Terra Cotta v.s. Black Heliocol Solar Panels

[EskimoPie]

In my recent pool build our sales person sold us on the Terra Cotta colored solar panels so that they would match our roof tiles better. I agreed but now that I see them on the roof I wish I had just gone black. Our roof tiles are more brown then reddish-brown and the 'terra cotta' solar panels are more orange than anything so in the end I'm left with something that sticks out like a sore thumb but I'm taking an efficiency hit v.s. the black panels. I can't even really see the panels on my 2nd story roof from my yard anyway.

My question is, how big of a difference am I going to see w/ the Terra Cotta panels v.s. black ones? Is it a big difference or is it negligible?

Thanks!

 

[JCJR]

I researched this last year and remember someone stating that it is between 10-15 % less effecient than the black panels. Which in heating water is makes a difference but the workaround was to add 10-15% more panels. If you have the room on your roof, then it is a matter of cost, is it worth to add 1-2 add'tl panels to get the color to match?

 

[bluenoise]

You could either add the 10-15% cost for more panel area or, perhaps, you can work a deal of similar cost with your PB, if the panels are still new, to swap for the black ones.