A switch to solar power might be a good decision for any household in Adelaide. With a lot of sunlight, you can save a lot of money on electricity bills and produce free energy from the nature. Below are 5 helpful tips to help you get the best results from your investment on a solar system.
1. Run your appliances and devices during the day
A simple and effective way to use and save your solar energy is to operate any energy-hungry appliance, such as your dryer, washing machine, and dishwasher during the daylight so that they would lighten the loads at night. Keep in mind that daylight means free energy, so it is the best time to slow-cook a meal, charge your phones, or wash clothes while the sun is still there. By doing this, you can make a significant reduction in your energy bills and maximise your investment.
2. Monitor production
Most advanced solar systems will allow homeowners to monitor the production of energy in real time through their computers or smartphones. This can be extremely useful in helping to figure out which devices or appliances to utilise solar power and how much energy each panel is generating. As a result, you can allocate the energy more effectively and maximising the usage.
3. Check the surrounding areas
Since a MDB solar system needs sunlight to operate, a little bit of shade would considerably affect the outputs of the whole unit. In worse cases, shade on only one panel might lead to the power loss of the others. Therefore, make sure to check the surrounding areas for anything that might cast shade on your solar panels such as antennas, chimneys, roof ventilators, or trees.
4. Utilise the last hours of the daylight to cool or heat your house
Cooling and heating our houses often accounts for up to half of the total energy consumption. To reduce this, consider setting your AC system during the last hours of the daylight. This will bring up or down the inside temperatures, so there is less demand on electricity supply during the evening when energy use is often at a peak. It is wise to cool to 25 degrees during the summer and heat to 21 degrees during the winter. If you try to crank up your thermostat, each degree might cost you an extra ten per cent onto the energy bills.
5. Clean the panels on a regular basis
As the solar panels are directly exposed to a variety of elements such as tree debris, bird mess, dust, sand, and salt, the production of energy might be affected over time. For this reason, it is necessary to clean the entire surface on a regular basis, ideally once per 2 or 3 months. Also, make sure to check these areas often and make them free of debris and leaves, which might create minor shade. With these small tips, you will use your solar power effectively and save a lot of money on the utility bills.