Getting the best from your new solar panels. Top tips

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1 Getting the best from your new solar panels Top tips

2 Getting the best from your new solar panels Congratulations on your new solar panels! We hope that you enjoy generating your own electricity and the lower fuel bills that this will bring. We also hope this is just one of many small steps on the path towards a cleaner, more sustainable lifestyle. About Your System A solar photovoltaic (PV) system will generate electricity directly from sunlight providing a source of clean renewable electricity for your home. Any electricity you use which is generated by the panels will mean that you do not have to buy electricity from your supplier saving you money! However you will still be charged for fuel by your electricity supplier but bills are expected to be lower due to the availability of free electricity from the solar panels. A solar power system consists of the panels on the roof that collect the solar energy, an inverter that converts this into 240V AC electricity for use within the home, a generation meter that shows your total solar electricity production, and safety switches should a professional electrician ever need to work in your home. Your system contains no moving parts, and therefore needs very little maintenance. We have installed a smart generation meter to monitor the performance of the panels remotely and won t have to disturb you to take readings. In the event that we spot a drop in performance or potential error we will call you first to check a few simple things (i.e. has the Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCB) tripped or is there a power cut), then arrange for an engineer to visit and get your system running again. As part of this work an additional smoke alarm has also been installed in the loft.

3 Reading Borough Council and Joju Solar are committed to helping you along this path to do so, here are a few things we think you need to know about your solar panels, and how you use electricity in general. REMEMBER... Remember that the electricity made by your panels cannot be stored and used at other times. Make the most of your FREE energy by using the electricity as it s being generated. Your panels will make more electricity on sunny days so make them pay when the sun shines. Your panels will continue to generate free electricity on dull days and during the winter although this will not be as much as on sunny days. If you have a pre-payment meter you must keep the credit topped up. Your panels will not work if you have no credit.

4 saving electricity... It s always better to use your own solar electricity, rather than buy it from a utility company. GENERAL TIPS By using your appliances one at a time you will make the most of the free electricity. Try to spread the use of appliances throughout the day. If you use several appliances at the same time you are likely to use more energy than your solar panels can generate and so you could end up paying more than you need to. Run your washing machines, dishwashers, electric showers etc. when it is sunny, rather than at night, to get the most from your system your panels only generate during daylight hours and generate more when the sun is shining brightly rather than when the weather is overcast. Energy saving light bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. If you are out during the daytime it is worth considering using a timer to run appliances that are safe to use unattended during the day. Some appliances also have delay functions so you can set them to come on during the day. The model you purchase when you buy a new appliance will have consequences for your energy use for as long as the appliance lasts, which could be 10 years or more. So when you buy something electrical, ask yourself this: Do I really need this appliance? Is this the right size for my needs? Large fridges use more energy than small ones, and large TVs use more energy than smaller models. Always purchase A or A+ rated appliances they have much lower running costs.

5 Top tips To get the best from the solar panels (and therefore save money) you may want to make alterations when you use certain appliances. LED lights use much less energy than Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. Replace Halogen spot lights with much more efficient and longer lasting LED spot lights. LED TELEVISIONS use much less energy than LCD and Plasma TVs. Put lamps on the corner of a room so that the light is reflected off two walls. Do you need all those lights on? Turn off your television, video, hi-fi, play station and other entertainment devices when they are not being used. These appliances can use up to 90% as much power in standby mode as when they are on, so it s big waste of energy. If you keep forgetting to switch off properly, consider a Power Down a device that automatically cuts power to appliances when they go into standby mode. Charge up your mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, rechargeable batteries, laptops etc. during the day. Vacuum during daylight hours.

6 saving electricity... Washing Hang your clothes outside to dry, whenever possible, rather than using an electric tumble dryer. If you do use the tumble dryer, remove as much water as possible first by using the washing machine spin cycle. Fold clothes straight out of the tumble drier while they are still warm to save on ironing. When replacing white goods (washing machines, tumble driers, fridges) buy energy-efficient models. Compare energy efficiency labels. Energy efficient models may cost a little more initially, but the reduced running costs will cover that may times over. Turn down the temperature on your washing machine can it wash at 30 degrees or less? Heating the water uses the most electricity, so by doing a warm wash instead of a hot wash, you can make big savings. FRIDGE / FREEZER Use your vacuum to clean the condenser coils at the back or underneath your fridge/freezer. The build-up of dust makes them up to 25% less efficient adding cost to your electricity bill Cover liquids before putting them in the fridge as evaporation will make the fridge work harder. Defrost food in the fridge it helps cool the fridge. Cool cooked food before you put it in the fridge. Avoid letting frost build up in your freezer.

7 COOKING Boil water in a kettle The hob uses 50-70% more energy and kettles boil faster. Top tips Make the most of electricity used by your oven by cooking several items at the same time when your oven is hot. Use a microwave to reheat food or to cook small portions. Although a microwave uses a lot of power, it does so over a very short time and so saves energy overall. Keep the oven door closed as every time you open it, your oven loses 20 degrees of heat. Heat only as much water as you need for drinks and cooking. Consider buying an energy efficient kettle. If you have an electric cooker or slow cooker consider cooking your meals during the daytime so you only need to reheat later in the day. DON t FORGET CONTACT US if you have any questions or if there is a problem with debris on your panels *. Other than making the most of your FREE electricity there is nothing else you need to do. Your Smart Meter will send information electronically to us so that we can read your meter remotely, so there is no need to take meter readings. We can also use the Smart Meter to remotely monitor how your system is performing. This means we can quickly spot and resolve any problems to your Solar PV electricity system working as efficiently as possible. This may involve inspection of the system, however, we will contact you to make an appointment should this be necessary. * Panels will not work if they are covered with debris and should only be cleaned according to the manufacturer s instructions.

8 Important health & safety reminder You must not carry out any work on your electrical system yourself. All electrical work must be done by a trained/qualified person. All circuits must be isolated before any work is undertaken. DO NOT ATTEMP TO SWITCH OFF THE SYSTEM WITHOUT OUR AUTHORISATION. Our contractors who repair and maintain the panels have all been made aware of the isolation process. The isolation switches are for maintenance purposes only and should not be touched by tenants. The circuit is live from both the consumer unit mains power and also from the electricity produced from the solar panels. In effect you have two electrical supplies coming into your home. If for any reason the solar power supply to your home needs switching off, this should be done by a competent person and the correct shut down/isolation procedure must be followed. Please do not store items against the solar panel equipment in your loft. CONTACT US if you have any questions or if there is a problem with debris on your panels * Housing Repairs: (out of hours emergencies: ) Housing Officer: neighbourhood.services@reading.gov.uk * Panels will not work if they are covered with debris and should only be cleaned according to the manufacturer s instructions.