How to make the most from your solar panels

Make the most from your solar system!

Just had a solar system installed and in need of some tips on making the most of your solar panels?

We have spoken to one Perth homeowner who has been putting our best practices into motion and has pulled together their very own hints and tips on making the most of solar even when you're not home!

So let us pass you over to our customer Charlotte who went ahead with our 6.6kW solar panel promotion and is reaping the benefits!

Make the most of the Perth sunshine!

Like most Aussies, me and my husband don’t have a battery system yet as these are just too expensive at the moment. Therefore, we make the most of the power being generated during the day. Even if you're at home during the day or out at work, timers are a great way of making the most from your solar panels:

Here are some of the things we use timers for:

1)   Garden retic system – on our allocated watering days we ensure the reticulation system comes on around 7am when the suns already up.

2)   Pool System – Most pool pumps are meant to run for around 8 hours a day so we have ours set to do a circle in the morning once the suns up and again late afternoon before the sun goes down.

3)   Dishwasher – I like to get rid of any dishes the night before and always used to put the dishwasher on before bed. I still stack my dishwasher each evening but each morning I now just pop a timer on for it to run during the day while I’m at work.

4)   Washing Machine – I like to keep my weekends washing free so during the week will pop in a load of washing and set a timer so it’s just finishing as I get home from work ready to be hung on the line.

5)   Oven / Slow Cooker – oven / slow cooker timers are great. Not only does it mean I’m using the power during the day but also means dinners already sorted by the time I get home – win win!

6)   Aircon – If I know it’s going to be a particularly hot day / evening and I’m not going to be getting home until late, I will set my aircon to run for an hour before the sun goes down. I find just an hour makes a big difference & gives us cool home to return home too.

If you are at home during the day then make the most of the power by charging phones, laptops etc while the suns up!

Give consideration to how many appliances you are running at one

By limiting, the number of appliances you are running at once will conserve your solar systems energy.

I expect there are a number of people out there much savvier than me on this one. However, where possible I will try to make sure I am not running too many appliances at once. For example, I’ll wait for the washing machine to finish before putting on the dishwasher.

Making use of solar usage apps

If there’s one thing that will help keep you on top of your solar panels, it is tracking your home’s energy usage. Most providers have an app. I personally have a Goodwe Inverter so I make use of their app through the SEMS Portal.

The app provides a breakdown of energy produced each day. Having this information at your disposal will give you an insight into when your panels are exporting the most, so you can get more savvy with your appliance use. For example, if you find that your system generates the most energy at 1pm, then you may want to set a timer on your dishwasher to start its cycle at the same time.