Day: July 23, 2021

17 Tips For Saving Money On Your Power Bill This Summer

Posted on by solarman

The electric bill seems to grow every summer when the weather turns warm. That’s because you’re not making a conscious effort to reduce electricity usage and the air conditioner is the main cause for the rising of your energy costs. This is a problem that many people face, particularly those people who are on a tight budget. Since your electric bill may tend to increase during the summer, there are some tips you can do to keep your electricity costs to a minimum. In this article, we will discuss the tips by which you can save money on your power bill in summer.

1. Keep Your Air Conditioner on a Power Saving Mode

While this may sound entirely excessively hot for the summer months, you might be disgusted to find that it is sufficiently low to keep you cool. Many opt for a temperature below 25°C, or even lower in some cases. To save your electricity you should set your air conditioner to around 25°C with moderate fan speed. It has proven that at this temperature your air conditioner will consume minimal energy and power.

2. Change the AC filter

Did you know that a dirty air conditioner filter can restrict airflow? Your unit needs to work harder in order to pump cool air through your home. The end result is an inefficient system that costs you a lot of money. Many filters need to be swapped out once per month. Check your unit to see what is suggested.

3.The leaks and block out the heat

Be finding out for places where cold air can escape from your air-conditioned room, as under doorways and via open windows. You can use a rolled-up towel to block out the leakage at the bottom of the door or windows to keep the cold air in. You need to ensure that all your windows are fully closed and draw your curtains to dramatically reduce the amount of heat entering the room from outside.

4. Use a whole house fan

There are some parts of the country, where the fan is not functioning well in summer. But before the use of the air conditioner, you consider switching a fan on instead. Fans are much more energy-efficient than air conditioners. Though air conditioner is highly effective at cooling you down on a hot day, fan requires less power to run. To save your electricity bill in summer, you need to use fans increasingly.

5. Plant trees

Radiant energy from the sun heats home surfaces such as walls, roofs, and windows forcing air conditioners to work harder. This drives energy consumption and power bills up. While good insulation will help to reduce this problem, shade from surrounding trees can further conserve energy, especially for older homes with outdated or limited insulation. Planting trees to shade the air conditioner unit can also conserve energy. Trees and their branches should be at least several feet away from the units to allow for easy airflow. Restricting this flow will reduce the efficiency of the unit.

6. Servicing your air conditioner properly

Your air conditioner will perform better if it is serviced at the appropriate time. Air conditioner mechanics utilize high-pressure cleaners to remove mold, bacteria, and other dust from your air conditioner filters. If left unserviced, the air conditioner needs to work more to cool your home. Along the way, it will consume extra kilowatts.

7. Avoid Using More Rooms at a Time

Spending time outside also allows you to save electricity by turning off the television, the computer, and any unused lights inside. Even if you avoid more rooms at a time, you can save electricity consumption at your home.

8.Use Natural Lights

You should go for natural lighting as much as possible. You can open your windows and blinds in the daytime when you will get ample of sunlight. You have to switch off electric light during the daytime.

9. Turn off Electrical Equipment

If you want to save your electric bills, then don’t forget to turn off lights and fans when you are not using them. Most people forget to switch off their fans and lights when they are going outside. So, they have to pay higher electric bills. Also, turn off other electrical devices when you are not using them. Actually, it consumes some power even on standby mode. When you are plug in your chargers or laptops (even you are not using them), they still consume a little of energy constantly. So, turn off or switch off all the electrical devices when they are not in use.

10. Use Smart Electrical Devices

To save your electric bills at home, use smart electrical and electronic devices. It consumes less energy, so you can save electric consumption and cost also. With the help of the latest technologies, scientists have developed new solar-powered devices like calculators, cookers, heaters, switches, and sockets which are energy and cost-efficient. Besides that, you can decorate your home with electrical appliances which consume less energy. Now energy-saver LED or LCD lights or TV is available in the market which helps reduce your electric bills. You can easily use a solar-powered charger to charge your mobile phones and other electronic devices. So there are many electrical and electronic devices available in the market which consumes less energy and you can save your electric bills by using it.

11. Try Traditional Cooking Methods

To save your electricity bill, you need to cook traditional firewood methods for cooking. Whenever you need to cook, use the microwave as much as possible. Microwaves are the most energy-efficient means of cooking, followed by slow cookers, hobs, and lastly ovens, so use your microwave as much as possible. Covering pots and pans help to trap heat, so you can cook things quicker and reduce your electric consumption. Apart from that, when you open the door every time the oven loses all its heat, so it has to work harder to get back up to the right temperature again. Keep your oven door clean and you should notice your food without having to open it.

