14 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Solar Power In 2022
As of 2021, roughly 3 million homes and small businesses across Australia are generating power from rooftop solar systems. These solar systems are becoming more accessible for households across the country, and they are more needed now than ever due to the steady rise in power costs across Australia.
If you’ve invested in a solar system and want to make the most of the solar power you’re generating in 2022, these energy conscious tricks will help you to cut down on your power bills!
Use appliances during peak production hours
This one seems obvious, but its importance cannot be overstated! Identify those appliances in your home that run up the energy bill and use them during daylight hours. Typically your solar system will be at its highest production from 10am-3pm, so make the most of that sunlight. For example- the dishwasher is usually run at the end of the day (just after dinner). Instead, wait until daylight hours to do your washing up with solar power. Who knew running the dishwasher could actually save you money?
Tip: All Powersensor Solutions come with a plug that you can attach on different appliances around your home to measure exactly how much energy they use. Additional plugs can also be purchased to monitor more than one appliance at a time.
Pre cook your roast during the day
A great way to plan your day and save on energy is to use your solar energy to power your slow cooker! Chuck your roast in before you leave for the day so dinner's ready by the time you get home. On top of that, slow cookers are an efficient way to cook because the heating element is inside the pot. Now you can spend less time cooking, enjoy the daylight hours, and create more solar savings.
Bonus: Use a portable induction cooker instead of electric hot plates will help minimise your energy bill. Induction works by causing the pot itself to heat up (with magneting energy) rather than heating a hot plate and then the heat transfers into the pot. Less energy is wasted in the form of heat through induction, which means less money paid for electricity.
Use one high energy appliance at a time
Depending on the size of your solar system, you’ll only be able to produce a finite amount of energy at any given time. Be sure to stagger the usage of your high load appliances so that you don’t end up drawing any extra energy from the grid.
Consider electrifying your heating and cooling
According to a government study, Australian households use roughly 40% of their energy consumption on heating and cooling. If you want to make even more solar savings, consider switching your heating and cooling to an electric system that you can power with your solar panels.
Set timers on your appliances
Put the timer functions on your appliances to good use. Load up the dishwasher and set it to run during your highest solar production hours or use timers to stagger the usage of those pesky high-load appliances throughout the day. One function - endless possibilities for savings.
Switch to appliances with high energy ratings
Not all appliances use the same amount of energy to run. Comparing appliances’ energy ratings can help you to make the most of your solar and even save you money if you have to use power from the grid. Look for a higher star rating or a lower energy consumption number on the energy ratings for appliances. If the appliance you’re considering doesn’t have an energy rating, look up how much power it needs to run and compare that number to other appliances of a similar capacity.
Keep your solar panels clean
Regularly cleaning your solar panels can increase your solar savings instantly. Dirt and dust can build up on the panels over time and block the sunlight, so ensure that they are cleaned and cleared of any debris once every 6 months at a minimum.
Service your solar system regularly
Leaving your rooftop solar unchecked for long periods of time can lead to reduced function and potentially safety hazards. To ensure the safety and efficiency of your solar system, have a licensed solar electrician service your panels once every 12 months.
Be mindful of obstructions
Make sure your solar panels are in the sunniest spot you can find. If you have had your solar for some time, don’t forget to review the location, angle and how any obstructions might have changed over the years.
Position your panels for all seasons
The sun changes angles throughout the year - check with your licensed solar installer if there are any adjustments you can make to the orientation of your panels to ensure they get the most exposure as possible to the sun all year around. You might need to get your system adjusted or cut away some tree branches depending on the time of year!
Get a microinverter
Microinverters are individual small inverters that sit beneath each solar panel, converting the DC energy to AC energy you can use to power your home. If 30% of one of your panels is blocked by shade, a string inverter will only draw 70% of the power from all of your panels - even if the rest of them are in direct sunlight! So if one of your panels is partially shaded and you can’t clear it, be sure to invest in a microinverter to maximise your solar.
Tip: The Powersensor Essentials Solar Solution can be used to monitor your grid import and export data if you have multiple inverters.
Find the best feed-in rates
A feed-in tariff is the money you receive for the energy that is exported back to the grid when you produce more solar energy than you use. Solar feed-in tariff rates vary depending on where you live and who your energy provider is. Certain energy plans will have a feed-in tariff that is higher than your state’s default rate, so seek out the energy providers with the best feed-in rates to maximise your solar system’s financial impact.
Monitor your solar and energy usage
Feed-in tariffs can definitely impact your energy spend, but in order to make the most of your solar system, focus on self-consumption. Home energy monitors are the best way to stay on top of your solar production, energy consumption, and identify which appliances use the most power. Hundreds of Australian homes use Powersensor’s solar monitoring solutions to get access to comprehensive energy consumption and solar generation data in one place, helping them change their energy habits and save.
Invest in smart home technologies
On top of your energy consumption & solar monitoring, opt for smart appliances that you can control remotely from your mobile device. That way you can keep up your solar savings even if you’re out and about during the day. Turn on the aircon as you leave work in the afternoon to come home to a cool house, or do your washing remotely if it’s a particularly sunny day.
Making the most of your solar isn’t difficult, it just requires some time and focus. We hope this list of ideas kick starts your journey to getting the most value from your solar system in 2022 and beating the global energy crunch.
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