Solar Power Calculator
Calculate your household power consumption and solar requirements easily. Get personalized solar panel recommendations and battery storage estimates for your energy needs.
For the calculations below, we use 400 watts as an average solar panel rating of the power solar panels produce. Production ratio: The ratio between the estimated energy production of the system over time (kWh) and the actual size of the system (W).
If your home uses about 1,000 kWh per month, that adds up to roughly 12,000 kWh per year. To estimate the system size, divide your annual usage by the average daily sun hours in your region, for example, 4.5 hours per day. That gives you 12,000 ÷ (4.5 x 365) = approximately a 7.3 kW system.
Since this number can fluctuate based upon the peak solar hours a region receives, we recommend doing calculations with the range of 1.3 to 1.6. Annual electricity usage: The amount of electricity you use to power your home over the course of a year, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Solar panels come in a wide range of sizes, from as small as five watts up to 400 watts per panel. The cost per watt has to factor in how many panels you need and at which size. In most states, the solar panel cost per watt ranges between $2.25 and $3.25. A grid-tie solar system means that your home is connected to the utility company's grid.
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