12. Reduce the power consumption of your refrigerator

Your refrigerator can be one of the biggest drains on your power bill. It’s switched on 24/7 for 365 days of the year. To save your electric bill in summer, you need to follow several tips. You should avoid opening your fridge frequently and avoid over-stuffing and clean it regularly. You must wait until your food has cooled down before placing it in the appliance. The most important point is you have to keep Thermostat temperature at medium cool. For optimum energy efficiency, set the temperature on your refrigerator to around 3-5°C. It helps to save your energy and electricity bill also.

13. Take Care of Your Pump

Do you need to pump water into the overhead tanks in your home? It needs to be well-maintained and oily properly. A sticky or gooey bearing can enhance the pump consumption which helps to uplift your electricity bill.

14.Wash Your Clothes Efficiently

If you use laundry to wash your clothes, then you need to maintain some tips to save your electric consumption. If you heat water for your laundry, then this will consume a lot of energy and also enhances your bill. You should try to wash only full loads of clothes instead of washing a few clothes.

15. Dry Clothes Naturally

Instead of using a dryer, try to dry your clothes by using the sunlight. It helps to reduce your electric consumption.

16. Install Solar Panel

You can install a solar energy system on your property to save money on your electricity bills and protect yourself against rising electricity rates in the future.

17. Try to Reduce Consumption in Peak Hours

During peak hours, try to avoid using high load systems like washing machines, grinders, water pumps, etc. Energy consumption is high during these peak hours and in this way, the voltage can be reduced if you run all these things during this time. This will also enhance your electricity bill rapidly.

We have discussed 17 tips for saving money on your power bill in summer. If you try to follow these tips, then you can save your electricity bill.

Why maintenance of your solar power system is important?

Posted on by solarman

Solar panels are incredibly reliable. Most systems have no moving parts, and the lifespan for a solar panel can exceed thirty years. This means that solar panel installation companies routinely offer very long warranties and maintenance packages as a part of your system cost. Despite this, some maintenance is necessary to go a long way towards the longevity and efficiency of your system, and it’s good to know what to do if there is a problem with any of your panels. Follow these tips for decades of clean electricity and save on your energy bill.

There are a few main reasons to have an experienced solar company maintain your existing solar installation:

  1. Safety
  2. Efficiency
  3. Preventative Maintenance

Efficiency

Solar panels provide you with a cheap power source – a 3 kW solar PV system cuts the average electricity bills by 65 percent in South Australia, according to the Australian Solar Council, and can boost the value of your home. However, your energy system can decrease inefficiency by as much as 20 percent over time if your solar panels aren’t regularly cleaned.

Dirt buildup makes it difficult for your solar panels to absorb sunlight properly, rendering your system less efficient. A professional who carries out solar panel maintenance can remove dirt and grime that has accumulated on the surface of your system. Statistics suggest that cleaning your system annually can increase its efficiency by as much as 21 percent and maximize returns on your investment.

Some of the most common solar panel problems include no power and low voltage issues. During a solar maintenance check, a trained engineer will assess your panels for performance, test the switches, AC electricity system, and DC circuits, and ensures your solar energy system is working properly.

Safety

Solar installations are generally safe and have redundant safety systems in-place. However, a regular inspection would identify any failing conditions. These failures could include blown fuses, overheated terminations, worn wires, and separated connections. Electrical equipment that is compromised can cause arcing, heat, or fire and should be corrected immediately.

Preventative Maintenance

The performance of PV solar plants will have a negative impact due to the collection of dirt particles on the panels as it will block the sunlight. Proper dusting is required at regular intervals. Dirt is related to air pollution, accumulated dust, bird droppings, grease, or any other particles in the air. Dirty parts of the panel create hotspots as they got hot quickly and decrease the efficiency of the system. The dust must be removed from the surface of solar PV panels to ensure the highest performance.

The optimum performance of the PV system will not operate in an expected way due to low maintenance eventually developing a negative impact on energy savings. Proper management services must be attained from time to time.

The effective measures for maintenance of solar panels

Solar panels, fortunately, require very low maintenance as they are reliable and durable and can last for years but proper care and precautions will make last longer. Document the day-to-day performance of the installed PV system to improve solar panel maintenance. It is important to write how much energy has been produced at a consistent time every day and make special note of dates where it is very cloudy. A well-defined Monitoring system will help in observing the benefits provided to the system. They can also help you know how much you could benefit from the feed-in tariff scheme. Automatic cleaners can be used for cleaning purposes. The rainwater patches cleaning and periodic site inspections are crucial for better check-up planning. Avoiding abrasive cleaners is also vital to avoid scratches and unwanted damage.

