Because your home is in Massachusetts or somewhere else around New England, you may think that a solar panel installation is not efficient for you. Sure, you believe in clean energy, but there are plenty of overcast days during the winter that may not appear to be as worthwhile as it seems for getting the latest solar panels installed

Your solar panels are still effective

With that said, solar panels will still collect energy on overcast days, albeit at a reduced amount. Another key item to note is that they actually work a lot better in the colder weather, as do most electronics. That means they won’t have heating problems or other issues associated with the weather, and it can be a big positive

Make sure you do solar panel maintenance

Typically solar panels only need an annual check-in from professionals and may need to be cleaned once in a while. However, in the colder weather, many questions about solar panel maintenance come up regarding snow. When it comes to snow, it really matters how much snow ends up on the solar panels. If it’s a few inches, then yes, that will drastically affect the performance of the solar panels. 

Yet if it is just a light amount of snow, then there’s no need to do anything, as the solar panels are already pointed at the sun. Always keep your solar panels at an angle during this period, as it will also aid the snow in sliding off. 

Compound your energy savings

As you approach that clean energy lifestyle, ensure that you’re not just collecting solar energy but that everything within your home helps promote using less electricity. This means having energy-efficient appliances and proper home features such as a smart thermostat and proper insulation. This will help reduce your energy needs and allow the solar panels to conserve energy, especially on those cloudy days. 

Consult with a solar professional

Your solar panel installation professional will help answer any questions you might have about how to properly clean your solar panel models, as well as knowing what is the optimal angle to have your solar panels based on how the light shines down in Massachusetts. This can help, even on an overcast day, to still maximize the exposure and absorption of energy. 

In the end

It’s better to have solar panels these days, as the federal government continues to extend the tax credits for getting them. Overcast or not, they will still produce clean energy and can help to reduce or completely eliminate the utility bills every month, that only seem to go up these days. The sooner you get yourself a solar panel installation, the sooner you will be able to benefit from them. 

And remember the output estimates in your region, whether Massachusetts or New England in general, account for overcast days and shorter hours. So you may also consider increasing the number of solar panels for installation.