An app showing zero generation can mean the monitoring feed has stopped updating, not necessarily that the panels have stopped working. It can also indicate a real system issue. Avoid guessing from a single screenshot.
First: rule out urgent danger
If you observe smoke, scorching, sparking, burning smell, water entering electrical equipment or another immediate hazard, keep away. Seek urgent professional assistance or emergency services where appropriate. Never use an app diagnostic as a reason to approach unsafe equipment.
Do not go onto the roof, open the inverter, remove covers, handle wiring, change protection settings or operate unfamiliar electrical controls.
Identify the symptom before the cause
| What you notice | Owner-level evidence | Appropriate next contact |
|---|---|---|
| App has not updated | Last refresh time, screenshot, phone/internet status | Monitoring support or installer |
| Zero shown in daylight | Timestamp, season, any safe owner-visible status | Installer or competent solar specialist |
| Repeated inverter code | Exact code, model, dates and recurrence | Installer or manufacturer |
| Output markedly lower than before | Comparable periods, weather, data gaps, shade changes | Installer if persistent |
| Export payments absent | Supplier agreement, export MPAN status and account messages | Export supplier |
| Unexpectedly high bill | Official import readings, tariff and billed period | Import supplier |
A short winter day should not be compared directly with midsummer. One cloudy afternoon is not a meaningful fault diagnosis. Likewise, a graph that has stopped refreshing cannot prove a physical generation failure.
Capture a five-field evidence note
Record: (1) date and time, (2) data source, (3) exactly what was seen, (4) frequency or duration, and (5) what changed before the problem. Include an error code or equipment model only if available without unsafe access.
An example message: “The monitoring app last updated on Tuesday at 09:10 and now displays zero. The screenshot and internet-status check are attached. Please confirm whether this is a monitoring outage or a system status requiring inspection, and what safe owner action—if any—is approved for this model.”
Do not share app passwords or give remote control to an unsolicited caller. Verify support contacts independently.
What about panel dirt or cleaning?
Do not climb onto the roof, power-wash panels or assume every lower-than-expected month requires a cleaning service. Rain may remove ordinary deposits on suitably inclined panels, but unusual dirt, shading or physical damage calls for a qualified assessment. Check the manufacturer’s guidance and documented warranty conditions.
Confirm recovery using evidence
After qualified assistance or a resolved connection problem, check that data timestamps advance and review a suitable period rather than one instant. Retain a record of the explanation and any work performed.
The first-month owner checklist helps establish the baseline that makes troubleshooting easier. For a fuller symptom matrix and record forms, see Solar Panels Installed — Now What?.