By Kenton Shepard
In general, what to expect from a home inspector when it comes to inspecting passive solar, active solar or hybrid homes will vary with the degree to which the inspector you hire has taken the time to educate themselves. Most inspectors know a little about the common systems such as flat plate collectors and photovoltaic panels, but not enough to inspect them properly.
General education about solar heating and cooling is available through personal research in the print and online media and depending on where you live, classes are available. Many community colleges and dedicated institutions like Solar Energy International offer classes and workshops.
These workshops will not be designed for home inspectors but will still be beneficial in that they allow inspectors to gain some understanding of the systems they're looking at and provide some basic evaluation skills.
Passive solar-heated homes have design features which store the sun's energy and release it slowly as heat. This often involves windows strategically placed so that the sun's rays shine upon and are absorbed by a wall or floor with high thermal mass, such as concrete, stone or masonry.
Passively cooled homes have design features which absorb heat produced in the home during the day and release it slowly at night. An example might be a concrete floor which is protected from direct sunlight by window awnings or roof overhangs during the summer months when the sun is high overhead. During the day, the cool slab will absorb heat, which will be released at night when the outside temperatures drop.
The ability of an inspector to evaluate passive solar features will depend on their background. In any event, because most professional inspection organization Standards of Practice exempt inspectors from predicting system performance most inspectors, myself included, will be disclaiming passive design performance. Those who, like me, have taken the time to become familiar with passive design features and systems will take the time to explain to clients how they work and we can often spot problems.
Both home interiors and water may be heated using active solar systems and components. "Active" solar heating and cooling systems consume some energy during their operation, but consume much less energy than they save. Probably the most common type of active solar heating systems are the flat plate collectors visible on many roof tops. Water circulated through the system by pumps is used to heat water held in an insulated tank which supplies hot water to the home.
Most home inspectors will not be qualified to inspect active systems or even confirm proper operation. Because many water-heating systems have conventional backup components such as gas burners or electric heating elements, water will still be hot even if the solar system is down.
Inspectors can look for signs of moisture leakage where the collectors connect to the roof and watch for signs of leakage in plumbing pipes. If the roof is walkable I'll look for signs of problems at the panels, but I typically disclaim these systems and recommend a specialist inspection.
The same holds true for photovoltaic arrays which convert sunlight directly into electricity. I check for roof leakage where the panel mounts penetrate the roof-covering material, but evaluation of the panels, inverter and various other electrical components is work for a specialist.
I've taken the time to establish relationships with contractors qualified to inspect these systems.
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