5!® PVKIT® solar solution is a rail-less, direct-attach™ solar mount for standing seam and exposed-fastened metal roofs. Using the roof’s inherent integrated rails makes solar mounting with the PVKIT quick and efficient. This method also reduces the weight of the mounting system and provides 25% better load distribution. 

The PVKIT is compatible with all S-5! clamps and can be used with any S-5! attachment bracket. This lightweight alternative to traditional railed mounting can save time and money on your next project.   

With a total mounting system weight much lower than a railed system, a rail-less system allows projects to benefit greatly from savings on shipping and transportation costs – up to 60% – as well as less time and equipment needed for loading, unloading and staging at the jobsite.  

In fact, components for a 50kW system can even be carried in the trunk of a car. 

Don’t believe us? Check out this video of an entire 50kW system’s worth of hardgoods inside a Mini Cooper. 

Once the S-5! PVKIT arrives at the jobsite, it is easy to handle, as direct-attach components are regularly carried up to the roof in a backpack or bucket. Large- and small-scale operations benefit from the labor and transportation savings that come with choosing a rail-less attachment solution. 

Ideas to hold onto 

PV systems are a major source of energy generation and can greatly improve the value of your property. There are various cost-saving methods to consider, such as choosing a rail-less attachment solution, that can lower the overall price tag of your project. 

See how much you can save on your next metal roofing solar project by visiting our Metal Roof Project Calculator. 

Enroll in S-5 University to better understand which solar, snow or utility mounting solution you should be using. 

Original article source: S-5!