Estimate Residential Solar Panel Cost
The brunt of the expense with solar panels is in installation and the purchase of the actual panels.
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Minimal long-term expenses can make up for the upfront costs. Most systems dont require much maintenance and are designed to last for 20 years or more with little change to the amount of electricity produced, Nilsen says.
When calculating the total price, consider how much energy you regularly consume your usage is listed on your monthly utility bill and what size system will generate the amount needed. Some tools, like the SolarReviews calculator, estimate the system size for you.
With installation, an average residential 5kW size system costs between $3 and $5 per watt, according to the CSE, which results in the $15,000 to $25,000 range. That cost is before any tax credits and incentives.
If you know your current energy usage, you can calculate how much youll need to pay for solar panels.
» MORE: Calculate your monthly payments on a solar loan
Then comparison shop for solar panels as you would other big-ticket items, such as a car or TV, says Vikram Aggarwal, CEO of the solar marketplace EnergySage. Some companies lower installation costs through rebates and other programs.
Aggarwal recommends getting quotes from three to five contractors. EnergySage compiles solar companies customer reviews, certifications, Better Business Bureau profiles and other information to help you find reputable providers.
Solar Power Requirements Planning
Predicting how much solar power it will take to power your house is a lot like expecting how many licks it will take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Different variables can affect how much energy solar panels can generate, so theres no simple answer.
Thats why weve created this article to answer the question: How much solar power do I need for my house? First, we will give you an overview of many variables that can affect solar power generation. From there, well discuss the average amount of solar panels needed to power your home and how to get the most out of your solar panels.
Lets get started.
On any given day, there are a lot of different factors that can affect solar power production. They include:
- Sunlight hours
- The tilt of your panels
- Where your panels are located
- The efficiency of your solar panels
Other factors include the age of your panels and elements that create very tiny variations over time, like how clean your panels are.
What Is The Solar Panel Production Ratio In Your Region
The region you live in dictates how many hours of sunlight you can expect every day, as well as the maximum solar irradiation value expressed in kWh per square meter. A higher irradiance value means more energy falls on a unit area, which would increase the solar panel efficiency.
Thus, a house in California would need fewer panels to generate sufficient energy compared to a similar-sized household in New England. For easier comparison, you can use the average solar panel production ratio for your particular region.
A higher ratio means the panels achieve higher efficiency for your particular region, and thus fewer panels will be needed. You can find out your regions energy production ratio from EnergySage Trusted SourceHow Solar Installers Calculate Solar Production Estimates | EnergySageLearn what a production estimate is and how your solar installer calculates it. news.energysage.com .
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Estimate Your Solar Generation Potential
Next up, youll need to calculate how well solar panels can generate energy based on your location to determine your solar production ratio. The amount of sunlight will vary If you live in a more sunny part of the country like Arizona or California, your solar panels will obviously produce more energy than if you live in a less sunny area like Oregon and Washington state, where the same size and number of panels will produce less electricity in the same time period.
Production Ration By State
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Mid-Atlantic : 1.1-1.35
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Midwest : 1.1-1.3
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Mountain West : 1.3-1.6
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Northeast : 1-1.3
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Pacific Northwest : 1-1.15
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Southeast : 1.2-1.5
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Southwest : 1.5-1.8
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West Coast : 1.4-1.8
How Much Energy Is Used In A 2000 Square
The average 2,000 square foot home in the United States uses around 1,000 kWh of electricity per month. That works out to be about 32 kWh per day. Again, this is an average that factors in energy use in all regions of the United States and in all climate zones where heating and cooling needs may differ dramatically4.
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How Much Energy Does A Solar Panel Produce Per Day
The performance of your solar system is dependent on what kind of solar panels are installed on your roof. Solar panel wattage can range from 330 watts to 360 watts per panel. Other elements that determine how much total energy is produced by a single solar panel include solar panel size, amount of sunlight, panel material and solar panel efficiency.
Do Solar Panels Make Sense For My Home
Some factors, like roof direction, roof shading, the solar inverter you choose, and whether or not youre including a solar battery could also influence the number of panels you need. These factors, however, are hard to quantify on your own.
The best way to determine the ideal location for your home solar power system and how many solar panels you need is by getting quotes from qualified local solar companies. Solar installers will also be able to give you an idea of the upfront costs of solar for your home and what rebates, incentives, and tax credits homeowners in your area qualify for.
