How Many Solar Panels To Power Your House

Solar panels don t always work at 100 efficiency since they depend on sunlight.

How many solar panels to power your house.

The amount of power kwh your solar energy system can produce depends on the number of solar panels that can absorb solar energy and convert it into electricity. The number of solar panels you will need to power your house will depend on two factors. In many cases running an underground cable from your house to the building is the most economical way to go. Gregg garrison general manager of northeast solar in hatfield ma gave some guidelines for the average homeowner regarding the number of panels to power both electrical and hot water requirements.

To get these numbers we used high and low panel production ratios to calculate how many solar panels are needed on average. Our online solar calculator can take your monthly power bill and location to work out how many solar panels you need as well. If you only want your solar panels to subsidise part of your home s electricity usage you can install a smaller number of solar panels. Your location as where you live determines how much electricity your solar panels can produce.

The exact number changes depending on the specifications of the chosen panel model as well as the sunshine available at the project site. The amount of energy that solar panels can absorb and then produce is measured in kilowatts kw. Another way to gauge how big a solar energy system you ll need to power your home is to review our specials pages for your state. But if the building is a fair distance from the house so that wiring it would be a hassle or a large expense consider a solar powered system.

While many factors are involved in determining how many solar panels are needed to power your home there is a basic formula. The typical homeowner will need 28 34 solar panels to cover 100 of their energy usage dependent on location and roof size. The amount of energy your home uses over a certain timeframe say a month is measured in kilowatt hours kwh. Assuming you are going to choose standard efficiency solar panels here are the most common sizes for residential solar systems and their kwh production potential to give you an idea.

Deciding how many solar panels you need to power your house. Based on the example above if this household wants solar panels to cover just 70 of their home s electricity usage they d only need 6 solar panels 11 1 35 x 0 7. The amount of electricity you use. So how many solar panels you ll need to power your house will vary depending on the module chosen.

Now you know how much energy you need it s time to think about your location. A home that consumes 1 000 kwh per month will normally need between 20 and 30 solar panels.