Using Solar Power in the Winter

The most energy-intensive time in the year for most families is Winter. This is not only down to the fact that the temperature drops significantly, but also because the days grow shorter, sunlight hours are limited, and many families are at home more often using the utilities. With the holidays just around the corner and money already tight, many people wouldn’t even think of relying on solar power in the Winter to keep their families safe and warm, but for many it could be the best energy decision they ever made and could save even more money for them to treat themselves over the holidays.

It’s easy to wonder how those with solar power cope during the colder times of the year, as there is less light feeding into the solar units and usually more consumption per individual. The trick to getting solar power right in the Winter is to use batteries that can store the excess energy. This is usually produced by the solar panels in the hours that the household is not immediately consuming power in the running of the house, and these batteries work just like that in a car in such as they charge as the sunlight is available but not being used, and then are used when the sunlight has set for the day – often the time that most people return home from work, using the cooking facilities and run the household appliances.

These batteries can store the energy safely over a long period of time and are automatically charged back up when the next opportunity occurs, meaning they are reliable to use over the Winter when not having an energy source to the house is not an option. Many people also choose to use grid-connected systems whereby the shortfall of energy in the Winter is made up by energy taken from the grid, and once the solar panels are back at maximum efficiency again, any excess is passed back to the grid at a compensative rate. Although this is another cost to factor in when setting up the solar panels, if it is planned correctly for the needs of the consumer, the purchase of a solar power unit should not cease to be cost effective even in the Winter time. Those interested in solar paneling but worried about the effects of the seasons on their new investment can rest safe knowing that it’s all being taken care of.