Installing solar panels on a 2,000 square foot home is a great way to reduce your energy costs and take advantage of the federal solar tax credit. The exact number of panels you need will depend on the size of your home, your energy consumption, and the average number of hours of sunlight you receive. Generally, you'll need approximately 26 solar panels for an average 2,300-square-foot 3-bedroom home. Sometimes it's cheaper to install solar panels on your backyard rails, such as when the roof surface is too steep, if the roof is mostly in the shade, or if you don't have a south-facing roof to make the most of the sunlight.
Even so, it's important to note that some of the tax rebates and incentives offered for solar panel installations will soon expire as prices continue to fall. Over the lifespan of solar panels, this amounts to between 8 and 10 cents per kWh, making solar panels worthwhile after paying the high initial cost. In turn, the more electricity costs you want solar energy to absorb, the more panels you need.People who want to disconnect from the power grid must oversize their solar panels to produce as much electricity as they would use during the darkest days of winter, and they should also add a solar battery to store excess energy for later use. Glass-coated solar tiles mimic the appearance of a tiled roof and cover more surface area than photovoltaic panels mounted to capture more sunlight.
To know how many solar panels you'll need, you'll want to determine how much electricity your home consumes on a daily basis. The amount of energy your home uses will determine the amount of solar panels you'll need to install to offset your energy costs.Prices include the federal solar energy tax credit (ITC) and vary dramatically depending on the amount of sunlight and the type of solar panels installed. These prices are for panels only, additional installation fees include inverters, batteries, mounting hardware, wiring, and more. Where you live is an important factor in estimating how many solar panels you need to power your home.
Monochrome and polyvinyl solar panels can last between 23 and 35 years, while thin-film panels will last 14 to 17 years.Solar panels generate electricity approximately 30% cheaper than utility electricity in most places, making them worthwhile throughout their lifespan. We did that calculation for the sunniest and least sunny states (Arizona and Michigan) to get the range of 16 to 21 solar panels. The federal solar tax credit allows you to deduct 30% of the total cost of installing a solar energy system from your federal taxes. Considering your annual electricity consumption, the location of your home, and the direction your roof is facing, it's fairly easy to determine how many solar panels you'll need.