Solar panels are an excellent investment in your home considering they provide both short and long-term value. Short-term, they raise the value of your home, while long-term, they reduce your utility bill considerably. 

Generating your own electricity has become a popular goal for homeowners and for good reason; the cost of installing a solar system is now lower than what it was in previous years and, in addition, you can also get tax breaks and monetary incentives to get it installed (depending on your State). 

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However, solar panels do require constant maintenance (infrequent but necessary) to work at maximum efficiency. Many people check their monthly utility bills to see any possible changes to the amounts which, in theory, should appear if the solar system is not working correctly. 

This sounds logical but it actually isn’t the correct way to keep track of your solar system’s efficiency. There are other steps that are much more useful and accurate in finding out how well your solar system is functioning. 

As for utility bill checking, it’s arguably the worst method and here’s why:

Why Checking the Utility Bill is Not a Good Metric for Solar System Problems

As said before, checking the utility bill is a popular way of ‘determining’ how well your solar system is working. However, not only is it inaccurate, but it’s also financially dangerous and you may end up making more than one major mistake. 

Here are some of the main reasons behind the inefficacy of utility bill checks:

• Seasonal fluctuations - There’s more sunlight during Summer than there is in Winter; there is no way to accurately determine the discrepancy amount attributed to solar system faults compared to seasonal fluctuations and changes in your monthly utility bill
  
  
• Changing utility rates - Utility prices constantly change but it’s usually too small of a change to notice. These changes may give you false information about your solar system malfunctioning when in fact, the bill is higher due to a change in utility prices
  
  
• Basic information - The utility bill doesn’t contain all the information you’d need to determine whether there’s a fault in the system. For example, utility statements only show how much electricity you generate into the grid; not how much you generate for your home
  
  
• Lack of itemization - Sometimes, the electricity you generate into the electricity grid isn’t itemized which will only cause confusion if you follow this solar system analysis ‘method’

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The 5 Easy Steps to Diagnosing Solar Panel Issues

Instead of fumbling around with numbers you can’t attribute accurately to your system, these five tried-and-tested ways to diagnose any potential solar panel issues are generally easy to accomplish. 

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Check the Breakers

Surprisingly, hardware and equipment being ‘off’ is one of the most common reasons why they won’t function when a user has problems with them. The same is true for solar systems; electrical grid glitches, outages, and surges can trip the breakers without you knowing. 

This is the first step you should take to keep track of your solar system’s activity or lack thereof. In most cases, this might be the solution to your problem. You should check the fuse box every week since it’s a very quick process that takes less than a minute. 

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Look for Potential Obstructions

Although many people think you can place a solar panel toward the sun's general direction and it’ll do its job, this is wrong. In fact, solar panels are quite delicate and are most efficient on cloudless sunny days, at the best angle, and without any obstructions. 

Certain obstructions can cause your solar system to operate inefficiently, including dirt, shadows, branches, dust, and debris. Keeping your solar panels clean, maintained, and free of any obstructions is imperative to receiving their full electricity benefits. 

Additionally, pests can damage wiring and electrical systems which will cause your electricity bill to rise thanks to repairs and reduced efficiency. Here are a couple of ways with which you can avoid both problems:

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How to clean solar panels?

Debris and dust slowly accumulate on solar panels as each day passes, particularly in dry and arid environments that experience a lot of wind. This type of obstruction is easy to deal with but can affect your system’s efficiency if left unchecked, primarily due to less sunlight hitting the solar modules. 

The very first step you could (and should) do is wash them with a garden hose. Sometimes, however, this isn’t possible, especially if they’re mounted on the roof of your home. Proper cleaning requires safety equipment and a special solution to prevent streaking while wiping the panels.

It also must be done at the right time of day to avoid damaging them. For these reasons, many homeowners choose to hire professional solar panel cleaning specialists. 

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How to keep pests away?

Pests are not only annoying because of the damage they do but they also pose a health risk. Mice, rats, and pigeons often leave droppings and build nests between the roof and the solar panels, and some may even choose to gnaw on your wires. 

You can use DIY methods to clean the area and place pest deterrents but this step is best left to the professionals. In most cases, they’ll thoroughly clean the afflicted area, repair any occurred damage, and install pest deterrents and guards. 

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Take a Look at the Solar Inverter

You probably won’t be repairing a damaged solar inverter by yourself since it requires expert knowledge but you may be able to diagnose a problem if it exists. Almost all solar system installations come with a solar inverter whose purpose is to convert the Direct Current (DC) that your solar panels produce into Alternating Current (AC) that your home appliances use. 

The only way to check whether the solar inverter is working correctly is by looking at the small LED light. If it’s green, that means it’s working properly. If it’s red, yellow, and/or flashing, there might be an issue. In this case, call the relevant services to help diagnose and fix the problem. 

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Check your Solar Meter

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Solar meters monitor your solar system’s energy output in real-time so they’re a crucial piece of technology that helps you keep tabs on your system’s health and efficiency. The data solar meters provide can be used to compare historic production levels and current ones to spot abnormalities. 

Solar meters provide the most genuine and accurate data that homeowners can use to stay on top of any issues. These numbers should be checked daily. 

If you suspect something is wrong (by comparing previous energy production levels with current ones), it’s best to contact a specialist solar meter repair agency and let them fix the issue. 

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Install Software for Solar Monitoring

Remote solar monitoring has become a very popular choice among homeowners due to its simplicity and ease of access. After all, if you want the entire picture of your solar system’s status, you need both current and past data. 

Getting accurate current data is difficult for the average homeowner due to complexity and lack of expertise. However, it's gotten much easier with the introduction of remote solar system monitoring software. 

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The way this software works is by tracking your solar system’s electricity production in real-time and logging performance data on your smart device or computer. It also lets you check the weather, analyze historic energy generation data, and display how much electricity your neighbors generate. 

Lastly, it sends alerts whenever your solar system’s production levels are below the baseline. 

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Conclusion

Following these maintenance steps will help you diagnose and eliminate more than 80% of the problems your solar energy generation system will face throughout its lifetime. Most solar panels can operate efficiently for 20-25 years with diligent maintenance. 

Don’t be tricked into believing everything will keep working fine throughout this period. You will have to be active regarding the well-being of your solar system. If all else fails, contact the relevant specialist company to help you out. 

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