A surprisingly high electric bill led one solar homeowner to realize some of their rooftop panels had apparently stopped producing power for months.
What happened?
After noticing a high bill, a homeowner took to Reddit's r/solar forum looking for advice.
"So we got a larger bill than we expected last month and opened the enphase app to see that 16 panels in one section are black," the original poster wrote. "I looked back several months and see it's been going On a while."
After the poster contacted Enphase, the company explained there was a power surge at one point. Even with that explanation, the app still showed the microinverters as online and working, leaving the homeowner unclear about what had actually gone wrong.
Because the original installer of the homeowner's panels, PES Solar, went out of business, the homeowner hired another solar company to inspect the system. That visit identified two damaged panels, but the OP said the report didn't mention the larger section that had stopped producing.
"I'm super confused as 16 panels seems to be a major priority over the two yet I was told nothing about the cause or anything," the OP said.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Commenters said the problem was more likely tied to something those units shared in common electrically.
One person wrote, "When a whole branch of units is out, it's clearly something common to all those units. The DC is independent per unit, so the first check is on the AC side."
Why does it matter?
If a large section of a solar array stops producing, the home has to draw more electricity from the grid, which can wipe out a significant share of the savings solar is meant to provide.
If this homeowner didn't take a look at their bill now, they may have had to face substantially higher utility costs for months. Getting multiple opinions, like this person did, can help as well. Though it may seem time-consuming now, doing so could save you a lot of money in the future.
What can I do?
If you run into a similar issue, check whether output matches what the home typically produces.
If a whole section goes dark, it may help to ask for branch-level troubleshooting in writing.
"I would just check the breakers," another Redditor recommended. "My rear array tripped the breakers during an extremely heavy rain storm."
"This is not a complicated job, the company coming out and not fixing your concern or giving you details about what work they are charging you for is not acceptable," said another commenter.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
