If you’ve considered solar energy, you’ve probably wondered, “How many solar panels do I need to power my house?” And the answer is… it depends.
There is no average number of solar panels. The number of solar panels needed for your home may be completely different than how many solar panels are needed to power a house across the street, even if both homes are the same size. Let us explain and, hopefully, we can give you a better idea of why it’s difficult to answer the question, “How many solar panels do I need to power a house.”
Electricity usage
To start calculating how many solar panels you need to power your house, we want to know how much electricity you use annually. We do this by looking at your past electric bills. As a rule of thumb, the more electricity you use, the more solar panels need to be installed. This is because it will take more solar energy to offset your energy usage from your utility. So even if two homes are the exact same size, the installation for a home with two residents and a $50 electric bill will probably require fewer solar panels than the installation for a home with four residents and a $300 electric bill.
Average sun exposure
We also consider the average sun exposure your home receives to calculate the number of solar panels you need. The average number of sun hours your roof gets each day depends on your location, layout and orientation of your roof, and the time of year it is. It’s likely that if you live in an area with a lot of sunshine, your roof probably gets enough sun each day that you only need a few solar panels to power your home with solar energy. On the other hand, if you live in an overcast climate, you may need more solar panels to generate the same amount of solar power.
Designing
Once we have a clear understanding of your electricity usage and potential sun hours, our home solar sizing objective is to design a solar energy system that can meet your energy needs based on how you purchase power from your utility, how you want the solar energy system to look, and how much solar energy you want it to produce on average.
Of course, there are some constraints that can affect your solar energy system design. These may include:
- Roof space: Homeowner doesn’t have enough roof space for the number of solar panels recommended
- Electrical limitations: Homeowner doesn’t have enough feed capacity for a larger solar energy system and doesn’t want to upgrade their electrical panel
- Solar access: Too much shading on homeowner’s roof that prevents the solar panels from producing enough energy
- Aesthetics: Homeowner doesn’t want solar panels on the front of their home’s rooftop
When it comes to constraints, don’t worry. Our solar experts know exactly how many solar panels it takes to power any house. Our team of experts can suggest solutions or alternatives for most of these issues.
The best way to find out how many solar panels it takes to power a house is with a free solar assessment. To get started, call us or fill out a quick form. We’ll look at your energy usage and sun exposure to give you an estimate, free of charge. We make going solar easy from consultation to installation.
Do give our blog a read for all your solar-related questions. You can also check out other interesting updates on solar on our Facebook page (facebook.com/zunroof)
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