Monitoring your solar panels allows you to make the most of your investment in the power of the sun and ensures it’s performing at its best.
Once your solar power system is up and running, it’s easy to forget about it – safe to know that your panels and inverter are working hard for you behind the scenes. But as your car goes to the mechanic for a regular service, monitoring your solar system is just as essential to ensure it’s running efficiently.
More than half of residential rooftop solar systems don’t provide as much power as they could, according to analysis of Ausgrid data.
A comprehensive solar health check of your system can help increase your solar power production, curbing your bill and reducing your reliance on the power grid.
Monitoring the performance of your solar power system involves wiring a small device into your electrical switchboard. It’s designed to keep an eye on your solar panels and inverter as well as your power usage. They are usually web-based and accessible online or via a mobile app, so you can touch base with your solar system any time of night or day.
There are plenty of solar monitoring services to choose from, but it’s important to ensure they deliver tangible benefits.
Solar monitoring provides you with a real-time dashboard, letting you compare predicted savings with your actual power bill to see if your system is living up to its full potential. You can also compare expected energy production with actual output, taking into account the make and model of your panels and inverter, kilowatt rating of system, age of the system, orientation of each solar panel in your solar system and the local weather conditions.
The result is a customised snapshot of how well your solar system is doing its job, along with the ability to examine trends and handy tips on how to optimise your power usage. This can help you better understand your solar power production, so you can manage your home’s energy usage and make the most of solar power.
Along with a performance snapshot and insight into your home energy usage, solar monitoring also offers real-time diagnostics and fault reporting.
Rather than waiting for you to ask, solar monitoring can automatically notify you if there’s a problem with your solar power system and offer advice on how to fix the issue. It’s like having a mechanic riding shotgun every time you get in your car – monitoring engine performance, fuel consumption and power output to ensure everything is running smoothly.
A simple message from your solar monitoring system can alert you to underperformance issues that may have otherwise gone undetected for months.
Keeping your solar power system finely-tuned ensures that your home is making the most of the Australian sunshine.
