Maintaining your solar and battery system

Your solar system requires regular maintenance to ensure that it's operating safely and efficiently and helping you maximise your energy bill savings. For your safety, we recommend that you hire a Clean Energy Council accredited installer to do this. Importantly, you should: 

• Never get up on your roof to clean the panels 
• Never assume that because you've switched your system off, it's not an electrical hazard.  


Where can I find information about maintaining your system?

After we installed your system, we emailed you a link to view your UPowr system manual and any relevant hardware user manuals on the UPowr platform. We recommend reading through these and finding the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, as not following it could invalidate your warranty. 

In addition, you should also read the UPowr sale and installation agreement terms and conditions to understand your obligations when it comes to system maintenance. 

What solar system maintenance can I do myself?

To keep your system operating efficiently, you can do a few maintenance tasks yourself. Anything that shades your panels can reduce their performance, so have a look for leaves and other debris and sweep them off if you can do so safely. Also, keep an eye on nearby trees so that if they start to shade your panels, you can trim them. 

In addition, you should make sure that your system has a stable connection to the internet. This allows you to check your system monitoring app to ensure that there are no errors and that it’s performing well. It also allows our team to diagnose issues, minimising system downtime remotely. For more on this, see Connecting your system to the Internet.  

What battery maintenance can I do myself?

Overall, you don't need to do much to keep your battery running efficiently. Lithium batteries don't require much maintenance beyond ensuring the battery enclosure is clean and debris-free. If you do need to clean the enclosure, make sure to avoid harsh solvents. And if you notice any problems with your battery, you should get it checked by a licensed professional. 

When do I need a professional system check?

The Australian Solar Standard recommends that you get your system professionally checked once a year. We recommend hiring a licensed electrician or a Clean Energy Council-accredited installer to do this. As part of their checks, they'll do things such as: 

• Conduct electrical checks to ensure all components are functioning correctly.
• Get up on your roof to ensure your solar panels are clean, secure, and defect-free.
• Look out for any birds or animals nesting under your panels
• Confirm that fittings and cables are securely attached. 

My panels look dirty. Is that a problem?

Solar panels are designed for the outdoors, and a little dirt won't significantly affect how much energy they can generate. If your panels are pitched at over 10 degrees, they should be sufficiently cleaned when it rains. 

If your panels are very dirty and you're worried they're not generating as much energy as they should, we recommend hiring a professional to check them, as they'll be qualified to work at heights and will have the proper safety equipment.