Despite recent price increases, residential solar panel prices have held steady over the last two years, prompting even more people to sign up for solar power.
We’re also edging ever closer to doomsday when it comes to carbon emissions, so if you’re considering implementing solar power at home, now’s a great time to do so before things get worse.
Buying solar panels is still an expensive investment, so you must ensure you don’t waste money installing more than you need. Likewise, too few solar panels mean you won’t save much on your energy bills.
Keep reading to find out about the factors that influence how many solar panels you should install for optimum savings and efficiency.
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How Much Electricity Do You Need to Generate?
On average, American homes use around 877 kWh of electricity per month and require between 19 and 23 PV panels to meet this requirement. Yet, how do you know if you live in an average home?
The best way to find out how much power you use every month is by consulting your electricity bill. Then, in an ideal world, you could go out and buy solar panels that can produce the electricity you need each day.
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There are a host of factors that can impact the performance of your solar panels, as well as ways to cut down your solar electricity usage so that you don’t need to install as many PV panels.
How Many Solar Panels Will Power Your Home?
There’s more than one way to enjoy solar energy benefits when it comes to saving on electricity, and these affect the number of panels you need.
If you’re considering an off-grid solar installation, you’ll need enough solar panels to produce your full requirement of electricity plus a little extra to compensate for cloudy days.
When you decide to go with an on-grid arrangement, your panels needn’t meet all your energy needs, as you’ll still have access to conventional power when needed.
Different types of solar panels vary in efficiency, too. You’ll need more panels if you choose a cheaper variety.
Solar Panel Placement Can Impact Production
Your roof impacts solar panel efficiency to a large degree. If your roof is in shade most of the day, or you live in an area that experiences many cloudy days, your PV panels will produce less electricity.
The way you arrange these PV panels on your roof can also impact home solar power production. Solar panels facing north will get more sunlight every day, so they’ll produce more power.
If you only have a small section of roof available, you’ll need to install more expensive high-efficiency panels to meet your electricity needs.
Making the Most of Solar Power
As you can see, there are many variables involved when it comes to selecting solar panels.
The best way to determine how many solar panels you need is to work with a qualified local solar installer from the start. They can best advise you on all the above factors and ensure you enjoy all the benefits of solar panels.
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