[Carl2009]

Hi guys,

As some of you might know i'm considering getting into solar panel cleaning as an add on to my window cleaning. It would be useful to know - from those of you that market it actively - how many cleans you do per month. This would assist me in working out how long it would be before I broke even after buying the requisite pole and PPE. I'd obviously canvass those properties with panels, but it would be interesting to know.

A £1600 investment in pole and PPE (i've no need of a 47ft Supalite Extreme for anything other than solar panels, so the cost would have to be borne by this part of the business) divided by a £35 domestic clean would mean 45 cleans just to break even.

Cheers

[Ian101]

I have it on my lealets on my bonnett with proper wrap on my website and I have cleaned in 1 year 52 ish panels so about 4 a month on average

[bobplum]

none

[Carl2009]

bobplum - What a plum.

[steven ainger]

None for me either

[deeege]

Hi guys,

As some of you might know i'm considering getting into solar panel cleaning as an add on to my window cleaning. It would be useful to know - from those of you that market it actively - how many cleans you do per month. This would assist me in working out how long it would be before I broke even after buying the requisite pole and PPE. I'd obviously canvass those properties with panels, but it would be interesting to know.

A £1600 investment in pole and PPE (i've no need of a 47ft Supalite Extreme for anything other than solar panels, so the cost would have to be borne by this part of the business) divided by a £35 domestic clean would mean 45 cleans just to break even.

Cheers

This is only correct if you value your own time at precisely 0.

[Carl2009]

[/quote]

This is only correct if you value your own time at precisely 0.
[/quote]

Quite right.

[Clever Forum Name]

Done about 20 jobs ranging from £30 - £60. Always done on a Saturday and the pole looks brand new (47ft extreme)

Getting more and more calls now winter is coming.

[keyser soze]

with energy prices set to soar . i think peeps are gonna be straining to get the best out of their panels so cleaning them could get more popular .. been window cleaning 2 years and not done 1 yet...   

[TheWindowManChris]

I would say 3 or 4 a month however I am like H20 I am getting few more calls and they are good wee earners.   Plus with all the Electric & Gas price increases I hoping more.

[Mr.G]

I rarely get asked.
Maybe people think the rain keeps them clean enough.

[telfordwindowclnr]

It varies. Virtually none in January. It's madness in March. Saying this not to boast before some of you think I am. I'm saying it to help you think Carl, WHEN to splash the cash. No point having the pole sat dormant in the winter.

[Carl2009]

Thanks all for taking the time to reply.

I always plan carefully and take time to analyse things. Doing so now will allow me to plan for a rollout of website changes, van re-signwriting, a canvassing strategy and equipment purchase, all of which i'd do between now and spring. As I am fully established with a good income from WC I am lucky to be able to approach the matter carefully - if I don't fancy it, I won't do it. Any investment will be after i've seen how this winter pans out - I could get existing equipment failures, or be snowed in for a fortnight (as in 2010). Even with this I think i'm in the position to afford to be able to invest, but like anyone, I want to see as rapid as return on my investment as possible, and given i'd have very little use for the pole in my current or future day to day window cleaning the fixed cost has to be borne by SP cleaning.

Thanks again

[Geoff]

None.

[Dave Willis]

Thanks all for taking the time to reply.

I always plan carefully and take time to analyse things. Doing so now will allow me to plan for a rollout of website changes, van re-signwriting, a canvassing strategy and equipment purchase, all of which i'd do between now and spring. As I am fully established with a good income from WC I am lucky to be able to approach the matter carefully - if I don't fancy it, I won't do it. Any investment will be after i've seen how this winter pans out - I could get existing equipment failures, or be snowed in for a fortnight (as in 2010). Even with this I think i'm in the position to afford to be able to invest, but like anyone, I want to see as rapid as return on my investment as possible, and given i'd have very little use for the pole in my current or future day to day window cleaning the fixed cost has to be borne by SP cleaning.



Thanks again

Just sell the pole on if the solar panel cleaning doesn't pick up.

[Dave Willis]

I very rarely clean solar panels (not much call for it on privately owned panels so far). I don't push it either. What I do pick up is loads and loads of gutter/soffit cleaning - there seems to be no end of that kind of work about.

[Ian101]

I very rarely clean solar panels (not much call for it on privately owned panels so far). I don't push it either. What I do pick up is loads and loads of gutter/soffit cleaning - there seems to be no end of that kind of work about.

100% agree with this ... tried pushing solar panels with bonnet wrap, on leaflets, on website etc etc and no real residential market as of yet ... will it come eventually ? ... who knows ?? but FSG theres lots of that to do just drive around an estate and you will see lots of dirty ones ..... may even be worth doing a leaflet drop with just FSG on it ?

[Carl2009]

Hi guys,

Part of the reason I was considering getting into it is the fact that as I get older (I've just turned 50) it would be a way of easing the load. FSG are all well and good but personally I find them hard on the joints. General WC is fine, but I know as I get older the aches and pains I have now will only increase. SP cleaning is easier on the body as the weight of the pole is on the panel.

I'm actually pretty good at canvassing - I knocked for 3 months when I started and was 2/3 full. It was a bad day if I didn't come back from an estate with 8 or 10 new custies. I'm confident I can get the business if I front up and speak to the custie. I would do just a leaflet drop; in any case i'm very rural so it's a case of stopping by each property as you spot it and hope they are in, or target custies when you know they are more likely to be in.

It's good to hear your experiences. Keep 'em coming.

[TheWindowManChris]

Hi guys,

Part of the reason I was considering getting into it is the fact that as I get older (I've just turned 50) it would be a way of easing the load. FSG are all well and good but personally I find them hard on the joints. General WC is fine, but I know as I get older the aches and pains I have now will only increase. SP cleaning is easier on the body as the weight of the pole is on the panel.

I'm actually pretty good at canvassing - I knocked for 3 months when I started and was 2/3 full. It was a bad day if I didn't come back from an estate with 8 or 10 new custies. I'm confident I can get the business if I front up and speak to the custie. I would do just a leaflet drop; in any case i'm very rural so it's a case of stopping by each property as you spot it and hope they are in, or target custies when you know they are more likely to be in.

It's good to hear your experiences. Keep 'em coming.

Your type of way of getting new customers is the way forward.

I set my prices high for solar panel cleaning then time I put in 'Eco Grant or Eco Savings' discount customers start to think 'Oh people must be getting these done a lot' then bang they say 'Yes please, When can you do this?'

[Dave Willis]

There is a problem with residential solar panels though. If they have simply rented their roof space out to the bigger companies then they won't want them cleaned, so you'll have to pick it up from people who've got the big contracts and move further down the food chain.
Those who own their panels may prove to0 tight to pay the money you expect to earn. Have a go though and see how you get on. My own panels don't seem to suffer very much from dirt so far and when cleaned the increase in performance is so little it doesn't justify the cost so far.

Personally I find them harder work than cleaning windows due to the strain of getting forty odd feet of pole onto the roof to begin with.