Solar panels and self-consumption: 5 things to know before investing
Published on 5 January 2022 by Catarina Costa
- Solar PV
- Self-consumption
Installing solar panels is one of the smartest decisions for those who want to reduce energy costs and increase the sustainability of their home or company.
Before moving forward, there are important concepts to understand to ensure the investment is safe, efficient and adapted to your needs.
1. Any consumer can benefit from self-consumption
Whether you are a household or a company, you can produce your own electricity using photovoltaic solar panels.
In addition to reducing your electricity bill, this lowers your environmental footprint and increases energy independence.
The return on investment is most visible when consumption coincides with solar production hours.
2. Analyse your electricity consumption
Each building has its own energy profile. Consumption may vary between:
- Weekdays and weekends;
- Day and night;
- Summer and winter.
That is why it is essential to assess consumption patterns before sizing the system.
Enbiente carries out a personalised self-consumption study, identifying the ideal balance between production and consumption.
3. Savings are real and growing
With a solar system, you start producing energy at zero marginal cost and lock in the price of electricity over the years.
Self-consumption supports efficiency and profitability by reducing monthly expenses and increasing energy autonomy.
4. There is specific legislation for self-consumption
Decree-Law no. 153/2014 regulates distributed energy production and defines two main models:
- Self-Consumption Production Unit (UPAC), for own consumption;
- Small Production Unit (UPP), for total sale to the grid.
These rules ensure the installation meets technical and legal requirements for safe operation.
5. Simple maintenance and long durability
Photovoltaic systems are robust and require little maintenance.
With basic care, such as periodic module cleaning and checking connection conditions, optimal performance can be maintained for 25 years or more.
Why choose Enbiente?
At Enbiente, every project starts with a detailed technical and economic study, ensuring the solution is sized according to your consumption.
We use TIER 1 solar panels, premium mounting structures and certified teams with experience in residential and business projects.
