Solar panel cleaning trick that actually saved my electric bill

I've been running solar panels on my roof in Phoenix for about 2 years now. Last month I noticed my electric bill went up $40 even though it was sunny as usual. Figured the panels might be dirty from all that dust we get, so I tried just hosing them off with plain water around noon. No soap, no special tools, just a garden hose from the ground. My next bill dropped back down to what it was before. Seems obvious but I was convinced you needed some fancy kit to clean them properly. Has anyone else had a similar win just using basic stuff instead of overthinking it?

2 comments

2 Comments

joelwells1mo ago

Honestly, I used to be the same way. Thought you had to get some special spray or a pressure washer kit to really clean solar panels. But I tried just hosing mine off after a dry spell here in Texas and saw a solid 15 percent drop in my next bill. Figured if plain water works for car windows, it works for a big glass sheet on the roof.

margaret_taylor421mo ago

Hold up, you're worried about a $40 jump? That's barely anything in the grand scheme of things. Pretty sure your water bill going up from hosing them off could eat that savings right back.