Are Your Solar Panels Ready For Winter?

Whether you’re in the market for solar installation or you’ve already invested, it’s important to understand the necessary maintenance for your panels. Luckily, solar panels don’t have any moving parts so there really isn’t much maintenance that is required. However, to gain the maximum potential and keep the highest quality of your system, you definitely should have them inspected a few times a year to ensure their efficiency. Inspections should entail removing any dirt or debris from the system as well as snow. It’s also important to review the panels to ensure no damage has occurred.

If you’re inspecting your panels yourself, always be sure to keep your safety in mind. If your panels are too high up on the roof to see very well from the ground, use caution with ladders and be sure to ask a friend to help provide support…moral and safety support!

Next Gen Electric offers solar panel maintenance services. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or to become a VIP customer with added bonuses including regular ongoing maintenance inspections. This is a better choice if you want a more thorough cleaning.

During our solar panel maintenance service, we get a lot of questions about cold weather and panel efficiency. We’ve compiled the top 3 questions here:

How Will My Solar Panels Do In Winter?

Solar panels work with light and not heat. That means that when the cold weather hits, your panels aren’t affected. In fact, they actually perform better in cooler temperatures.

Will My Solar Panels Produce Electricity When It’s Cloudy?

It may not seem like it, but even when it’s cloudy outside, there is still light. That’s all your solar panel needs. During winter, the days are drastically shorter, so that does affect how much electricity is produced vs. during the summer. However, panels trap any incoming light from all angles allowing your system to be efficient even on wintery cloudy days.

What If It Snows?

A professional installer will ensure that your solar panels are in the best position to get the maximum amount of sunlight possible. Typically, your system will be installed facing the south or southwest. Since the panels are smooth and generate a slight temperature change (warmer than snowfall), snow doesn’t stick to them like it would to your home’s shingles. It generally melts or slides away quickly and easily on its own.

What If It Snows…A LOT?

This can be common, especially for our clients in the Pacific Northwest! Blizzards can offer up some heavy now accumulation resulting in piles of snow on your roof and panels. Please consider hiring a professional when concerned about snow removal from your roof and panels. That way, you won’t have the added headache and cost of broken or damages panels. 

Be sure to give Next Gen Electric a call when it comes to your solar panel maintenance. We’ll be happy to answer questions over the phone or come out to your site for a FREE consult. We want to make sure that your system (weather we installed it or not) is successful and working properly for you. 

Home Generators: Preparing For Severe Weather

Winter weather in the Pacific Northwest can be unpredictable. Due to snow, ice, and high winds, downed power lines are to blame for power outages that can last for hours or days. Warm weather months is generally free from such harsh and long-term outages, however powerful thunderstorms can cause similar devastation.

A home generator is not only a convenience, but can be a life line for those that encounter loss of power throughout any season.

Braving The Cold

The thought of a power outage may bring positive memories. Thoughts of gathering everyone in the living room to play board games by candle light or tell stories with flashlights. It may even feel a little like camping. However, in cold weather, this type of togetherness could get old pretty quickly. It’s hard to have fun and create fond memories when you’re chilled to the bone. Even with today’s fireplaces, most of them aren’t built to heat entire rooms, only providing so much heat to go around.

Winter outages are known for kicking homeowners out, forcing them to retreat to hotels, friends, or family’s homes while repairs are made. You may be up for the trip, but what about your home? Your pipes could freeze causing thousands of dollars in damages. What about your pets? They may not be able to join you on your mini trip, and many small animals are able to survive intense cold.

Financial Hardships

Beating the heat in the summer may be harder than it sounds. You may be able to cool off by sleeping in the basement for a couple days, if you have one, but your home may not be so lucky. Not only would you miss your home amenities like a microwave and cell phone charger, but after 24 hours, your freezer will produce spoiled food. If you have more than one freezer, that’s just more food to worry about.

Today’s generators can run on propane gas or gasoline and can be installed with a transfer switch so they come on after a power outage regardless if you’re home or not. That way, if your home loses power while you’re away, you’re home and everything in it will be safe.

Protect yourself, your family, and your home by investing in a home generator and allow Next Gen Electric to provide the installation. We’ll be happy to provide new or updated outlets for your generator to ensure you’re ready for any season. 

Outdoor Lightning: Functional & Decorative

Winter is officially here and that means shorter days making it dark earlier. Many of us only think about outdoor lighting during the holidays when we want to give a little cheer to our outdoor lighting scheme. However, a good outdoor lighting design not only accentuates your home’s best features, it can be a safeguard against intruders and tripping accidents in addition to demonstrating your inner holiday enthusiast. 

Next Gen Electric can help you identify your lighting options and explain the work required to extend electricity to new areas of your property. But, it’s always wise to begin the process by educating yourself on the types of available outdoor lighting so that you can imagine different fixtures in your outdoor space.

Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Lamp Posts:

  • No, I’m not talking about the old-fashioned, and possibly outdated lantern design. Outdoor lampposts run the gamut from traditional to downright futuristic. They’re perfect for marking driveway entrances and adding charm to outdoor seating areas.

Hanging Lights: 

  • These may look lovely hanging above front doors and on porches, but hanging lights can be placed just about anywhere there’s an open space with a ceiling or overhang. And, they look great even during the daylight hours.

Wall Lights: 

  • You will recognize some of the most practical security and motion-detector lights available in wall-mounted designs. Wall-mounted decorative lamps are ideal for areas where the outdoor space is right outside the door, such as a deck or patio.

Stake Lights: 

  • These lights are perfect for illuminating walkways and gardens. The best part about this choice? Many small stake lamps are solar-powered with a backup battery, which can save you money while looking great!

Well Lights: 

  • These small lamps sit below the ground so that only the lens shows, shining light upward or at a slight angle. Well lights are also great choices for lighting paths and can make a dramatic and fun effect when shining upward onto trees, tall shrubs or columns.

Ribbon Lights:

  • Flexible, water resistant, with an adhesive backing, ribbon lights (or strip lights) are used traditionally for accent lighting, backlighting, task lighting, and decorative lighting applications. Since the strip is flexible and can be divided at any point between LEDs, it is extremely versatile and can be used in a number of installations.

Tis the season for updated lighting! Contact Next Gen Electric today to schedule your FREE lighting consult. If you’re concern is minimizing your long-term costs while making a grand (or subtle) change to your outdoor lighting this season, we’ll be happy to explain solar and LED options for your project.