If you’ve invested in solar panels for your home, then you’ve made the first step toward reducing your energy bill. When your solar panels work effectively, they produce energy for your home to use throughout the day. To ensure that your panels are working at their optimum throughout the winter months, here are four common practices you’ll want to implement.

Clear Off Excess Snow

When you get a snowstorm, you should go out and clear off your panels. This will allow them to get direct sunlight sooner than waiting for the sun to melt the snow. There are various special squeegees out there that can assist you in removing the excess snow from your panels without damaging them. You must take precautions when using any tool to remove the snow from your solar panels as you don’t want to damage the panels while doing so.

Mind Your Battery Bank

Your solar energy system has a battery bank that must be maintained properly throughout the winter months to store your solar power. In most cases, you should have these batteries installed indoors to keep them free from the outdoor elements. However, some homeowners have their batteries installed outdoors. If this is your scenario, be sure that your batteries are properly insulated for the cold winter months.

Assess Your Panel Angle

During the winter months, the sun is at a lower angle than in the summer months. For your panels to be as effective as possible, they should be directly facing the sun. In the wintertime, this is going to be about 15 degrees. Many adjustable racks will easily allow you to alter the angling degree of your solar panels so that you can make them as efficient as possible depending on the path of the sun.

Wash Them Regularly

The winter snow can bring a lot of debris to your solar panels. That debris gets stuck on and creates a dirty layer that can hinder the performance of your panels. Do yourself a favor and wash your solar panels regularly throughout the winter months. This way, they stay free from debris and work effectively.

Having solar panels installed at your home can be a great way to reduce your wintertime energy costs. However, you want to ensure that you’re getting the most of your solar system throughout the wintertime. The above are four practices that you should be implementing when winter rolls around.