Installing solar panels is one of the best improvements you can make to your home. However, in order to maximise your return on investment, it’s important that you continue to keep your panels maintained after installation.

You wouldn’t drive your car around for years without a service and your solar panels should be no different. Don’t be that person who installs solar on their roof and forgets about it for the next 25 years!

Keeping your solar panels clean maximises efficiency, extends the life of your panels and saves you money.

Not sure how often you should be cleaning your panels? Keep reading to find out.

Why you need to be cleaning your solar panels

Your solar panels are exposed to the elements from the moment they are installed. Dust, dirt, bird droppings and fallen leaves all have the potential to block sunlight, impacting the efficiency of your panels. On average 5-10% of performance is lost when your panels are dirty, costing you an unnecessary amount of money.

It is believed that rainfall will take care of most of the dirt and debris on your solar panels. However, rainwater often leaves behind a film that will need to be washed off your panels to ensure maximum efficiency. Additionally, here in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, we are often faced with dry months that have little to no rain, plus many of us live close to the beach. Clearly, we can’t rely on rainwater to do all the cleaning for us!

How often should I clean my panels?

How often you should clean your panels depends on a number of factors, including:

• Where you live (Do your panels receive regular rainfall?)
• The tilt of your panels (Steeply tilted panels tend to stay cleaner than horizontal panels)
• What your panels are exposed to (Does constant wind blow dust around your panels?)

Regardless, it is a good idea to check your panels periodically, especially if it’s been a while since last cleaning them. Most manufacturers recommend cleaning your panels at least twice a year, which can result in a 3-5% increase in efficiency.

On top of that, we at Omega Solar + Batteries recommend you service your solar system every 2 years.

Stick to the guidelines!

Need another reason to keep your panels clean? It protects your warranty!

Your warranty may be voided if your panels and inverter haven’t been maintained in accordance with Clean Energy Council (CEC) guidelines. For reference, the CEC recommend cleaning/maintaining your system every two years.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen this happen far too often. For example, one customer had an inverter with leaves down the back of it and had their warranty voided as they had not kept their system maintained. Don’t be that person – keep your system clean!

Let us do the hard work for you!

Here at Omega Solar + Batteries, we have over 10 years of servicing experience. During a solar power service, Omega Solar technicians not only check that your system is operating safely, but also clean your solar panels, removing dust and grime collected over time. Plus, our clients have reported up to a 30% increase in solar generation after a service was scheduled when a problem was suspected.

With our Omega Care, you can ensure that your solar system will operate at peak performance for many years. All designed to give you the best value for your investment.

Time for a Spring Clean?

Has this post prompted you to think back to the last time you cleaned your solar panels?

If its been longer than you care to admit, don’t put it off any longer!

Call us today on 1300 663 422 and leave the hard work to us.

We promise to have your panels sparkling in no time, with our thorough and affordable Omega Care audit and clean.