Find your location below — results appear automatically. Choosing a goal and refining for your actual roof are both optional.
Step 1 — Find Your Location
Type your address or ZIP code, click the map, use GPS, or enter your latitude directly.
Or use the map: click anywhere to drop a pin, then tap "Use This Location" to confirm.
Map isn't available right now — try refreshing, or search by address/ZIP or use GPS above instead.
Step 2 — Choose Your Optimization Goal
All three angles are always shown below — this just highlights the one to build for.
Step 3 — Refine for Your Actual Roof (optional)
Your Results
Monthly Optimal Tilt
The mathematically ideal tilt for each month, if you're willing to adjust panels seasonally.
| Month | Optimal Tilt |
|---|
A simplified estimate of relative energy output as your panel tilt strays from the optimal angle. If you entered your actual roof tilt above, it's marked on the curve.
Results are for reference and estimation only. Verify all values before making any siting or installation decision. See full disclaimer below.
Your calculated angle is only half the story — what your roof or mount can actually achieve matters just as much. Here's how the most common mounting types affect that.
Pitched / Shingle Roof
Panels are typically flush-mounted parallel to the roof surface using standoff racking, which means your effective tilt is whatever your roof's pitch already is. If that pitch happens to fall near your calculated angle, no extra hardware is needed; if it's well off, a tilt-up rack kit can add a few degrees, but large corrections usually aren't practical on a flush composition-shingle install.
Flat / Low-Slope Roof
Ballasted racking lets you set the tilt independently of the roof itself, so hitting your calculated angle is usually possible — within limits. Very steep racks catch more wind load and need more ballast weight, which is why flat-roof installs often settle for a shallower compromise angle (commonly 10-15°) rather than the full calculated optimum.
Metal Roof
Standing-seam metal roofs allow clamp-based mounting with no penetrations, and — like shingle roofs — panels typically follow the roof's existing pitch. Exposed-fastener metal roofs use screw-down mounts instead and behave similarly. Either way, your achievable tilt is again largely set by the roof pitch itself.
Ground-Mount / Pole-Mount
Because the rack isn't constrained by an existing roof surface, ground and pole mounts are the most likely way to hit your exact calculated angle — some are even adjustable, letting you shift toward the seasonal (summer/winter) angles shown above rather than settling for the year-round compromise.
This guide is provided for educational and reference purposes and is not a substitute for a licensed installer's structural and code assessment of your specific roof or mount.