If you are thinking about adding solar panels to your house, then you probably already know many of the benefits such as reduced electricity bills, a smaller carbon footprint, and potential tax benefits. At the same time, you might also be wondering exactly how many solar panels you are going to need to power your home. You want to have enough solar panels to eliminate your electricity bill, so the first step is determining how many kilowatt-hours of power you will need to accomplish your goals. There are a lot of factors that are going to impact how many solar panels your house needs. The best way to determine your needs is often to talk to a solar installation expert so that you know the best design and set-up for your particular situation.
Calculating How Many Solar Panels You Need
If you want to estimate out how many solar panels you are going to need, then you should follow a few simple steps. First, you need to figure out how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power your home uses in a year. Usually, you can get this from your power utility bill. Review the last 12 months and add the usage together. Or, some utility providers will give you your average power usage per month, which you can multiply by 12. On average, most homes in the United States consume between 10,000 and 11,000 kWh of power in a given year. If you have more people living in your home, or if you have more devices, you might use more power than this.
Figuring out the Power from a Solar Panel
Once you figure out how much power you need to run your home, you need to know how much power is going to be produced by each solar panel. The amount of power produced by each solar panel will depend on the amount of sunlight you receive on your roof. This depends on where you live and what time of year it is. For example, in CA, there is way more sunlight (on average) than in New England, where cloudy days are more common.
The good news is that no matter where you live, you will still have access to enough solar to power your home! If you live in an area that doesn’t receive as much sun, you will need a larger system. For example, someone who lives in New England will probably need a system that is about 20 percent larger (by kW) than someone in California to power a home of the same size.
The Size of the Roof
Finally, once you know how many solar panels you are going to need, you need to take a look at your roof. You will only be able to fit so many solar panels on your roof, so you need to think about how much power each panel can produce and how they are going to fit. In some cases, you might want to take a look at ways you can reduce the power consumption in your home if you want to truly eliminate your electricity bills. For example, if you have a pool that you heat throughout the year, this takes up a tremendous amount of power. You may want to think about an alternative way to heat your pool. For example, a heated swimming pool, on average, requires more than four times as much power as the refrigerator over the course of a year.
Finding the Right Number of Solar Panels
These are a few of the factors that are going to play a role in how many solar panels your home will need. With the right number of panels, you might be able to eliminate your electricity bill entirely. If you have further questions about installing solar panels on your home or business or how you can save money with solar, the best thing you can do is explore your solar power options with a qualified professional. Contact HomePro Solutions today. We have the technical know-how and customer service expertise necessary to ensure that every solar power project is a success.