In the meantime, using the steps in this article can give you a rough estimate of how many photovoltaic solar panels you need to power your home with clean, renewable energy.
Is going solar worth it where you live?
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Not All Roofs Are Suitable For Solar Panels
Apart from estimating how many solar panels you need, you should also consider the weight of the panels themselves.
On average, a single panel weighs around 40 pounds, adding around 2.8 pounds per square foot for a typical pitched roof and 5 pounds for flat roofs. Therefore, you need to make sure that your roof can support this added weight. You also need to consider the material, age, and structure of your roof.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, approximately 50% of homes cant support rooftop solar panels. Community solar programs are a common way for many homeowners, businesses and renters to go solar without actually installing anything on their roof. Participants can subscribe to a nearby solar farm and pay a lower price for the electricity sourced from it. Through Community Solar with Nexamp, the process is similar to determine the size of a subscribers share of a solar farm is similar to determining the number of rooftop solar panels. We simply analyze a subscribers last 12-13 months of energy usage and recommend a suitable allocation of our farm for them to subscribe to at a discounted rate. The end goal is to offset as much of a subscribers annual electricity costs as possible.
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Solar Panels: How Many Solar Panels Do You Need To Run An Off
Ok, I hope I didnt lose you there but dont worry, we are almost home. Now we can estimate how many solar panels we need to maintain our system.
Lets say you have a 100-watt panel. You want to take that number and multiply it by the number of direct sunlight hours you have in a day. So lets say you average about 6 hours of direct sun a day, that one panel can produce 600 watts a day.
Panel watts x hours of sun = Daily Output
Next, take your daily wattage needs, in the case above 9600, and divide it by the daily panel output.
Daily Need divided by Daily Output = Number of Panels
So in the case above, to achieve my 9600 watts a day, I would need sixteen 100 watt panels. Now, of course, this will depend on the wattage of your panels, but you should be getting a better idea of what you need to power your setup.
For the 9600 watt system, I need sixteen 100-watt panels and four 200-AH batteries.
Remember these are baseline figures to help with your estimation in the real-world, these are only numbers and just like all areas of preparedness you need to compensate for failure points. Its better to go a little bigger and overcompensate, becuase when it comes to off-grid power there are hundreds of factors that we cant account for that are going to popup at some point down the road. If a ten-day storm comes through and you lose the sun, you need to have a backup plan!
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At What Temperature Will You Store Your Batteries
Batteries have reduced capacity at low temperatures. The chemical reactions that store the power become inefficient, take longer to charge and store less energy. Find somewhere to keep them that is close to the panels but will stay at a nearly constant temperature.
When you have an idea of where you will keep them, leave a thermometer there for a week and take regular readings. This will give you a good idea of the temperatures you can expect. If they fall too low, you may need to choose somewhere else or find a way to increase the ambient temperature.
Quality And Performance Of Photovoltaic Panels
The quality of the panels is essential for their performance when it comes to producing energy. If the system is better quality it will cost a little more However, it will make better use of the sunlight and be able to produce more electricity.
If you choose the solar panels for your home well this will enable you to reduce the number of solar panels you need to install. Furthermore, solar panels with a higher performance will enable you to recover the investment in the installation faster.
It is always advisable to use panels from manufacturers with more experience and a good reputation in the production of photovoltaic panels. For example, Endesa X only uses solar panels manufactured by CanadianSolar, one of the most innovative companies in this type of system.
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How Do Solar Panels Work
Simply put, solar panels absorb photons that then tap electrons free. Once theyre free from the atoms, it creates electricity! Solar panels take in light and directly turns it into a flow of electricity to use.
- Solar panel cells absorb sunlight
- They convert the light into DC power.
- All systems need some type of inverter to convert that power to AC power.
- The electricity is then sent through wires into your home
- That powers everything connected to it
- Any excess of electricity produced is then fed into the electric grid
Solar systems are not complicated and easy to understand once you have the basics down. Now that you understand how they work, lets take a look at how long they last
Solar Panel Cost In Canada
Thanks to the advancements in technology and the push to go green, more home and business owners are making the switch to sustainable, clean energy. A solar system harnesses the energy from the sun to power our homes. Over the years, solar panel cost has steadily dropped, making it more available and easier to install.
