Solar Is Always In Season (Even Winter!)

While there are a lot of myths about solar, one of the most common misconceptions is solar panels do not work during the winter. In addition to this myth, many don’t believe solar systems can be installed during the winter months. To clear the record, it is certainly possible to safely and professionally install solar in the winter. Additionally, solar equipment, much like other technology, works at optimum levels during cool months. At Eagle Point Solar, we install all year long. There are several reasons why winter is a great time to begin your solar journey or install your solar. 

Beat the Spring Rush

While summer is the most popular time to install solar, winter is the most beneficial for homeowners. Like many contractors, solar installation firms strive to maintain a full schedule all year long. People will often wait until spring or warmer, sunny weather before starting the process of exploring solar. This means, during this period, you are competing with other home and businesses owners seeking solar. With each passing day, the daylight hours become longer and longer and this equates to lost energy production if your solar array is waiting to be installed. By properly planning and working with your solar contractor during the winter months you can have everything in place when the available sunlight hours begin to lengthen and fully take advantage of your increased sunlight exposure.

Solar Installations Don’t Happen Over Night

Once you decide to go solar it can take several months from start to finish before your solar array receives permission to operate (PTO) from your utility. To learn more about this topic check out our other blog article entitled: What Happens After You Have Signed The Solar Contract. If you wait until spring, or even summer, to begin investigating your solar potential, your system may become operational when the days and sunlight hours begin to get shorter and shorter. This means you missed the most productive solar energy months of the year. Additionally, if your utility net meters, you will have minimal net metering credits available to offset your electric bill. 

Maximize Your Benefits – Time Is Money!

Time is money! This certainly is a true statement when it comes to solar. The longer you wait to go solar, the more you are paying your utility for the energy they provide. Therefore, solar is always in season. This lifelong contract with your utility company provides no end or relief from their energy cycle until your solar array begins to produce free, renewable energy from the sun. Everyone who pays a utility bill is painfully aware rates never go down… the costs just go up. Solar provides relief from growing energy costs, day after day for decades. Owning a solar array will greatly reduce your dependence on purchased energy from your utility.

Furthermore, by taking advantage of state and federal incentives you can lessen your solar array investment costs and achieve a greater return on your array in a much shorter timeframe. Unfortunately, incentives are not guaranteed to last forever. Some states and local programs have limited funds available while others have been exhausted or scheduled to disappear completely. Therefore, regardless of the season, take advantage of these incentives while they are available.

Improved Efficiency

Similarly, to other outdoor electronics which may become less efficient in extreme heat, so do solar systems. While the panels are designed to withstand high levels of heat, other equipment like optimizers, microinverters, and inverters work more efficiently in cool weather. Keep in mind, solar panels extract energy from light, not heat. So, warmer weather has no direct effect on the levels of energy production a system can produce.

In Summary

While at first glance it may seem counterintuitive to start your solar journey in the winter, this article should provide you with multiple reasons to consider implementing the process earlier. Finalizing your solar design and installing your solar array in the winter means your system will be ready and fully operational as the days become longer. You can take advantage of available incentives and you begin to build credits if your utility net meters. If you are thinking about going solar, it is easy to wait for a more “favorable time” which fits into your schedule, but not waiting is better for your wallet and our planet.