How To Change Your Power Consumption Habits To Maximise Solar Production
Going solar is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and save money on electricity costs, but it’s important to understand that once you’ve chosen your solar system, your energy consumption habits need to change in order to get the most out of your panels.
Getting the most out of your solar system
Here are a few ways that your energy consumption needs to change when you get solar panels:
- Do your big energy-consuming jobs during the day:
If you want to maximise your solar savings and get your return on investment quickly, you’ll want to change your energy-consuming habits to be doing all of the big stuff during the day. This means running your washing machine, lawn mower or dishwasher during the day so you’re not using the grid to do these chores when you get home. - Timers are your friend: Invest in cheap powerplug timers to automatically turn off, and on, some of your electrical items at home. In general, we find that the power outlet where your TV sits is a big energy consumer, even when just sitting on standby. Often you’ll have a sound system attached to it, consoles and other devices. These all consumer power when on standby. You don’t need these to be running in the middle of the night.
- Utilise the timers on your electrical devices: Not home during the day? Most modern washing machines have a timer function. Set it to run while you’re at work.
- Powerbanks & Batteries: While solar batteries are out of reach for a lot of households still, despite prices coming down, charge your power banks during the day so you can charge your phone at night using the power bank. It’s a small change but really adds up over time.
- Monitor your energy use: Some of our residential solar systems come with an app allowing you to monitor your energy consumption, production and more. Monitor some of your energy spikes and try to eliminate these during nighttime hours.
Maximising Solar Panel Life
If you want to maximise your investment in solar, you should maintain it, just like any other technology. We recommend regular professional cleanings.
Conclusion
By changing your energy consumption habits, you can maximise the benefits of your solar panel system while making a positive impact on the environment.