Solar panel cleaning is an essential part of your solar panel maintenance, but cleaning them yourselves – especially at a commercial space – is time consuming and requires a lot of patience. But you don’t have to clean your solar panels yourself. At Altus Safety we offer a professional solar panel cleaning service to support business owners and site managers with their solar cleaning needs.
But how much does solar panel cleaning cost today? And is cleaning solar panels professionally really necessary or could you save on the costs and do it yourself? We’ll explore all of this and more in today’s post, so read on to learn more about the cost of cleaning your solar panels.
Ready to get started? Contact us today for a free no-obligation quote to get the ball rolling.
Why bother with solar panel cleaning in the first place?
Before we dive into the cost per panel to clean solar panels, let’s just first consider why it’s even a necessity.
It’s true that solar panels have an element of self-cleaning to them. In the UK they’re typically angled at around 30 to 40 degrees in order for the panels to capture as much sunlight as possible throughout the year. Because of that angle, rain will naturally wash off some of the dirt and debris that builds up over time, but certainly not all of it.
Cleaning solar panels once per year is the minimum recommendation to protect your panels and ensure maximum performance. Even a thin layer of grime over the glass of solar panels can stop sunlight from reaching the solar cells as effectively, reducing the efficiency of the solar system altogether. In dirtier areas (think big cities), every 6 months is usually recommended. This is the best way to clean solar panels.
In the grand scheme of things, paying for a professional solar panel cleaning service once every 6-12 months is definitely worth it if it keeps your panels performing at their best. A drop in efficiency means your solar panels can’t power your business as much as before, and that could lead to you falling back on the high prices of the National Grid, increasing your energy bills again. Clean solar panels are effective solar panels, so there’s no denying cleaning solar panels is necessary.
What are the average solar panel cleaning costs today?
Most companies offering solar panel cleaning as one of their services can only really provide bespoke quotes for individual jobs because the final cost varies based on several factors (we’ll tell you all about those factors shortly).
Since every solar panel system is different, the cost of cleaning them is too. All of that together makes giving a cost per panel average a little difficult.
With that said, the cost of cleaning solar panels is around £4-£15 according to Checkatrade. We spoke to our customer service and solar panel cleaning teams to verify, and whilst they agree that £15 per panel for smaller jobs is probably accurate, we only really offer our solar panel cleaning services in commercial settings, so the deals we can offer are usually more competitive than the higher end of that estimate on average.
Either way, the cost per panel doesn’t really matter because bespoke quotes are offered based on your site and solar array. Want to find out how much your solar panel cleaning service could cost? Then reach out to our team today for a free, no-obligation quote.
Why do most solar cleaning companies only offer bespoke quotes?
Since most solar systems are so different, so too are the costs involved in cleaning them. There are many factors that influence the final cost you’ll pay:
System location
Cleaning solar panels becomes a lot easier if they’re on the ground floor – which is typically only the case on large solar farms. Still, not having to access higher levels and bring along the necessary work at height equipment does help save on the cost.
For solar panels on commercial roofs, the cost is slightly higher as panels need cleaning with extra care when our team is having to navigate the safety hazards of working at height.
Number of panels
You might think the more panels you have, the more you might expect to pay, but often we’re able to offer a more competitive price per panel rate for those with more panels. Cleaning a single panel or a small number on top of an office building might take less time than a large solar array to complete, but we’re able to offer more competitive prices to larger customers.
With that said, if you have a 100 solar panel system, and another client has a 50 solar panel system, then they’ll obviously pay less.
Length of work
The longer we’re on site, the higher the cost is per project because our quotes include no hidden fees, meaning labour is included in the quote, but we need to factor that in from the beginning.
Obviously larger solar systems will take longer to clean but so will dirtier solar systems.
If you haven’t had a solar panel cleaning service carried out for a long while, then it’s likely the dirt and grime will take more time to remove and that will increase costs. If you stick to a regular cycle of once or twice a year thereafter, then you might notice your costs decrease slightly to account for the quicker job completion.
We can estimate the time we’ll take to complete the project so this is factored into the cost upfront too.
Commercial location
Those in the south-west of England pay more for services than those in the north-east. As we have solar teams stationed around the country and ready to be deployed to almost any UK location, we have to factor in your commercial property’s location when considering the final quote.
How long does it take to clean solar panels?
The time it takes to clean solar panels depends on just how dirty the panels are. For general dirt and grime, a panel can be cleaned pretty quickly. A quick wipe down with a soft brush, cloth, and warm water is usually enough.
As for when a solar panel array is affected more heavily by things like bird droppings, it may take a bit longer to clean.
On average though, it’s quicker to clean ground mounted solar panels than it is to clean ones on your roof, and for commercial installations you should allow for anything between an hour or two and half a day.
Does not cleaning my solar panels affect warranties?
Most manufacturers today recommend cleaning your solar panels as part of their general upkeep. Failing to do so whilst those panels are under warranty could mean that replacement panels and free part replacements aren’t offered to you in the event of a damaged panel or inefficiencies.
You should check your warranty arrangement, but it’s generally seen as good practice nowadays to have your panels cleaned every 6 months or every 12 months.
What does the cost of solar panel cleaning cover?
When you get a solar panel cleaning quote from our team at Altus Safety, you’re getting the complete service included in that cost:
- the cleaning of each solar panel
- labour
- time on site
- proof of job completion (if panels aren’t ground mounted so you can easily see for yourself)
- account manager to remind you of your next appointment
The quote we provide is fully inclusive of all your solar panel cleaning needs. That means no hidden extra costs so you know exactly what you’ll pay upfront before any work begins.
Should I save on the cost and do it myself?
Technically cleaning solar panels yourself is possible and perfectly fine. Many homeowners with solar panels on the ground floor will take up the task themselves once every 6 months or so. Since specialist tools aren’t required and all you need is warm water and a soft brush to get rid of any dirt or grime buildup, it’s a good idea to DIY where possible.
The problem is, though, that in commercial settings solar panel cleaning is a much bigger job than for the average homeowner. And so yes, you could save on the cost and do it yourself if you wanted to, but you’d have to make sure you had the right height safety equipment in place for those on the roof, and ensure a member of your team was trained in how to clean the solar panels themselves in the best and safest ways possible.
With that said – you can do all of that – but don’t you think leaving it to a reasonably-priced professional team is better? If so, give us a call.
Solar Panel Cleaning Cost: Final Thoughts
The cost of cleaning solar panels differs for each commercial installation because no solar system is the same. Location, number of panels, difficulty of access and so much more impact a final quote. But when you decide to use our team for your solar cleaning needs, you get a competitive upfront quote with no hidden costs so you know exactly what you’ll pay.