One of the most frequently asked questions from new solar panel owners is: "what maintenance do I need to do?" The honest answer is: surprisingly little. Solar panels have no moving parts, no fuel to replenish, and are designed to operate for 25+ years with minimal intervention. However, there are a few straightforward tasks that will protect your investment and help you notice problems early.
How Often Do Solar Panels Need Cleaning?
In the UK, rainfall is generally sufficient to keep panels clean for the majority of the year. Rain washes away most dust, light debris, and bird droppings before they accumulate enough to significantly affect output. Research by the Energy Saving Trust suggests that in typical UK conditions, cleaning only becomes necessary when there is a visible accumulation of dirt, moss, or lichen — not on a fixed schedule.
The exception is properties near agricultural land, construction sites, or roads with heavy traffic, where airborne particles can accumulate faster. If your inverter monitoring app shows a gradual decline in output during sunny periods over several weeks without an obvious cause (such as increased cloud cover), cleaning is worth considering.
Important: Do not clean panels yourself from a ladder unless you have proper safety equipment. Specialist solar panel cleaning companies use purified water and appropriate tools and can clean a standard domestic array safely and cost-effectively. Most charge £50–£100 for a domestic system.
Monitoring Your System Output
The most valuable maintenance habit you can develop is regularly checking your inverter monitoring app. Both the Growatt SHINE app and the GivEnergy monitoring platform show your real-time and historical generation data. Familiarise yourself with your system's typical daily and monthly output so you can quickly spot if something is underperforming.
Key things to watch for: a sudden drop in output on a sunny day, significant underperformance compared to previous years in the same month, or one section of your array generating noticeably less than others (this can indicate a faulty panel or a shading issue from vegetation growth).
Annual System Health Check
D&R Energy recommends an annual visual inspection of your solar system, either conducted by yourself or as part of a professional maintenance visit. The inspection should cover:
- Visible damage to panels (cracks, delamination, unusual discolouration)
- Condition of panel frames and fixings (no visible corrosion or loosening)
- Condition of cables on the roof (no visible damage or bird interference)
- Any vegetation growth that may be causing new shading
- Inverter display showing no fault codes
- Battery system (if installed) showing normal charge/discharge cycles
When to Call Your Installer
Contact D&R Energy or your installer if: your inverter is showing a fault code and not clearing after a power cycle; your output has dropped by more than 20% compared to the same month last year (accounting for weather differences); you can see physical damage to any panel; or if you hear any unusual sounds from the inverter or battery.
All of our installations at D&R Energy include a comprehensive handover and system orientation. We explain how to read your monitoring app, what normal operation looks like, and when to contact us. Our customers also benefit from our ongoing aftercare service. Get in touch if you have any concerns about your system's performance.
