Homeowners who use solar panels to create electrical power for their home are delighted to contribute to a healthier planet and to decrease their energy costs. Having solar panels for your home increases the property value and reduces your carbon footprint.
To determine the size of your home’s solar energy setup, you’ll first have to ask yourself this question: How many solar panels does your home need? Generally, most people want to have enough solar panels to eliminate their monthly electrical invoice entirely.
One of the first considerations is to figure out your home’s normal consumption level throughout the year. The calculation will be measured in kilowatt-hours of power. This is lead you to know what the appropriate system will be and the number of solar panels required to give your home the power it needs.
What is the Number of Solar Panels Necessary to Power my Home?
In the United States, the average home needs approximately 28 to 34 solar panels to provide 100 percent of energy usage. This varies on the location where the solar panels are installed and the size of the roof surface.
To achieve this amount of solar panels, high and low panel production ratios are utilized to work out the calculation that will show how many solar panels are required on average. This is taking into account that a normal home consumes somewhere about 10,400 kWh each year and that the panels used have a capacity of 250-watts.
Calculating a Solar Panel Estimate on Your Own
It’s a good idea for you to become familiar with the factors that go into estimating the number of solar panels your home need. The more information you know, the more it will serve you when the time comes for you to hire the installer and complete the home’s transformation. Being an educated consumer and doing your due diligence pays off greatly in this case. Check out this(https://pealdevelopment.com/solar-panels.html) website to get an estimation.
To understand how much power will be necessary for your home’s energy consumption and how many solar panels are necessary to achieve it, first, you have to figure out how much power you will need. One way to figure out how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity your home uses every year, you can ask your utility company to give you a report of your yearly power consumption in the last 12 months. They can provide this to you on your monthly bill statement.
To gain a better idea of your power usage, think of this fact: One-kilowatt hour (kWh) equals 1,000 watts of power used per hour. This means that if you have 20 lamps in your home that all use 50-watt bulbs, you will use one kilowatt-hour of electricity for one hour if they are all running.
The United States Energy Information Administration reported for 2016 that the average home used about 897 kilowatt-hours each month. In other words, the average home uses a little below 11,000 kilowatt-hours for one year.
To determine the number of solar panels, Arizona’s and Maine’s ratios for solar panel production are 1.31 and 1.61, respectively. It is the highest and lowest numbers in the United States. Then,11,000 kilowatt-hours are divided by each ratio. The result is divided by 250, which is the usual panel wattage to give the final result. This formula provides the high and lows for the number of panels on average a home will require.
What is the Amount of Kilowatt Hours a Solar Panel Can Produce
The power in kilowatt-hours your solar panel system can generate depends on the amount of exposure to sunlight the panels receive on the roof. This varies according to the geographic location of your home and the time of year. For example, Florida is known as the sunshine state. It has significantly more sunny days than Washing state. However, both locations will generate enough sunlight to cover the needs of the average home. In the case of living in a region that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight, which will allow the system to produce enough power is for it to be larger. This means that people who live in Florida require a smaller system.
Let’s look at this concept a bit further. Both homes in Florida and Washington state consume on average approximately 10,400 kWh per year. The Florida home requires a 7.0 kW system to cover all energy needs. In contrast, the same type of home in Washington state would require an 8.8 kW system to generate enough power. Although both systems produce the same amount of power, the one in Florida can be smaller because it receives a lot more sunlight throughout the year.
One way a household can make up for the sunlight variance is by using more efficient panels or installing a larger solar energy system, which leads to putting a higher amount of solar panels on the roof.
Final Thoughts
It is a simple process to figure out the number of solar panels your household needs. Becoming familiar with the factors involved to come up with an estimate is a sure way to be an educated consumer. One must get to know their home’s electrical needs and start paying attention to the family’s habits throughout the year. Your electrical utility company will be able to help you determine this data by providing reports on your monthly bill per your request.
Knowing how much sunlight the region that you live in will help you factor this point into your formula. Plus, having the precise measurements of your roof will help you determine its capability to hold the panels. Looking into the various solar systems that exist and their ability to produce power is also part of the equation.
You will be considering your power needs measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) to determine the amount of power your system can generate. There are consumer reports that let you review the average power homes use in the United States, which can give you a better idea of where your household falls.
The benefits of having a solar system are well worth the effort. Choose a system that provides high-quality standards and is easy to maintain. These systems are a simple solution to your energy needs and increase the value of your home. You will be pleased to know you are doing your part to leave a smaller carbon footprint while allowing your family to be comfortable and unrestricted when it comes to using electricity. In addition, you will quickly benefit from the monthly payments you no longer have to make for your electric costs.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
