Understanding System Performance

Understanding Your Solar System

With your solar system installed and producing clean, renewable energy, consider the factors below to help maximize the benefits of solar production.

You will see changes in your system’s production throughout the year based on the number of hours of sunlight and proximity of the sun. These seasonal factors are all considered in creating your final solar system design. Specifications regarding the equipment installed with your solar system are also included in your final design.

While you cannot control the sun or cloudy weather, a number of other factors may be considered to help you maximize the energy produced from your system. Shade from tree growth or routine exposure to outdoor elements resulting in dirt and debris accumulation can impact your solar energy. Properly maintaining your solar energy system will help you maximize your overall value. If you see a significant change in energy production, please reach out to our support team at support@formesolar.com.

Annual Production View: Winter and Summer

It is typical for your system to output 50% of its rated power at noon in the winter and 80% of its rated power at noon in the summer. The factors below can affect your solar production during the winter:

Less Daylight
Compared to summer days, winter days are shorter and experience less daylight. As a result, your solar system operates for less time each day, producing less energy each day on average.
Lower Sun Angle
During the winter, the angle of the sun changes significantly — the sun is much lower in the sky, even at its midday peak. As a result, your solar panels are hit with less direct sunlight during the winter months. This reduces power output for your system, causing lower energy production.
More Cloud Cover
Depending on your location, the winter months can bring increased cloudy weather, causing a layer of shade that blocks the sun. With a cloud cover, your system will still be on and produce a small amount of solar power.

Savings

Solar panels are an investment for your home and can continue to provide you with clean energy savings well into the future. Homes with solar panels rely less on the grid and can capture energy directly from the sun. Many homeowners can completely offset their energy usage with solar panels and significantly reduce or eliminate their energy bills altogether.

Additional efforts can be taken to maximize the value of your energy production. The use of high efficiency appliances and light fixtures allows you to use less energy in your home. Additionally, understanding your utility rate plan is key for taking advantage of your Net Energy Metering (NEM) credits and reducing energy consumption during higher time of use (TOU) rate plans. Each utility rate plan is unique; learn more about your utility bill after solar.

Maintaining Your Solar System

Tesla solar panels are designed to produce clean energy for decades. There are several best practices to get the most out of your solar system.

Keep Your Solar Panels Clean

You can maintain system performance by occasionally cleaning your panels to remove accumulated dust, pollen and leaves. Most systems will work just fine for years without cleaning but heavy debris like ash and leaves can impact overall performance.

Ordinarily, you can rinse off panels with a water hose from ground level to remove accumulations. Rinse only the glass cover of the panels; do not rinse wiring or areas underneath panels.

Prevent Shade on Your Solar Panels

Shade on your solar panels can hinder electricity production. Keep trees or other tall plants trimmed to prevent shading on your solar panels.

Monitor Your Solar Panel Production

The Enphase Monitoring app shows real time and historic energy production of your system. Learn more about monitoring your system.

Frequently Asked Questions About System Performance

Will I still receive a utility bill after turning on my system?

Yes. You will continue to receive a utility bill after your system is installed, since your home will still be connected to the utility grid as a secondary source of energy. The utility bill will reflect any unused energy that your system produces and sends back to the utility company, often referred to as Net Energy Metering (NEM). The utility bill that you receive after installation tracks these NEM credits, the additional energy your household consumes from your electric company and any general service charges. You will be switched over to NEM after the utility company grants, Permission-to-Operate.

Why does my utility bill and Monitoring app show different solar production?

Once energy is produced, your solar system is designed to immediately supply that energy to your home. Any energy production not immediately needed in the home will be used to recharge a, battery backup. Only after your home energy needs have been met will the remaining energy production flow back to the utility grid. Since your utility meter is only able to track the energy leaving or entering the utility grid and cannot capture the energy used directly from your solar panels, your utility bill will look different than the production displayed in your solar monitoring app.

One of my panels isn't performing as well as the others, is something wrong?

We would only worry about your panel production when we see panels that are either totally dark or if there are panels that suddenly drop in production when compared to the norm. When designing your system we take an annual view of energy production rather than a monthly or daily one since there are so many factors that will influence how much energy your panels will produce from day to day. Based on weather data from the last 25+ years, our software gives an annual estimate of what your system should produce and that is what we measure your system performance against. That estimate is also the same one you got on your sales proposal and it serves as the basis for our production guarantee.

What does my Solar Independence Score show?

As far as the Energy Independence score goes, that is a measure of how much you rely on energy created by solar vs energy from the utility company. This has a lot more to do with when you use your energy rather than how much energy you are using overall. If you spent a lot of time at home in the daytime and charged your vehicle in the daytime, you would see your Energy Independence score in the higher ranges. However, during non-Covid times, most customers are away during the day and use more energy at night, which is totally ok. The energy you create in the day and do not use, becomes credit for you to use at night when your system is not producing.

Will my production change over time?

The process of converting solar energy will cause the system to degrade in efficiency by approximately 0.5% each year. This is normal for solar equipment and occurs with every system. This is also accounted for when we design your system.

Will Solar Offset 100% of my energy consumption?

Your Forme solar system is designed to best meet your original energy consumption needs while factoring in city regulations, aesthetics, and cost-savings. Your energy usage may change over time, which may impact the ratio of energy supplied by your solar panels. Seasonal changes, such as decorating your home for the holidays, increasing heating or cooling in your home or changing the time or frequency for charging your electric vehicle may result in unexpected changes in your utility consumption. Increasing or decreasing the number of people living in the home, new appliances, an electric vehicle (EV) or building an addition to your home will result in more permanent changes to your energy usage. Regardless of your current energy usage, any amount of solar energy produced will be reducing the amount of energy you purchase from your utility company.

What should I do if my inverters needs service?

Forme Solar designs your system with the highest quality equipment, ensuring your system is designed to produce clean energy for years to come. Some basic troubleshooting may be required from time to time. If you do experience any issues with your system, please contact the support team at (support@formesolar.com).

Will my solar panels work during a power outage?

Even with solar panels, your home will lose power if there is a power outage in your area. For the safety of utility workers, solar equipment is required by law to shut down during a power outage. Only if your solar panel system is paired with a battery backup, it will maintain power and continue generating energy during an outage.

Can I modify or make repairs to my solar panel system?

Please do not attempt to make modifications to or repair your solar panel system. Your solar panel system contains high voltage electric current and could result in fire, burns, and lethal shock. Do not disconnect wires, open electrical panels or modify/damage the equipment in any way. If you are experiencing issues with your system, you can contact Forme Solar Support at support@formesolar.com.

Can I add a couple more solar panels to my current system to increase production?

Depending on your energy needs and your available roof space, we may be able to add panels to your existing system. Additional solar panels can be added if you would like to add more panels in the future. If we are the original installer, we may be able to add additional panels to the original design, rather than keeping them independent. This allows each system to operate efficiently and maintain their respective warranties.

What should I do if I need to replace my roof after I've already installed solar panels?

Forme Solar makes the system removal and reinstallation process simple, offering competitive pricing (unless otherwise listed in your contract) or providing you with the freedom of choosing your own contractor to complete the work. Contact Forme Solar Customer Support at (support@formesolar.com) and begin this process.

If you decide to go with your own contractor, you will first need to contact Forme Solar and provide us with the following details: business name, the contractor’s point of contact and the contractor’s business email address. If you have a solar loan, please contact your loan company prior to contacting Forme Solar to initiate this process.