How Many Solar Panels Do I Need For My House?

It is an important question; How many solar panels do I need to power my home? This is a question that every homeowner should be asking before investing in solar panels. Below, our team at BSS Solar has put together a list of questions that you should be asking yourself before choosing your solar panel set up.

When Does the House Use the Most Power?

The first question to ask yourself is when do you use the most power? Do you mainly want to cover your daytime energy needs or are you out all day and use most of your power at night? These questions can help you decide if you simply want to equal out your daytime usage or if you want to look to include a battery as part of your solar setup and therefore equal out your nighttime energy usage as well. The other important question to ask is; Do you want to just reduce your energy bill or do you want to get rid of it altogether?

Where Does the Sun Hit the Roof?

The next question to ask is how much room do you have in viable areas of your roof? In Australia, we are lucky to have extended sunny hours, particularly in winter and if you want to get the most out of your solar panels, then this is important to take into account. Easterly and Westerly solar panels will each receive about a half-day of the sun if uninhibited. It is important to take other buildings and structures in the area into consideration as well. Does anything block the sun and therefore make an area no longer viable for solar panels?

Additionally, is there enough roof space for solar panels? If you are wanting to make the most of your solar panels, it can be best to ensure that you have panels on both the east and west sides of the home.

Why Should I Review My Electricity Bill?

The easiest way to gauge your power usage patterns is by reviewing your previous electricity bills. Grab the last four quarters of bills and look for a section with your average daily usage. This tends to be displayed on either page one or two of your bill and should be displayed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Take the numbers from your last four quarters and create an average, this should provide you with your average daily electricity usage. If you are unsure about this, check out our solar packages which make recommendations based on your quarterly bill.

If you have more questions or are unsure which solar system would be best for you, contact us today and our friendly team will be happy to walk you through the decision making process.