Sizing up and making the most of home solar

Find out how to take good care of your solar system and get the most value out of it.

Maintaining a solar system

For best performance, panels should be cleaned periodically to remove dirt and other debris, such as leaves.

If your roof is difficult to access and/or steep, you may need to pay a contractor to do the cleaning.

Panels will typically stay clean for longer in areas with high rainfall and good air quality.

Trim any trees that shade your panels, so more sunlight can be converted to electricity.

To make the most of your free solar power, it’s best to use as much as you can during the day. That might mean changing some habits.

If you’re used to putting the dishwasher on after dinner and having a shower before going to bed, you will get more value from your solar system by shifting those activities to the daytime. Same goes for doing your washing.
Charging an EV is also best done during the day, while your panels are generating electricity.
To make things easy, you can use low-cost timers and smart plugs to automate energy consumption in your home.
Even with a battery installed, it’s still a good idea to shift your energy usage towards the daytime, so your battery doesn’t have to work as hard and therefore lasts longer.