Solar energy generation is noise-free, has a long life with less maintenance, easily available, effortless installation, has quality power for both domestic and industrial usages, and effectively promotes sustainable development.

Identify problems early

Experienced technicians can also identify any issues before they happen. Fixing a problem with your system can save you money on repair costs, and you will be able to rectify any damage before the issue gets worse. Regular servicing can ensure your safety: A solar power professional will check electrical components for signs of water damage and corrosion, which could pose a significant risk to you and your family. A specialist can even check the condition of your roof and recommend a solution if a problem is identified.

Annual Inspection Checklist

Regular maintenance can go a long way towards the life of your solar system. Have your installer conduct a regular inspection of your installation to diagnose and address any issues.

  • Water damage at any roof penetrations
  • Roof drainage issues
  • loose leaves or Vegetation growth in roof
  • Proper expansion joints, supports, and bushings in long conduit runs
  • Corrosion on electrical enclosures or the rack system
  • Loose or exposed wiring, or wiring that contacts the roof surface
  • Signs of animal infestation
  • Excessive cracking or wear on the inverter
  • Burn marks, discoloration, or broken glass on solar panels
  • Missing bolts
  • Corrosion or erosion of system supports

Depending on your system, your solar installer may also choose to conduct isolation tests to determine if there is any damage to the wiring insulation or any resistance from loose or broken connections. If you notice a drop in your production, or if your system monitoring has revealed a dead panel, these tests can be conducted to isolate the problem for maintenance.

With proper maintenance at set intervals, frequent visual inspections, and regular cleaning of your panels, you should experience relatively problem-free ownership for decades. Be sure to look at the track record of your solar installer to ensure they’ll take care of your solar system for the extent of its productive life. Well-established solar companies with experience, certifications, and local knowledge are the best choices for your installation.

Maximize your inverter to get the most out of it

Posted on by solarman

The efficiency of the inverter drives the effectiveness of a solar panel system because inverters convert the Direct Current (DC) into Alternating Current (AC). This leads many to wonder what effect over-sizing or under-sizing an inverter will have on overall system efficiency.

A solar system’s inverter functions optimally within a predetermined operational ‘window’ (usually laid out in the inverter’s specifications). As the power input from the system’s solar panels goes up and down, the inverter’s ability to efficiently convert it from DC electricity to AC electricity differs. As long as the input from the panels falls within the range of the window, the inverter can be considered to be operating optimally.

Over-sizing your inverter

Oversizing exposes the inverter to the following:

  • Increased available power from the array
  • Increased available short circuit current from the array
  • Slightly increased full power input voltage during power limiting
  • Increased operational hours at full power

Discussions up to this point have assumed that the inverter has power limiting capability, which is true of UL 1741 listed inverters. As a part of listing to UL1741, an “Output Overload Test” is performed to confirm the inverter’s ability to maintain rated output power when fed by a DC source equal to twice the inverter rated input current.

Although the inverter has the ability to control the current from the array during normal power conversion operation, during a DC side fault the inverter’s capability to control the current from the array is through interruption at best. The scenario that subjects the inverter to the highest short circuit current is a low impedance fault within the inverter’s DC section between the ungrounded and grounded circuitry or between underground circuitry and ground. During these scenarios, the inverter is exposed to the full short circuit current of the array. The inverter’s DC side component, including bus bars, cables, and switches, must be rated to carry and interrupt (in the case of electro-mechanical switches) the array’s available short circuit current. The “weakest link” in this circuit dictates the maximum short circuit current that the inverter is rated to handle. Based upon the desired string count and string size, the maximum Array-to-Inverter ratio can then be determined. As an aside, this highlights the point that the maximum oversizing ratio of an inverter depends both on string count and string size.

The Effect of Oversizing on Inverter Life

Designers, developers, and system owners should view the effects of oversizing in inverter life and Mean-Time-Between Failure (MTBF) through practical lenses. Large Array-to-Inverter ratios cause the inverter to work harder for extended hours, not only in the spring-time peaking hours but also during the hotter summer months. In addition, most commercial three-phase inverters operate less efficiently when operating above the maximum PowerPoint voltage, resulting in greater internal heat rejection. Common sense tells us that this can cause some of the temperature-sensitive components to ageing faster compared to a lightly loaded scenario.

