To power the average amount of energy used by a household in the United States, a 2,000 square foot home would need between 16 and 21 solar panels. This is assuming the house has a good south-facing roof that gets an adequate amount of sunlight every day. On average, a 4 kW system is needed, which means 10 400-watt panels. As the power of the panels decreases, the number of panels used must increase.
As an example, the LADWP calculates this type of average at 2 watts per square foot. Therefore, a 2,000-square-foot home would be allowed a 4,000-watt solar array. Depending on the type of panel you choose, a system of this size would have between 12 and 18 solar panels. It is important to note that this formula for calculating consumption varies depending on who produces your electricity.
Unfortunately, there is no “average” per square foot, since the cost of a system depends on the daily energy consumption and the number of hours of full sun it receives per day, as well as whether it has other sources of electricity. To precisely size a system to meet your needs, you need to know how much energy (kilowatt-hours, kWh) you use per day. If your home is connected to the power grid, simply check your monthly electric bill. If not, you can fill out our load assessment form.
With this information, we can design a system that suits your needs. The size and number of solar panels are crucial factors if you have a small or irregularly shaped roof. Solar panels for residential properties usually measure 5.4 feet by 3.25 feet or 65 inches by 39 inches, with some variations depending on the manufacturers.When it comes to calculating how many solar panels are needed, there are many factors that must be taken into consideration before reaching a definitive conclusion. The production of photovoltaic solar energy systems and the estimated savings are calculated based on several factors such as the type of product, the production of the system, geography, climate, shade, electricity usage, full use of the 30% solar energy investment tax credit and tariff structures and increases in utility rates.You may be surprised to learn that there are three main types of photovoltaic solar panels that are polycrystalline, monocrystalline and thin-film.
Additionally, your roof space can also play a role in deciding what type of solar panels you can use. According to calculations, if a homeowner with an average-sized roof used every square foot of their roof they could place nearly 97 solar panels.Now that you know what factors to consider when designing your solar panel system let's look at an example that will help you better understand how to implement these factors in your planning. In addition to this, the number of daily or monthly peak hours of sunshine also indicates the amount of kWh of solar energy that 1 kilowatt (kW) of solar panels will produce in a day in your area.If you've only lived in your home for a few months or want to install solar panels on a home during construction most utility companies allow us to evaluate usage based on the square footage of your home.It is worth noting that the available solar panel power options do not match those of an 8.7 kW installation. That's not to say that a Kentucky home shouldn't use solar energy; it just means that a Kentucky homeowner would need more solar panels to meet their energy needs.
Divide the size of your system by the power of the panels you are going to use to get the number of panels you will need. Instead, your annual consumption figures will provide you with the best average value for the size of the system you must install and the number of solar panels you need.The final price of the solar system may vary depending on your location, monthly utility bill, government incentives and rebates, state of your home and local installation prices. It's clear that the size of your roof plays an important role in determining how many solar panels you can install.