How to Set Up Your Solar Panels for the Winter
January 20, 2023
Winter season brings extreme weather changes that might be tedious for people. The cool, snowy, and cloudy environment urges the thought to spend most of the time indoors. To keep residential places warm, homeowners must ensure that their energy-drawing sources run smoothly. Especially if your home is solar-powered, you need to take maintenance steps to keep your solar panel set up working efficiently.
When are solar powers most efficient?
It is evident that solar powers are highly energy efficient when facing the sun directly. But it doesn’t mean that they can’t work in winter. So, how do solar panels work? Solar power setup works at a lower temperature, but its output might be less as compared to a bright sunny day. For this purpose, homeowners need to adjust the angle of the panels to enhance efficiency.
Woman wiping snow off her solar panels with a snow removal tool.
Additionally, the heavy snow coverage on the panels also makes the homeowners take significant steps for their removal. So, how to set up a solar power system for beginners? Let’s get into this.
Hire Professionals for Snow Removal
You might think, “is the cold climate hard on your solar panel setup?” The winds, snow, and low temperature affect the functioning of solar power systems in the winter. The sun is not as prevalent on cold days, and the snow accumulates on your solar panels. The heavy snow might hinder the performance of the solar system setup.
So, homeowners need to take some measures to face these challenges and get the most out of solar in winter.
Why Hire Professionals for Snow Removal?
Do you want to protect your roof and solar panels from damage? Hiring a professional snow removal service drastically reduces safety and damage concerns. It is a more convenient solution to keep your roof clean from heavy swaths of snow.
Additionally, doing the job yourself can be dangerous. As the roof becomes slippery, there are chances that you may lose your balance and get injured. With the right team of experts, you can prevent these risky situations. Does snow affect residential solar panels? If you have roof-mounted solar panels set up, heavy snow can affect the mounting structures for the solar panel. For this purpose, the professionals can utilize the right equipment to remove the snow by preventing any damage to panels. Also, they ensure that they do the job promptly and efficiently. So, you can get top-notch results by hiring a professional service for snow removal.
How do Homeowners Hire Professionals to get Rid of Snow?
Most homeowners prefer to hire service companies that can offer experts for snow removal. They don’t use the heavy tools themselves and look for services to clear the snow off their roof, including solar panels. So, how to take care of your solar panels through the harsh winter weather? Of course, you need to hire a team of experts to get rid of heavy blocks of snow.
Do Research
For this purpose, you need to search the market and hire a company that delivers reliable services. Hiring an unskilled contractor can damage the roof array and also affect the panels. So, do proper research before getting any type of service.
Have Some Estimates
When looking for a trustworthy service, you need to ensure that you get maximum services at affordable rates. For this purpose, you need to consider more than one company and acknowledge their packages. Understand the pricing and go for a cost-effective solution.
Ask for References and Explore the Liability
Before hiring snow removal professionals, you need to ensure that they have a reliable record of providing exceptional services. Also, check the safety record of the company you are hiring to clear the snow off your roof solar panels.
Moreover, you also need to make sure that the company is insured to compensate for any damage. So, follow these strategies to hire an efficient snow removal contractor company service.
Get more Panels
You might be thinking about how to prepare solar panels for the winter. For this purpose, you need to take some measures to reap extra benefits. As we have discussed earlier, solar panels produce more energy when there is a direct incidence of sunlight.
During the summer season, the days are sunny and long, so getting more panels would generate enough energy. It benefits homeowners to acquire solar credits from utility companies. During winters,
when the panels are not producing much, the homeowners can use those solar set-up credits they have earned in summer.
Using summer solar credits during the winter benefits homeowners by offsetting energy costs. How? It is where net metering comes into play. Let’s dive into this.
How Net Metering Offsets Your Winter Energy Costs?
Net metering is an efficient technique that allows for long-term energy cost savings. Through this electric bill tool, you can get credit for returning excess energy to the grid. You can roll over these credits from month to month. For instance, you have placed more solar panels set up with the intent to produce more energy during summer times. Now, you can sell the excess electricity to the solar utility company and carry over credits. In winter, when the environment is cloudy, there is less production of electricity by the panels. So, if you feel the urge to use grid-based electricity during the darker winter months, it offsets the energy costs and saves you money. So, homeowners can cherish the excess net metering credits to cut down the utility bills in the winter.
Solar Panel Warmer
The heavy snowfall can affect energy production by blocking the sunlight from reaching the solar cells. Additionally, if too much snow builds up, it may also put pressure on the panels. So, you need to clean your solar power set up off the snow. For this purpose, solar panel warmers play a significant role in heating the panels up to the level where the snow starts melting.
These solar panel warmers are available in various sizes, designs, and shapes with varied heating capacities. Additionally, these solar panel heaters use natural sunlight to heat the panels to make the roof snow free.
How Can you Find the Right Solar Panel Warmer?
So, you might be thinking about how to choose the right warmer for your solar panel set up. For this purpose, you need to consider some points. When you head to the market, you will find varied options to choose from. Always go for that warmer that has a high-efficiency rate. It provides a proper heating system to provide warmth and makes the snow melts faster in winter.
You should also consider the price while choosing the right warmer for your solar panel set up. Many online stores also offer economical solutions. Therefore, you can opt for a cost-effective solar panel warmer to remove heavy snow from your panels.
Inspect the Solar Panel Frequently
Do you want to track the problems beforehand? Checking the solar panel setup helps you to locate the issues timely. It also allows you to make significant improvements accordingly.
How Do you Inspect a Solar Panel?
For instance, in winter, the sun is low, and you need to tilt the panels to make them catch the sun properly. When you inspect the panels regularly, you can spot the obstruction and fix the angle as per the requirement.
Moreover, you can also check for any damage and affix the deterioration promptly. You can also test that the switches and devices are working adequately. Additionally, check for debris, dirt, or grime build-up on the solar panels.
Likewise, you should also look out at the solar panel set up several times to inspect the branches you need to trim. These tree branches may cast a shadow on the panels that may hinder the sunlight from reaching the cells at any time of the day. Moreover, these branches also provide a passageway for the critters. So, you need to check for these inspections frequently to avoid the risks upfront.
If you find it tiring to do regular inspections yourself, you can hire professionals for frequent checking. For this purpose, you need to seek affordable services.
Conclusion
In short, installing solar panels has been integrated into the renewable energy industry. If you want to switch to solar this winter, don’t let the weather extremes deter you. To get the most out of the solar panel set up in winter, you need to take some maintenance steps to maintain energy efficiency.
Just hire professionals for snow removal from your rooftops containing solar. To reduce your winter energy bills, you can utilize the solar credits you have earned in the summers through net metering. Moreover, you can also install solar panel warmers to clear the panels of snow. Don’t forget to inspect the panels frequently to fix the issues beforehand.
If you need a professional to help set up panels and maintain them, contact
Solgen Power and our technical experts will facilitate your every need.
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Solgen Power is a solar energy equipment company that sells and installs solar for homeowners. Solgen Power has been recognized by INC. 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in the nation. Solgen Power has grown nationwide and continues to provide excellent customer service to homeowners.