If you’ve recently had solar panels installed, you might have got a nasty shock when you read your first electricity bill. Surely solar should have saved you more money? Right?

The reality is that, unless you go off-grid, your electricity bill will continue to feature a supply charge (which can make up a significant part of the bill). You’ll probably also continue to rely on some grid power. The good news however, is that there are simple things you can do to maximise your solar panel efficiency. This means using less energy from the grid and keeping more hard-earned dollars in your pocket. 

How can I save money on my solar system?

We’ll assume you’ve already looked into selling excess electricity back to the grid (if not check out this Australian government website). 

Apart from selling your excess energy, there are two main ways you can harness the power of solar to reign in your energy bill: 

• Get creative about when you use power; and 
• Make sure your solar panels have maximum sun exposure

Let’s look at these two options in more detail. 

Solar Panel Efficiency & Power Usage Scheduling 

Unless you’ve gone all out and installed your own battery to capture excess solar energy, you’ll want to look at scheduling your power usage to increase your solar panel efficiency.

This is as simple as thinking about how you can maximise your power usage during the sunniest part of the day (roughly 10am – 3pm).

Unfortunately for many of us, the time when our house gets the most free solar power is while we’re at work!

However, most modern devices have inbuilt timers. Appliances like dishwashers, washing machines and dryers can all be set to start when the solar juice really starts flowing.

Think about prepping dinner in the slow cooker before you leave in the morning. Or asking other members of your house to charge devices during the day wherever possible.

Just being mindful of the fact that your power is free when the sun is nice and hot means you’ll think about how you use power more and, inevitably increase solar panel efficiency. 

Solar Panel Efficiency & Maximum Possible Sun

If you’ve had solar panels for a while, and have noticed an increase in your power bill, it’s worth finding out if your panels are still able to soak up maximum rays.

Trees around your house may have grown across your roof, causing the panels to drop into shade for part of the day. This will significantly reduce solar panel efficiency. 

It’s also possible the panels have become tarnished by animal droppings or just coated over with leaves and other debris.

If you decide to go roofside yourself to check up on your solar panels, please make sure you have the necessary safety equipment.

If you’ve got concerns about solar panel efficiency for your home, contact us today for friendly, professional advice or check out our affordable rates.