Read the reviews? Seen the ads? Still unsure which solar monitoring app is right for your solar system monitoring?
Finding the best solar monitoring app can be challenging. A wrong app can leave you confused and guessing about your system’s performance.
Don’t let endless options and too many promises leave you seeking clarity. Dig into the blog, and we’ll show you how to zero in on the best app.
Ready to find an app that helps you monitor, save and give you full control over your system?
So, without further ado, let’s get started.
What, Why, and How of Solar System Monitoring
Before we get into the details of finding the best solar monitoring apps, let’s have a quick look at what is solar system monitoring, why it is important, and how it can help you track your solar energy.
What is Solar System Monitoring?
Solar system monitoring is tracking and monitoring the performance of your solar system. The monitoring systems are installed at the same time as your solar system.
Installing a solar monitoring system helps you maximize your return on investment by keeping you informed about your panel’s performance.
How does a solar monitoring system do that? Let’s have a look.
How Can You Track Solar Energy with Solar System Monitoring?
A solar energy tracking system uses software and tools to monitor your system’s performance. A solar system monitoring app or platform collects data such as the amount of energy produced or consumed.
The solar inverter collects and processes the data to transmit it to the monitoring system. Once the data gets displayed on the dashboard, you can access the real-time information on your smartphones, laptops, and other devices.
You can track system efficiency, receive alerts about component or performance issues, and gain valuable insights into your energy usage patterns.
Why is Solar System Monitoring Important?
You have invested in a solar system. Congratulations, on cutting energy costs and reducing your carbon footprint.
But. How do you ensure that your system is performing at its best and delivering the savings you expect? Is the energy your solar system produces going to waste?
There might come a gazillion more questions during and after installing a solar system, such as
- How to track energy production?
- How to track energy consumption?
- How to identify issues?
- How is my panel performing?
- Is there any fault with my system?
- How do I maximize my ROI? (Return on Investment)
- Will I be able to analyze my energy consumption patterns?
- Is there a way to analyze my future energy consumption?
And the questions go on. A Solar monitoring system is the answer to all these questions. Solar monitoring systems do everything from analyzing your panel’s performance to tracking results and getting real-time insights about your solar system.
A Quick Tip: Download Intello’s Solar Panel Monitoring App, available for all iOS and Android devices. With 2500+ downloads, we are India’s 1st app to identify the nature of faults.
6 Steps to Choose the Best Solar Monitoring App
The growing demand for solar panels raises the requirement for a reliable and effective monitoring tool. However, for many users, it becomes a guessing game with too many options.
Worry not. We’ll stop your trial and error with these six easy and effective steps.
Step 1: Understand Your Needs
What defines the best solar monitoring app? Is it just its features and capabilities? Definitely, no. To start with, it’s about understanding your and your solar panel needs.
Therefore, before you plunge into the sea of solar monitoring apps, understand your needs with the following questions:
- What do you want to monitor?
- What do you need from a solar panel monitoring app?
- Do you want data on real-time energy production?
- Do you want to get historical reports?
- Are you interested in interesting in knowing how much energy is being generated?
- Do you want to analyze trends and patterns over time?
- Do you want to spot problems beforehand?
- Are you looking for a solar panel monitoring app for your residential system?
Now, think about alerts and analysis:
- Do you want your system to notify you instantly about the sudden dip in performance?
- Would you like to customize your alert settings?
- Do you want to monitor your peak usage times?
- Should the app also provide energy consumption tracking?
Do you want an app that provides some of these features or all of these features? Whether you are looking for a solution that caters to your residential needs or a large commercial installation, a clear understanding is the key to finding the best app.
Therefore, start by narrowing down your choices by understanding your solar setup’s key specifications and monitoring needs.
Step 2: Check for Compatibility
Not all solar monitoring apps come under one roof. They might differ based on various factors, including.
- Their features
- Interface
- Pricing
- Reporting features
- How they present their data, and the list goes on.
Therefore, once you know the fundamentals of the apps you are looking for, prioritize checking for their compatibility with your solar system.
You can start by familiarizing yourself with your solar monitoring system. Next, find out if your solar manufacturer has an app designed specifically for your system. Some do offer monitoring apps with accurate and reliable data.
On the other hand, third-party apps can be useful in some cases, mainly when you have a different solar brand or type of equipment.
Moreover,
- Review the compatibility list on the solar monitoring app’s website to ensure it meets your needs.
- If you use multiple inverters, choose an app that can manage and display data for all of them.
- For detailed alerts or performance metrics, ensure the app’s features align with your specific requirements.
Take the time to do your research. Investigate the system’s compatibility to get the maximum benefits from your solar system.
Step 3: User-friendly Interface
Would you use an app with a cluttered and confusing layout? No. What if you miss alerts or notifications about performance drops? Are you okay with the delays in troubleshooting issues? Of course not.
Therefore, the solar system monitoring app you choose should be user-friendly and easy to navigate. You should not have to fumble through the app. Rather, it should provide you with all the information you need quickly and easily.
So, how to find an app that makes it truly user-friendly?
