Solar panels maintenance costs

Solar panels don’t need much maintenance. In general, you can have the panels without having to worry about them. However, if the panels become dirty, efficiency will decrease. And over time this will undoubtedly happen. In such cases, you can hire a professional cleaning company to clean your solar panels. This guarantees an optimal yield.

What happens during maintenance?

If you hire a professional company to clean the solar panels, you can usually have them cleaned by the supplier of your solar panels. This is a good option, because they have installed the panels and know the situation and all the specifics. They will not only clean the panels, but also inspect the installation. A distinction is often made between preventive and corrective maintenance. Preventive maintenance means measuring performance and checking the system for loose wires, stagnant water, wind damage and corrosion and restoring it. Corrective maintenance means that defects are repaired immediately. During cleaning, the solar panels are fully cleaned and treated with a coating that will give you a better return on your solar panels.

The costs

The costs for this maintenance are determined during the purchase with the supplier of the panels. You can do this by means of a contract in which the frequency of the maintenance is also determined. This is often done on an annual basis. The costs are shown in the following table.

The benefits of annual maintenance

Of course it is possible to clean the solar panels yourself. This can be done with water and a cleaning agent. However, it can be worthwhile to hire a professional company every year. This way you can be sure that you are getting the best return from your installation. We also check technical aspects that you probably don’t know much about. This way you can prevent defects or problems with your solar panels in the future. And if there are any defects, they will be repaired immediately before any major problems are caused. If you sign a contract, you can take advantage of all these benefits plus you don’t have to remind yourself when the panels need to be serviced.

Choices that influence the price

The price of maintaining your solar panels is influenced by a number of choices and factors. Some of these are beyond your control. Here you will find the most important ones.

The size of the installation

The maintenance on a large installation will be more expensive than the maintenance on a small installation. After all, more time is needed to check and clean a large installation, and that means more labor work. At the time of purchase, you’ll agree with your supplier on a price that is suitable for maintaining your specific installation.

The frequency of maintenance

You can choose to have the maintenance carried out annually, but you can also have a contract with a lower frequency. This is an option if you can access the solar panels yourself, if you have a small installation or if the solar panels are just new. Less maintenance visits means less costs.

The activities

It’s not necessary to conclude a contract in which the solar panels are cleaned and preventive and corrective maintenance is carried out. Especially in the first years of your installation this may not be necessary. You can choose to have fewer operations carried out, for example only cleaning and coating the panels, for a lower price of course.

Interesting savings tips

Here are a few tips to help you keep the cost of your solar panels as low as possible.

Do it yourself: you can also consider cleaning the solar panels yourself. You can purchase and apply the coating once every four to five years. This way you will not get a regular check on your system and also defects will not be repaired immediately, but you will save up to $220 per month on a contract. Of course, if the panels are located in a difficult to reach area, this may not be the best option, considering your safety.

Compare quotations

Do you want to get in touch with a company that can maintain your solar panels? Then you can use our comparison tool to find the best deal. You will soon receive a number of quotations from suppliers in your region that you can compare in terms of price, service and quality. The use of the tool is free of charge and the quotations are non-binding.