That said, the cost of solar panels is a significant investment that requires the right commitment and a period of waiting to see a return on that investment. While the benefits and value that solar offers often outweigh the cost, its important to understand the breakdown. Depending on where in Canada you live, the price of a solar power system will vary. What wont vary, however, are the benefits offered by going solar.
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Size Of Your Home And Available Roof Space
Larger homes tend to consume more electricity, and they generally need more solar panels. However, they also have the extra roof space necessary for larger solar panel installations.
There may be exceptions to this rule for example, a 2,000-square-foot home with new Energy Star appliances may consume less power than a 1,200-square-foot home with older, less-efficient devices. When it comes to installation, solar panels can be placed on many types of surfaces.
However, your roof conditions may limit the number of solar panels your home can handle. For example, if you have a chimney, rooftop air conditioning unit or skylight, youll have to place panels around these fixtures. Similarly, roof areas that are covered by shadows are not suitable for panels.
Also, most top solar companies will not work on asbestos roofs due to the potential health risks for installers.
The Falling Price Of Solar Energy
Currently, solar panels are one of the more easily accessible forms of renewable energy. Solar energy attracts people in large part because of its many benefits, ranging from significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to increasing home value by an average of $15,000. With enough panels installed in Texas to power more than 350,000 homes, it is no longer uncommon to see solar panels affixed to the roofs of residential homes and businesses.
This expansion is also due to the falling price of generating solar electricity. Solar prices in Texas from 2014 to 2019. This decrease is even more dramatic across a longer time frame, as solar panel installation costs in the United States dropped by 70% from 2009 to 2019. In response, demand for residential solar panels and solar power in general has grown tremendously.
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Determine The Generation Capacity Of Your Potential Solar Panels
Different solar panels have different power generation capacities. Some companies sell them at 320 watts, others at 280 watts, and others still at 250 watts. Some high efficiency panel designs can even produce up to 400 watts or more per panel. We shall use 280 watts for this example.
Simply divide the total watts above by the total wattage output of your solar panel to determine how many solar panels you will need:
5,400 / 280 = 19.3 solar panels needed to cover total electricity usage
In this example, the homeowner would need a solar power system with around 20 solar panels to provide all of their energy needs over the course of a year. Solar installers typically factor in many more variables when sizing a solar power system, but this number serves as a good baseline when thinking about your own solar power plans.
When you work with Palmetto to design your perfect solar power system, we take care of the entire process, including the calculations required to find out how many solar panels you need, so you won’t have to worry about the details.
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need
So, now you know how much electricity you need, and how much sun youre likely to get. The final question remains: how many panels will you need to power your home, and do you have space for them?
To answer this, we need to look at how much energy solar panels can generate. Most home panels can each produce between 250 and 400 Watts per hour.
According to the Renewable Energy Hub, domestic solar panel systems usually range in size from around to 1 kW to 5 kW. Allowing for some cloudier days, and some lost power, a 5 kW system can generally produce around 4,500 kWh per year.
As we saw above, the average UK home uses around 3,731 kWh per year. So a 5 kW system, or possibly a 4 kW system, would probably do the trick.
A 3.5 kW system usually needs about 12 panels2, and a 4 kW system might need 14 or 15. Youll need to measure your roof to work out whether you can fit 14-15 panels up there.
To make the most of solar electricity when the sun isnt shining, its worth thinking about installing a home energy storage system, too. This will hold on to the power generated during sunny hours, so you can keep living off-grid all year round.
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The Number Of Solar Panels You Need Depends Upon You
You now have a rough idea of the number of solar panels you need to power your home. Great! But still you have to pay attention to a few more details to set up your solar power system for success, including your budget and solar goals. We recommend you engage a solar panel professional to address the following questions about solar panel installations.
Add A Margin For Error
Now that you know how much youre using you need to consider the maximum you may need in the future. If there are any upgrades or extra electrical items you may buy, add them to your table and include them in the calculations.
Now add 20% to your value to give you some room in case you need to add more later.
x 120 = 3.43kWh
Now you can enter this value into the solar power calculator.
I use this one at altE because it provides information about each part of your solar panel system.
You may also be interested to read:The complete guide to off-grid solar inverters, or What is the difference between off-grid and on-grid solar panels?
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