What are some tips to maximize your solar panels? This is a question that many people ask themselves when they purchase their new solar panels. There can be quite a few different things that you need to do to make the most of them, and it will take some time before you start saving money on your electric bill.
However, there are also some steps that you can take right now to help your system work as effectively as possible. In this blog post, we’ll discuss 11 tips for maximizing your solar panels so they don’t waste any energy!
- Switch to energy-efficient appliances
- Check for shade and debris on your solar panels
- Clean your solar panels regularly
- Use energy-intensive appliances during the day
- Stagger times when energy-intensive appliances are on
- Add a battery bank to your solar panels
- Shop around when installing a solar system
- Shop around between utility providers.
- Consider installing a smart inverter on your solar panels
- Make proper use of system monitoring
- Expect seasonal changes in solar production
Switch to energy-efficient appliances.
Upgrade to energy-efficient appliances and swap out your lights for LEDs so that you can lower your consumption at night.
If you have an old refrigerator or fridge, switching to energy-efficient modern units will lower your power consumption. The same goes for washing machines, dishwashers, and heating systems.
If you’re at home when it’s sunny outside, open the blinds to allow natural sunlight into your house. That way you do not have to turn on the lights.
Switching all your cooking appliances from electricity to gas and lowering the temperature on your water heater will save you a considerable amount of energy.
Install motion sensors in high-traffic areas so that lights turn off when there’s nothing around to need them, like at night or during weekends.
Turn off electronics anytime they’re not being used for extended periods of time.
Check for shade and debris on your solar panels
Cut back any trees that might shade your solar panels, and remember to check for shading during the morning and afternoon.
Take a closer look at the angle of sunlight. If you’re not getting enough direct sun rays onto your panels for maximum efficiency, consider adjusting your rooftop or installing additional panels to catch more light from other angles.
In addition, any debris on your solar panels will prevent sunlight from reaching the photovoltaic cells of the panels.
Clean your solar panels regularly
Any dirt, dust, or bird droppings on your solar panels will affect the amount of energy they can create. Keep your panels clean and free from debris to maximize their effectiveness so that you can save money on electricity bills!
Solar panels can be cleaned with a soft cloth and water if you wish to do it yourself, but some companies will clean your panels for you as getting on the roof of your home can be difficult as well as dangerous.
Use energy-intensive appliances during the day
Most people do not make full use of the power produced by their solar panels during the day. Use energy-intensive appliances like the dishwasher, washing machine, and clothes dryer during the day to take full advantage of your solar panels!
Contact a professional for more advice on how you can maximize your power production from your solar panels. Solar panel experts will be able to give you some helpful tips about maximizing efficiency that is specific to where you live.
Stagger times when energy-intensive appliances are on
Your solar panels will only produce a certain amount of power during the day, and by staggering the times when your appliances are on, you will exceed this power limit and start drawing power from the grid.
For example, if your washing machine is on at 10, only start using your dryer at 11:30 and your dishwasher at 1.
Add a battery bank to your solar panels
By looking at your utility bill, you can see the kWh you are feeding back into the grid and the kWh you are using. If you are exporting approximately 12 kWh or more back into the grid, you can consider adding a battery bank to store this power for use at night.
Adding a battery bank will also provide you with additional power during outages.
Shop around when installing a solar system
Costs have dropped around 20% as the technology has improved and manufacturers can produce more efficiently. Compare different brands before making your purchase, and ask about payment plans if you’re not buying outright.
Warranties will vary for different solar panels averaging between 20 and 25 years. This is something to consider when you are comparing two manufacturers with the same price.
Check for any local or federal tax credits that may be available in your area before purchasing solar panels.
Shop around between utility providers.
You will be billed a supply charge and a demand charge. The supply charge is the cost, per kilowatt-hour (kWh), of providing power to your home when it’s not generating enough on its own.
If you generate more than what you are consuming, then the excess energy will roll over into next month – and future months as well for some plans.
By getting a better supply charge you can save more money on your bill.
Consider installing a smart inverter on your solar panels
Adding this type of system will allow you to monitor the watts being produced by your solar panels and adjust accordingly based on what appliances are running or how much sunshine is available at the time.
You can also program a smart solar inverter to turn off unnecessary loads like lights or an unused water heater when you aren’t using them.
Make proper use of system monitoring
Adding to our previous tip, you can ensure that your system is operating at maximum efficiency by properly monitoring your solar system.
Most solar inverters will have an app that will show your system’s PV production, as well as the usage of your home.
If you are not monitoring your system, there is a good chance of operating at less than peak performance levels.
Monitoring can also allow you to find out if something has gone wrong with the system and needs fixing when it’s just minor problems or malfunctions early enough for it not to turn into a big problem.
Expect seasonal changes in solar production
Your solar output should vary based on the season. Summers output will produce 5 x your system size in kWh, while winter production falls to 2x.
You must try to adjust your energy usage accordingly to avoid excessive utility bills in the winter months. Especially heating can be very energy-intensive, and by switching to energy like natural gas for heating, you can avoid this.
If you want to make your solar panels more efficient and save even more on your utility bill, try these tips.
