Determining how many solar panels you’ll need for your home means first knowing what your goals are. Do you want to save as much money as possible? Most people want to save money while minimising their environmental impact.
To calculate how many solar panels you need, you need to know how much energy your household uses, and the climate and peak sunlight in your area. You don’t want to go
too small of a system because then you’ve really wasted your money. And you don’t want to go too large of a system, because then you’ve invested excess capital into a system that is not gaining you much benefit.
Every customer runs through the same process – energy bills are evaluated to design a system to meet your needs.
How many watts do you currently use?
Look at your electricity bill for average usage. Look for “Kilowatt Hours (or kWh) Used” or something similar, and then note the time period represented (usually 30 days). A small home in a temperate climate might use something like 200 kWh per month, and a larger home in the south where air conditioners account for the largest portion of home energy usage might use 2,000 kWh or more.
Your average daily energy usage is your target daily average to calculate your solar needs. That’s the number of kilowatt-hours you need your solar system to produce if you want to cover 100 percent of your energy needs.
It’s important to note that solar panels don’t operate at maximum efficiency at all times. Weather conditions, for example, can temporarily reduce your system’s efficiency. Therefore, solar experts recommend adding a 25 percent “cushion” to your target daily average to ensure you can generate all the clean energy you need.
Experts usually ask, “Is it more of a morning, or afternoon, or during the middle of the day, there’s a majority of consumption?”. They then try to match the solar panels in the facing of the maximum consumption. Usually, from the middle of the day to the late afternoon, you’re generating a good amount of energy to supply to the household. And obviously, if you’ve got a battery there, the battery would be topped up with the additional energy that’s not being used from the property.
One simple way of answering the “How many solar panels do I need” question is to consult a professional solar installer, who can give you a free home solar evaluation. Contact us! We’re excited to help you on your journey with solar!
