Making the switch from traditional energy to solar panels is easier than ever. Thanks to advances in technology, many of these panels come with generous warranties and are cost-effective to install. Whether you’re planning to install a solar power system or you already have one, it’s worth learning more about making yours go further. In doing so, you’ll make the most of the sun’s rays and see a significant difference in your energy costs.
Make sure you have the right sized system for your home
Whether you live on your own or you’re running a busy family home, it’s important to find the right sized solar power system for your needs. Having a panel that’s too small could mean that you don’t meet your current energy needs. Having one that’s bigger than you need isn’t too much of a worry, but the installation costs may be higher. According to organisations such as Environment Victoria, taking a ‘slightly bigger is better’ approach is the best option.
At Arise Solar, we cater to homes and businesses of all sizes. Serving multiple locations throughout Australia, our smallest residential system stands at 5 kW while the largest commercial system we stock is 100 kW. By grabbing a free quote from one of our experienced technicians, you’ll soon discover which solar power system will serve your property’s requirements.
Use certain appliances when the sun is at its most powerful
Thanks to advances in device programming and smart home technology, it’s possible to pre-program your energy use so that you use your solar power system when it’s at its best. Try to make a list of the household devices you could set to work during peak sunshine hours. For example, many modern washing machines come with time delay settings that you can program before you leave for work. Or, you might want to consider using a slow cooker occasionally to get optimal power from the sun’s rays.
Connecting your solar power system to a storage battery is a viable alternative to this approach. This will allow you to use the energy you gather at night during the day, which can be especially useful when you have lots of devices running at once.
Ensure your solar panel system benefits from routine cleaning
As your solar power system will sit on your roof, it’s not going to attract as much dirt as something that would rest on the ground. However, that doesn’t mean it will remain free from dirt entirely. Pollen that blows in the wind and bird droppings are especially problematic. If they’re allowed to build up, your solar power system will function as it would on a cloudy day, even in direct sunlight. This means it’ll still produce power, just not at the highest levels available.
Fortunately, cleaning your solar panels from the ground is easy if you have use hose equipment. How often you need to do that depends on the angle at which your panels are tilted. Those with a steeper tilt will benefit from the rainwater that runs down them on wet days. If cleaning your panels on your own doesn’t sound appealing, consider using one of our solar panel services. We perform routine cleaning throughout Australia, giving our customers the chance to benefit from high-functioning panels all year round.
Finally, you may want to connect a monitoring device to your solar power system’s inverter to monitor its energy output. Doing this alerts you to when it’s functioning at its best. If you’re happy to take an intricate approach to pre-programming your devices, you can use this information to operate them during peak sunshine hours.
At Arise Solar, we install dependable solar power systems throughout Australia. Whether you’re running a business or trying to create a greener living space, we’re happy to help. Call us on 1300 274 737 for more information or get in touch here.
