One of the most significant headaches homeowners experience is calculating their utility bills, especially electricity. You can’t tell how much electricity has been consumed while binge-watching your favourite shows or how much power you have used just on air conditioning. Ultimately, you have to agree with the bill sent by your electricity company.
If you think solar energy systems are any different from mains electricity in this regard, then you’re wrong. It isn’t easy to determine how you’re using your energy unless you have a reliable monitoring platform such as the mySolarEdge smartphone app.
What Is MySolarEdge?
The mySolarEdge App is a resource that allows you to monitor the performance of your solar panel system and control other functions. Its primary objective is to ensure that homeowners optimise their solar energy systems for maximum energy production and efficient operation.
The application enables you to track your power consumption, as it is connected to the inverter on your energy system. Moreover, you can see how much sunlight your solar panels are harvesting in varying weather conditions. Interestingly, you can perform all these actions away from home due to the built-in remote functionality.
The new mySolarEdge App is an upgrade on the old SolarEdge Monitoring app, which will now be exclusively available for professional solar installers. SolarEdge developers have added a few self-service features to streamline this transition.
Getting Started With The MySolarEdge App
Setting up the mySolarEdge App is a straightforward process, even if you’re a first-time user. The App is compatible with most different types of solar panels. Below are essential steps you need to follow:
- Download the free mySolarEdge App on the App Store or Google Play Store: It’s important to note that the App is compatible with devices running Apple iOS 11 or higher and Android version 6 or higher.
- Log-in to mySolarEdge: if you’re an existing user, key in your SolarEdge username and password. Contact your installer if you can’t recall your login details. New users will have to create a new account by contacting the installer.
After downloading it onto your device, existing users will find that all records from the previous App will be automatically uploaded and displayed on the new mySolarEdge App.
What Has Changed?
As mentioned above, the new mySolarEdge App incorporates several self-service features. These allow you to troubleshoot minor issues quickly and independently without calling a solar panel installation technician. Consequently, you save the time that would have been wasted waiting for the professional to inspect and repair your system. More importantly, you save money.
Notably, these self-service features are available to homeowners with screen-less LCD inverters, also called SetApp-enabled inverters. Individuals with older models will have limited access to the functions of the new mySolarEdge App.
The new self-service features include:
- The ability to change Wi-Fi passwords.
- Viewing inverter status on units without an LCD screen.
- Direct access to the SolarEdge contact centre.
Benefits of the mySolarEdge App
Below are the top benefits of installing the mySolarEdge App on your smartphone.
Monitor Your System Performance in Real-time
The most significant benefit of the mySolarEdge App is its ability to remotely monitor the performance of your solar energy system and its components. You can see how much energy the panels produce and how various appliances are consuming it.
The App’s interface has easy-to-follow charts that allow you to analyse energy production and household consumption over specified periods. This way, you’ll notice whenever there’s increased consumption and decide whether to upgrade your system.
Optimise Your Electricity Consumption
The charts displayed on this App have multiple benefits. First, they help you adjust your energy consumption to match the peak production hours. Second, you can quickly notice unusual consumption patterns hindering your saving efforts. Lastly, you get better control over your utility usage and avoid shocking monthly bills. This helps you plan your finances accordingly.
Control Your Smart Devices Remotely
Nowadays, most homes have an array of smart devices. From televisions to digital assistance, these gadgets are gaining popularity among homeowners. The new mySolarEdge App allows you to configure these devices such that they switch off when idle to maximise energy savings. This function also switches off appliances that are consuming too much power.
Even better, you can connect the App to your Tesla Powerwall Home Battery System. When you do this, you can configure the battery to provide backup power in case of a blackout or when there’s inadequate sunlight.
Monitor Your System’s Health and Communication Status
It’s vital to check the health of your solar energy system regularly by inspecting its various components. The new mySolarEdge App is useful in system maintenance since it allows you to view the status of your inverter, one of the most crucial elements of a solar energy system.
The App displays its current and lifetime production when viewing your inverter status. These metrics help determine the efficiency of the equipment. A healthy solar panel system should produce more energy than you consume.
Furthermore, this platform allows you to view your system’s communication status. Here, you can see the connection type (mostly Wi-Fi) and test its speeds. There’s also a provision for disconnecting from the current network and connecting to another and the option of changing passwords.
Wrapping Up
Besides being conscious about the environment and climate change, many homeowners and business people adopt solar energy because it’s cheaper and more cost-effective than traditional electricity. However, you might fail to notice the difference in consumption and savings if you don’t have the resources to monitor your production and usage. This is where the mySolarEdge App comes in handy.
The App has several valuable features that optimise your solar energy production and consumption. For instance, you can set smart schedules that switch on your appliances during peak production hours and switch them off when the sun goes down or when there’s unusual energy consumption. You can also manage your equipment remotely.
Lastly, the latest version of the mySolarEdge App prioritises self-service, reducing reliance on professional installers. This offers a convenient resolution of minor issues and saves money.
