Wondering how many solar panels it will take to power your home or business?  It’s estimated that the average home needs between 20 to 25 solar panels to fully offset their electricity bill with solar panels.  Of course, this can vary depending on your location and individual panel specifications. 

There are three factors to consider when calculating how many solar panels you need: electricity usage, panel wattage, and production ratio.

Let’s break that down in simpler terms.

Electricity usage

Your annual electricity usage is the amount of electricity you use in your home over a full year. Measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), this number is influenced by the appliances in your home that use electricity and how often you use them. Refrigerators, air conditioning units, small kitchen appliances, lights, chargers, and more all use electricity.  According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average American house uses about 10 kilowatt hours a year. 

Panel wattage 

How much do your solar panels produce?  The average panel produces about 320 watts.  This can vary on the size of your roof and the type of panel though.  The average size of solar panels used in a rooftop solar installation is approximately 65 inches by 39 inches, or 5.4 feet by 3.25 feet.  All panels contain photovoltaic cells.

Production ratio

Also, your panel production ratio can vary as well.  This is why geographic location is important.  In sunny California solar panels produce more energy and can provide more output.  In other parts of the United States, solar panels are still wonderful and useful, but don’t provide the same amount of power because they aren’t exposed to the same amount of sunlight.

These three factors combined can be used to determine how many solar panels a homeowner will need.  Simply divide the electricity usage by the wattage and ratio.  For more information check out this article to break down the formula.  An expert at Guyou will be able to configure the proper number of panels for you as well. 

Contact an expert at Guyou

One of the most difficult aspects of estimating solar panels size is estimating annual energy usage for a family household.  That’s why adding panels is always a wise idea if you have lived in your home for several years.  Plus your energy consumption can always increase over the lifetime of your home ownership with the addition of family members and electricity usage. 

If you are considering adding solar panels, consider the extended 26% federal tax credit to expand your current system to offset your cost. 

When you meet with a consultant at Guyou, they will ask for a utility bill and provide an estimate.  A consultant will quote enough solar panels to account for 80 to 100 percent of your energy consumption, however it can be a good idea to size a system as high as 120 percent if you expect your consumption may go up in the future. 

If you’d like to see how many solar panels your home will most likely need, click here for a quick estimate.  Give Guyou a call at (866)-Go-Guyou.  We give free assessments and are always happy to help!