1. The Dashboard
It should give you everything at one glance. When you check your app, wouldn’t you want all the key metrics, such as energy production, consumption and savings, right in front of you?
You can ask yourself, “What key metrics matter to me?” If it’s energy-saving, look for an app that instantly displays that number for you.
2. Customizations
Have you ever been disappointed by an app because it displayed too much irrelevant information? You might find some solar monitoring apps in the market that let you customize your views. Wouldn’t this feature be a game-changer?
3. Mobile Friendly
Smartphones are a part of our lives, which is why it is important to have a mobile-friendly app that works for all platforms, including iOS and Android. The app should conveniently let you monitor your solar system from anywhere, at any time without any hiccups.
So, whether you’re on a run to reach the office on time or relaxing at home, a user-friendly app lets you monitor your solar tracking system on the go. However, keep in mind that it should load quickly and provide a seamless experience, no matter where you are.
Step 4: Available Features
An app without features is like a car without an engine—it would lack the ability to solve problems or provide benefits.
However, if you are unable to identify issues or are unclear about your ROI, what good would the app do? Nothing right?
Therefore, what features the app provides its users is crucial in finding the best monitoring app. The following questions can help you make the right decision.
- Do you want to catch issues before they escalate?
- Do you want to ensure that your system operates at peak efficiency every time?
- Would you want live data and insights?
- Are you looking for real-time visibility to manage your system?
- Do you want to access past trends?
- Do you want to understand seasonal variations in performance?
- Are you interested in knowing how your system performed last winter?
Research the app features before making a decision. A good monitoring system would include features such as:
- Real-time monitoring,
- Effective tracking and analyzing
- Detailed historical data
- Comprehensive performance reports
- Monthly or quarterly summary breakdowns
- In-depth analysis
- Alerts and notifications
- Energy consumption tracking
- Integration with home devices
Explore different options, but keep these points in mind because each of these features plays a pivotal role in helping you monitor your solar panel effectively.
Step 5: How Secure is the App?
No matter which app you choose, security and privacy should be your top priority. Every app collects your personal information, and you cannot sit back and relax, assuming it won’t be stolen by an unauthorized user, right?
So, how do you protect your data? Here’s how:
- Find apps that encrypt your data during transmission and when it’s stored.
- Read the privacy policy of the app you choose.
- Read what data the app collects and how it is used.
- Find out if the app shares your data with a third party.
Other key considerations:
- An app that prioritizes security always sends regular updates.
- It’s a great sign if the app provides two-factor authentication.
- How easily can you change, update or delete your personal information?
With cybercrime’s increasing popularity and growing global cost, which will be $13.82 trillion by 2028, choose a solar reading app that prioritizes data security.
Step 6: Reviews and Testimonials
The last and final step before selecting a solar tracking app is to read for customer reviews, testimonials, and ratings.
An app’s performance, reliability and customer satisfaction depend on user feedback.
- Reviews about how the app works?
- How accurate is the real-time data?
- Does the app experience frequent glitches?
- Are the users finding its interface easy to use?
- Is the app giving users a hard time?
- How satisfied are the customers with the customer service?
To look for reviews, you can visit app stores, social media platforms, and tech review websites. You can also find customer feedback on YouTube, Quora, or rating platforms. Finally, as you read the reviews, look for a pattern and look for the latest ones.
As you explore your app options, remember that a well-chosen app is necessary for an effective solar asset management system.
Solar Track On-the-Go
In a market emerging with new solar monitoring apps every day, Intello stands out as India’s top-rated solar monitoring app.
We aim to simplify your solar monitoring experience with our go-to solar monitoring app. From a comprehensive 7-day instant analysis to registering complaints, our user-friendly app lets you take control of your solar investment.
Experience the difference and optimize your solar performance with Intello. Want to know more about our solar panel monitoring app? Reach out to our expert team today to see how Intello can make your investment worthwhile.
FAQs:
1. Can I use my solar monitoring app to monitor my solar panels?
Yes. Intello’s Solar Monitoring App provides real-time data on your solar panel performance, energy consumption and energy production.
Our app also gives you real-time alerts if there is any system problem, such as a fault with a panel or inverter.
2. How can I monitor my solar system on my phone?
Get the Intello’s Solar Monitoring Phone App
Take control of your solar with the INTELLO mobile app (iOS & Android) from anywhere. Our user-friendly app makes understanding solar output easy.
3. How do I read my solar monitor?
Reading your solar monitor is simple:
- Watch the display of your solar monitor
- You will notice that it switches between positive and negative numbers
- The positive numbers indicate the amount of electricity you have imported from the grid
This is similar to what you see on a regular electricity meter without solar.
4. Is solar monitoring worth it?
A reliable solar monitor can provide insight into the performance of individual panels and alert you if one or more panels are not generating as much energy as the others. This could indicate potential electrical faults impacting your overall energy generation.
5. How do I know how many kW my solar is?
The system size depends on the number of solar panels and their rated capacity.
It is measured in kilowatts (kW).
One kilowatt (1 kW) = 1000 Watts. For example, a typical home solar system might include 19 x 350-watt panels for a total of 6,650 Watts or 6.65 kW.
