Are you dreading opening that billing statement from your current electricity provider? Sure, your house may be cool, but that bill will get you sweating…
If you’re looking to cut costs while staying cool, then switching to solar power may be the option for you. The transition may seem daunting, but we can help you out. To answer the question “how many solar panels do I need?”, keep reading!
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need?
Before you make any purchasing decisions, you’ll want to use a solar power system calculator or formula to figure out how many solar panels your home will need. Having an estimate of this number before contacting a professional installer can keep you from being misquoted.
Follow the steps below to determine your solar power requirements:
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Find Your Average Monthly Electric Usage
Refer to your electricity bills for the past year, and calculate your average usage over that period. This will be the kWh number on your bill.
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Find Your Daily kWh Usage
Your electricity usage will differ between different months and seasons. To find your daily kWh usage, divide your monthly usage by 30.
For example, if your monthly kWh usage is 1,100, your daily usage is about 37 kWh per day.
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Estimate Your Area’s Sunlight Levels
This step is not as simple of a calculation as the ones above. If you are unable to estimate this number by yourself, you may want to use a solar panel calculator that will use your zip code to find sunlight levels.
If you have a good understanding of your area’s weather patterns, then you can simply estimate the number of hours your home receives peak sunlight (which are the hours when the sun is most powerful.)
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Determine Your Potential Solar Power Usage
If you are venturing into solar power for the first time, you may want to gradually transition your power usage to solar.
If that is the case, you should estimate that less than 100% of your power usage will be offset by solar power. For example, if you want your solar power system to offset 50% of your daily energy usage, then you’ll multiply that percentage by your daily kWh usage.
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Determine How Many Solar Panels You’ll Need
Once you’ve made all the calculations listed above, you can start to determine how many panels you’ll need. This will be the best indicator of price (minus any installation fees.)
One solar panel produces about 1.24 kWh per day. Divide the number you found in the step above by 1.24 to estimate the number of solar panels you’ll need to power your home.
Solar Panel Installation
Once you’ve made the calculations above, you can confidently reach out to a solar power professional to receive a quote. It is important to factor in the cost of labour, as the panels will need to be installed by a professional.
Fortunately, many solar panel companies offer incentive discounts to entice people into switching to solar power. Blue Raven Solar in Columbus, OH offers solar installation with a financing product that includes 18 months of free solar power.
Become Your Own Power Plant
Now that you’ve answered the question “how many solar panels do I need?”, it’s time to start purchasing and installing. Switching to solar power is more affordable than ever before. Now is the time to make the switch!
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