How Many Solar Panels Do I Need?

Solar-powered homes are all the rage now! Everyone is talking about green energy, and it makes a lot of sense. But it’s not enough to decide to use more eco-friendly energy solutions such as solar, you also need to consider how many solar panels you would need.

At Select Electrical and Solar Solutions, we go the extra mile to bring the best solar system solutions on your doorstep. We’re just a call away at 0261030505. Now that you know who to call the next time you have any solar-related problems, we can go ahead and answer the million-dollar question.

How Many Solar Panels Do I Need?

At a glance and from experience, an average home would need between 5kw and 8kw to meet its entire electricity needs. However, the exact number of solar panels you’d need to install depends on factors such as your location, your solar panel power rating and its efficiency rating, and your home’s power consumption habits. the number of solar panels you eventually install directly affects how much you pay for a solar system.

Calculating The Number Of Solar Panels You Need

In our opinion, you need not bother yourself with the math behind this, especially when you can quickly call us at Select Electrical and Solar Solutions to get a free quote. But if you want to take on a more hands-on approach, follow these simple steps, and you’d do just fine.

Define Your Home’s Energy Usage

Before installing a solar system, you need to know how much energy your home uses in the first place. You can quickly determine your monthly energy consumption by checking your electricity bill for the previous month. You’d find the figure recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh) at the bottom of the invoice.

Calculate How Much Energy Solar Panels Generate In Your Area

You’ve determined your home’s average energy consumption? Great! Now, you need to determine how much solar energy your geographical location receives.

The intensity of sunlight in a particular area is known as that area’s “peak sun hours”, and the value varies from state to state. You can quickly look up the average number of daily peak sun hours for your state online.

Once you have that daily figure, multiply it by 30 to get the average monthly peak sun hours for your area. The value of your monthly peak sun hours equals the amount of electricity (measured in kWh) your 1kW solar panels will provide in a day!

Determine The Solar System Size You Need To Get

Now that you know how much electricity you can get from 1kW solar panels. You also know how much energy your home needs every month. Knowing the size of the solar system you need to install becomes easy!

To get the size in kW, divide your home’s monthly electricity usage by your area’s monthly peak sun hours, then you’re good to go!

Calculate How Many Solar Panels You Need

You finally have all the information you need to calculate the exact number of solar panels your home needs.

Each solar panel has a power rating in watts. Remember the figure you got after calculating your home’s solar system size?

Now, divide the value of the size of your solar system in watts by the individual wattage of the solar panel you want to install. Voila! The number you get is the exact number of solar panels your solar system needs.

For more information or assistance, you can contact us today on 0261030505, or locate us at Fyshwick, Australia. We’d love to hear from you!