As we approach the fall and winter seasons it is important for solar clients to be aware that they will experience shorter days which means less sunlight. Less sunlight means less solar production for solar systems. So in order to avoid using too much back‐up power which is most likely JPS, it is very important to be conscious of your energy usage during these next few months, even more so with our delayed rainy season upon on us adding cloudiness to limited sun hours.
A solar system produces more energy in the summer months due to the sun being higher in the sky. In these winter months clients need to focus on demand shaping which means to use heavy energy appliances more in the day than night. Using these appliances while the sun is out allows the batteries to be recharged while providing power for equipment. Therefore scheduling activities such as washing, ironing, fridge cooling and electric oven usage during the peak sun period of 10a‐2p is crucial for allowing batteries to receive enough charge for night usage.
Solar owners need to be mindful of ways to maximize the limited electricity generation that comes during this time of year. Clients need to be stingy with consumption. The nights are cooler so a fan might be sufficient instead of the AC or turn the temperature up a couple degrees on the AC unit. Change the most used outside/inside lights to LEDs where possible especially the ones left on for over four hours at a time. Owning a solar system makes you your own power company so it is crucial to plan out energy usage for the family, otherwise as consumption goes up so will the JPS bill. A solar system can only offset what it was designed to offset so if your night time consumption increases then the system will switch to JPS earlier than predicted.
Solar Tips for the shorter sunlight time of year:
- During the day use heavy energy consuming appliances in the course of peak sun hours of 10a‐2p.
- During the night make sure you only use the necessary loads that are required. Turn off excessive lighting when not needed.
- Adjust temperature on air conditions higher a couple degrees.
- Disconnect ghost loads that consume power even when off as long as they are plugged in. A perfect example is that of a Television. Over a period of 24 hours, a plugged in TV consumes the same power as when it is ON for thirty minutes.
- Replace all the high wattage bulbs with energy efficient ones such as LED in areas where these lights are used daily and/or nightly.
Jason Robinson
Chief Executive Officer
Solar Buzz Jamaica