The biggest reason for installing solar panels is to save up the costs of electricity bills. Aside from its renewable nature, clean energy provided, and tested reliability, solar panels offer an economical alternative to depending on the general power grid.
But the question now is just how much of these panels do you need? What are the factors that affect how many panels a single home uses? How do you calculate your panel requirements using a solar panels savings calculator?
What Is the Average Number of Solar Panels Used?
Before diving into all the calculations and influencing factors, it’s essential to take a look at what the average solar panel usage looks like. By doing so, residents can determine what range their home requirements fall into and the resulting costs.
For a UK home that consumes around 800KWh of power monthly, the required number of panels is around 15 to 20. While this range is applicable, it’s not a given, and several factors affect the actual number you’ll need.
What Factors Affect the Number of Panels You Need?
Three primary factors influence the number of solar panels your home needs. So, before punching numbers into the solar panels savings calculator, here’s a list of what to consider:
- Energy Consumption: It’s a basic rule that your energy consumption is proportional to how many solar panels you’ll need to install. The higher this number, the more Solar Panels North East you’ll need.
- Amount of Sunlight Available: The sunlight received determines how much energy you can generate for your household. In places where sunlight peaks, you’ll only need a few panels to convert sunlight into energy. However, when the area is less sunny, you’ll need more panels to work for your household.
- Power Wattage: This simply refers to the amount of power each solar panel can generate. Consider it the power rating, so the higher a panel’s power rating, the fewer you need to install. But if the solar panels have lower power ratings, you’ll need to install more to yield good power production.
How Do You Calculate the Required Number of Solar Panels?
Now that you’ve seen what affects the solar panel output, it’s time to determine how many of these panels your household will need. The simple steps are based on the three factors determining solar panel productivity. Here’s what you need to do:
- Determine How Much Energy Your Household Consumes: What does your electricity expense for the year look like? How much power do you consume monthly and annually?
- What Level Of Sunlight Do You Get? It would be best if you calculated how sunny your area is. How many hours of peak sunlight does your household enjoy? The longer the peak sun hours, the fewer the panels you’ll need to install.
- Determine Solar Panel Energy Efficiency: The final step is to calculate the product of the solar panel wattage and peak sun hours. This will give you an estimate of what each panel can generate. Compare the value to your average power consumption to determine how many panels you need.
Conclusion
Calculating the number of panels your household needs is a piece of cake. All you need are the correct values and a good measure of the sunlight you receive. By proper calculation, you can effectively determine the correct number of solar panels you need to offset your electricity bills.