The good news is that inverters have thermal management architectures to control internal temperatures to protect the inverter during a prolonged period of full power operations. These measures also act to help preserve the life of temperature-sensitive components. Inverters sense temperatures of critical components and have programmed setpoints that trigger increased blower fan speed and power limiting as a means of regulating the internal temperature. In addition, inverters have critical temperature limits that, once reached, result in inverter shut down. Inverters also include one or more temperature switches as backup safety mechanisms in the event of an uncontrolled temperature increase due to failures in the inverter’s thermal management control systems. System designers should understand the inverter’s maximum ambient operating temperature for full rated power and consider other factors that affect the inverter’s operating temperature and cooling ability, including inverter shading, elevation, and mounting location (indoor/outdoor, ventilated/conditioned). Designers are encouraged to use good engineering judgment and attempt to promote optimal cooling of the inverter to ensure the longest life of the equipment. System owners should perform regularly scheduled maintenance of any air intake filters and cooling system.

Under-sizing your inverter

Under-sizing your inverter will mean that the maximum power output of your system (in kilowatts – kW) will be dictated by the size of your inverter. Regardless of the output of the solar panels, the power output will be cut-off (‘clipped’) by the inverter so that it does not exceed the inverter’s rated capacity (e.g. 3kW, 5kW, etc).

Your installer may suggest an undersized inverter if they determine that the amount of incident solar irradiation (sunlight) on your panels will be lower than expected – because of your location & climate, the orientation of your panels, or other factors.

Inverter under-sizing sometimes referred to as ‘overclocking’ – has actually become a common and widely accepted practice in Australia – even endorsed by inverter manufacturer SMA, one of the largest and most respected names in the industry. Although the maximum power output of a solar system will be ‘clipped’ back to the inverter’s output through overclocking, there can also be gains in the overall amount of energy (kilowatt-hours – kWh) generated and slightly more energy produced early in the morning and late afternoon.

Solar inverter under-sizing (or solar panel array oversizing) has become common practice in Australia and is generally preferential to inverter over-sizing. If an inverter is under-sized, this should happen within certain parameters – which accredited solar installers will be familiar with.

If you want your solar PV system to produce as much energy as possible, then you can use a technique. Increasing the array-to-inverter ratio, using a technique is known as ‘maximizing’ can help to ensure you’re getting the most out of your system.

Maximizing is when you install a solar array that has the ability to generate more electricity than your inverter’s maximum output capacity.

How does maximizing work?

At first, it is important to understand how solar panels work throughout a day and furthermore over a year’s time span. It is very raring that you will accomplish 3kW output from a 3kW solar array. This is because, in Australia, solar panels generally produce around 80% of their nominal output capacity in the middle of a summer day, and even less during a good day in other seasons. This will reduce throughout the years as the panels degrade.

Along with seasonal differences that occur as a result of fewer daylight hours, your solar array’s output also depends on factors like shade or dust on your panels, humidity levels, daily temperatures, the pitch and orientation of your roof.

Next, we need to look at how solar panels are actually rated. The system for determining a solar panel’s maximum output is measured using ‘Standard Test Conditions’. This includes directing 1000 watts per square meter of light at a perfectly perpendicular panel, in a temperature-controlled room ensuring a cell temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and free of losses from things like dust, cables, and any degradation. As you can imagine, this is probably not going to happen in a residential setup unless you put some extremely expensive provisions in place. So, for this reason, the panels don’t produce their nominal output capacity in any real-world scenario.

Good quality inverters can accept more DC power than the maximum capacity of AC they are specified to output. Fronius will actually warrant up to double the DC capacity to AC maximum output, provided it’s done correctly. When maximized, they will expand the voltage and decrease the current of the DC electricity traveling from the solar array. This prevents the output from exceeding the maximum AC level the inverter was designed to handle. The inverter will allow slightly more power coming from the panels than its maximum AC output, which allows for conversion losses within the inverter.

Why is maximizing beneficial?

Maximizing your inverter is particularly beneficial, especially if you have panels on different roof orientations. It is also handy if you have access to Time-Of-Use (TOU) tariffs, as you extend the number of hours your system is producing electricity to include periods when electricity is in high demand (such as later in the afternoon). Financial benefits are big advantages for new installs, as the price tag for panels continues to reduce and installation costs are offset by the increased productivity that comes with a larger solar array.

How can you maximize your inverter?

To maximizing your inverter, you need to contact a reputable solar company to inspect your specific needs. Since every situation is different, so you need to seek advice from a qualified and experienced installer. The experienced installer can crunch the numbers and design a solar PV system that takes your details into account.

Here we have discussed this article about maximizing your inverter to get the most out of it. If you have any queries, then get in touch with us.

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