It is widely believed that solar panels installed in the UK will ‘self-clean’ owing to the amount of rainfall we receive. This is true to an extent, and the panels you have installed may be ‘hydrophobic’, with a coating that will prevent water droplets sticking to the surface.

However, even allowing for heavy rainfall, panels can still suffer from a build-up of contaminants such as dust, tree sap, lichen, and bird droppings.

Dirty panels can potentially reduce panel efficiency and output, and this can apply if just a single panel is affected as the performance of a string of panels will only be as good as that of the lowest performing panel. Keeping your panels clean can increase yield and protect your investment.

There is no set time-frame, and this can depend on the panel location and various environmental factors. In some cases, a clean may not be required at all. For most, a clean every 2-3 years will be sufficient; however, in some cases, where panels are overshadowed by tress or where there is an issue with nesting birds, you may want to consider a clean every 12-18 months.

Eco7 are not your typical solar PV and energy storage company. We do not employ sales agents, we do not cold call customers and do not have doorstep canvassers. Instead, we use the power of the internet to advertise our services, and all the enquiries we generate are passive. That is to say, people only find us when they are looking for something and not because we have canvassed them with direct marketing.

By keeping our operation trim, and by not employing sales agents, we can keep control of both pricing and protect our reputation by ensuring we offer the very best levels of service and after-sales care. It is why we have a 100% positive feedback rating, and why we are ranked #1 on TrustPilot in the Solar PV category.