Solar is a 12 month production trajectory

When thinking of your solar installation at your home you always need to remember that it is a 12-month production: meaning that Fall and Winter will always be the lower producing seasons and Spring and Summer will always be the over-producing months. The reason is that in the Fall & Winter months the Sun is coming in at an angle, the days are shorter and there is more inclement weather, so there will be less production because of these factors.
In Spring and Summer the Sun is now more directly above the Solar array and the days are longer and there is less inclement weather, these factors will mean higher production as there is more sunlight and longer days.
The amount of solar panels you have on your home will produce as much as it can per the given amount of sun on any given day, and the seasons of the year. In the fall and winter you might be using all of the power generated by your solar system or beyond that (only you can determine how much electricity your household will use, no one is policing it nor is it our business). In the Spring and Summer months when the solar production is the highest IF YOU STAY WITHIN THE KILOWATT HOURS YOUR SOLAR SYSTEM IS BUILT TO PRODUCE IN A 12 MONTH TIME FRAME, your solar system will produce more then you are using and you will have “banked/credited” usage with your utility company that will be applied to your usage at night (when there is no solar production) and for lower producing months in Fall & Winter.
However it is important to note that please always look at your monitoring system to make sure your solar system is up and running correctly and call your solar company if you notice panels that are down or the system has stopped producing as we would need to ascertain what is wrong and fix it. We do not monitor your system, we can at will look into it.
Also understand that your solar system was quoted on your previous 12 month bills (KW hours) before you got solar….it is pure math: How many KW Hours equal how many solar panels you will need to produce that much energy in a 12 month period. If you choose to use more energy by 5,10,2,30 40 % etc. you will get billed the difference on what your solar system can produce and what you are using, the panels cannot magically catch up to excess need you would need to add additional panels or pay the difference.
So always remember that your solar installation is a 12 month production, that you need to monitor your solar installation and let your solar company know if anything is wrong, and that if you use more energy than what your system was built to produce in a 12 month time frame your utility company will bill you the difference. Ten panels will produce as much as 10 panels but not as much as 20 obviously and so on….that is why every solar installation has a different amount of panels to meet that home’s needs….if their needs change it will be their decision to purchase additional panels or pay the difference to the Utility company.
Solar is Science and math in conjunction with each other, the Sun, the angle of the Sun and the Seasons of year all matter and it’s a Yin and Yang for that full year production. The number of solar panels you have installed vs. how much energy you decide to use is the math and accounting with your Utility company.
Please enjoy your solar system and feel great that you have decided to offset your carbon footprint, help control climate change and control your energy bills !
Please call PacificSky Solar with any questions, we are always happy to help !