How Much Solar Energy Will My Home Need? – Some Factors You Need To Consider

If you are thinking about installing a residential solar electricity system in your house, you will need to know your current energy usage. Usually, you can get this information from your local utility company. Using these facts as a basis, you will be able to plan your solar panel system to fit the needs of your home. The climate in your region will have an impact on electricity use, as will the direction your windows face, the amount and location of trees on your site, and the types of appliances you own. Even the kind of light bulbs you use can make a difference.

The annual temperature extremes in the geographical district you live in will be a big factor. If you live in an area with temperature extremes in winter or in summer, you will use more power to warm or cool your home than if you lived in a reasonable climate.
South facing windows in a cold climate can help decrease your heating bills. North facing windows in a hot climate can reduce cooling bills.

Older trees can provide shade and help lower cooling bills during the summer, while the exposed tree limbs allow sunlight in during the winter months. All of these factors contribute to your overall power usage. And installing energy efficient insulation in walls, roofs and floors help decrease utility bills in all climates.

If possible, convert all of your appliances to energy efficient models. Newer appliance models often use as much as 50% less power than older models, especially if they need repairs and are not working at peak efficiency. Changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs also makes a significant impact on dropping energy consumption.

After evaluating your home for these factors, you can plan to construct a solar cell system by multiplying your typical daily kilowatt hour usage by about 0.25. This should give you a approximate guess of the daily kilowatts your solar cells will need to generate in order to supply your current electrical needs.