How Many Solar Panels Do I Need for My House?
If you decide to switch to solar, congratulations, it is a very good way you can easily reduce your electricity bills and also be in total control of how much control you have over your energy.
Switching to solar might make you begin to wonder how many solar panels do I need for my house?
Well, the answer is not really very straightforward. A lot of things can decide how much solar you need for your house. Your location and how efficient the solar panels you choose will play a huge role.
Not to worry, we’ll try to break everything down in this blog post. We will also calculate the right number of solar panels you should be needing in your home.
Why Should You Go Solar?
Over the years, solar energy is gradually becoming more popular every day. More and more people are looking for ways to save money and also reduce how much they depend on the power grid.
Below are some of the reasons why most people are beginning to see solar as a solid and long-term investment.
1. Lower Electricity Bills: If you are generating your own electricity with a solar system, it is going to reduce or even completely remove the amount you spend on electricity bills every month.
2. Eco-Friendly Energy: Unlike generator power that produces carbon monoxide, solar energy is very much renewable, meaning there’s absolutely no production level of emissions that are harmful.
3. Energy Independence: With your solar energy, you will no longer have to rely on electricity, so the issues of power outages or rising energy costs will no longer be a concern to you.
4. Increase in Property Value: Homes and properties that have solar installed in them tend to be more expensive than the ones without solar installation. This simply means the resale value is high, and you are going to get more money when you finally decide to sell.
READ ALSO:How Do I Ensure the Quality of the Solar Panels and Other Components?
Now we’re going to discuss how you can easily determine how many solar panels you need for your home.
Step 1: How Much Energy Do You Consume?
The very first step you are going to take if you want to know how many solar panels your home will be needing is to first of all find out how much electricity you consume at home.
The energy you consume at home is usually measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and you can easily find it on your electricity bill.
If your electricity bills are different each month, just take an average of your 6 to 12 months’ bills—that will do.
So, for example, if your home happens to be using around 900 kWh per month, what that simply means is that the electricity you consume every day is about:
900 kWh ÷ 30 days = 30 kWh per day
This particular number is very important if we want to be able to calculate how many solar panels you are going to need.
Step 2: You Should Go for the Right Solar Panels
Solar panels usually come in different wattage ratings. They’re mostly around 250W and 450W per panel. Now, the higher wattage your solar panels have, the more electricity the panel will be able to generate.
Let’s take for instance, you choose a 400W (0.4 kW) solar panel. On average, a solar panel is going to generate electricity for 4 to 5 peak sunlight hours per day, although it is going to depend on your location. So, what that means is that the energy output of a single 400W solar panel in a day is:
400W × 5 hours = 2,000 Wh (or 2 kWh)
This simply means that each 400W panel is capable of producing 2 kWh per day.
Step 3: Calculate the Number of Solar Panels You Need
The next step is to divide the total number of your daily energy consumption by the energy output of just one panel:
30 kWh per day ÷ 2 kWh per panel = 15 panels
In a nutshell, if your house consumes 900 kWh every month and you decide to choose 400W solar panels, you are going to need around 15 solar panels to be able to get your house fully powered.
Things That Affect the Number of Solar Panels Needed
While the calculation we just gave above is an estimate of what you should expect, there are lots of other factors that can have a very serious impact on the number of solar panels that you might be needing for your home. We’re going to take a quick glance at each of these factors.
1. Sunlight Availability in Your Location
The number of hours of sunlight your solar panels receive directly is going to affect how much power they will generate. For instance, a home in Lagos, Nigeria, is likely to get more sunlight than a home in London, UK. This simply implies needing fewer panels to produce the same energy.
2. Roof Size and Orientation
If you happen to have a small roof, then you definitely need high-efficiency panels that will be able to generate enough power. If you have a south-facing roof that has no shades, they’re likely to make sure your solar performs at its absolute best.
3. Solar Panel Efficiency
Most premium solar panels have a higher efficiency, meaning they’re very likely to convert more sunlight into electricity. If your roof space is limited, then it won’t be such a bad idea to go for high-efficiency solar panels. They’re definitely the better option.
4. Battery Storage
If you have intentions of storing excess energy, maybe for nighttime or cloudy days, then you will definitely need a solar battery system. This may simply mean getting more solar panels to be able to generate more power for storage.
Cost of Installing Solar Panels
The total amount you are going to spend when installing solar in your house is going to depend on the number of solar panels you are getting.
The type and quality of the panels will also have a say. Then you talk about the installation and wiring. There’s also a question of whether or not you are going to install a battery storage system too.
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