You may have Solar panels installed or maybe not but using electricity efficiently is a matter of valuing the resource. The electricity for so many years was supplied from the grid. Now that you have a solar panel in your house that is less expensive than the grid, you should use as much solar power as possible.
Here are some tips you can have more benefit by using electricity from solar panel than the grid.
Low your overall consumption
Whether it is electricity from PV panels or the grid, you must lower your overall power consumption. Devices that need and use too much power should be eliminated or used as little as possible. Or, follow the next tip.
Use your devices during the day
Power is generated during the day when the sun is out. By using appliances that draw more power during the daytime you can take full advantage of solar-produced electricity.
You can use your washing machine, water heater, dishwasher during the day and draw energy from the solar while it is being produced. This way you won’t need to depend on the limited power produced and stored for the evening.
Schedule you consumption
You can try different ways to make sure your home appliances are using electricity in the daytime and not depending on the grid. For example, you can try cooling or heating the room in the last few hours before sundown. This way you are using solar electricity while it is still generating electricity.
Use LEDs
In the evening or even in the morning if there is a storm, lighting your house is a must and this contributes the most to the electricity bill. Light bulbs which produce more heat than light charge more than LEDs.
LED uses a tenth of the electricity to produce the same amount of light as a Light bulb. Also, it does not heat up in comparison to light bulbs. Swapping LEDs in the place of Light bulbs is more beneficial because its market price is low on top of it, LED uses less electricity.
Battery
You use about 30 to 50 % of solar electricity directly from your solar panel, without energy storage by feeding the rest to the grid. By using a battery you can increase this to almost 90%. By adding a battery you can store more power for the night and especially for blackouts. It is also less expensive than the electricity from the grid.
Switch to Battery devices
Electric cars, electric wheelchairs, or e-bicycles, all such electrical devices use lithium batteries which can be powered up with solar electricity. Electrical cars can help you cut down on fuel budget. It is the small trips that consume more fuel and you can sort this out with electrical cars.
Keep your solar panel clean
Dirt and other such litter like bird droppings or leaves can obstruct the production of solar electricity. This will not only reduce the electricity production but will increase your electricity bill. Also, you will need to have the panels repaired from any damage. All this will add up to an even bigger bill.
Therefore, it is important that you keep the panels clean and have them thoroughly checked on a regular basis.
Monitor the Solar Power System
Along with keeping an eye on the physical condition of your solar panel, you need to make sure that it is operating properly. Inverters have an app to show how your system is working and its production. You can monitor the usage of solar electricity and performance throughout the year.
