Solar panels are a great investment. They will save you a huge amount of money over the years in terms of your energy bills, and of course, they are great for the environment too.
If you’re thinking of going solar, you might be wondering how you accurately size your solar energy system. Most people think that it is the number of panels you have that is the most important factor, but it is actually the energy output of your solar PV system that matters the most. Let’s take a closer look at the issue below:
Understanding your power usage
In order to determine the size of your solar energy system, you will need to know how much power is used by your family each day, and this is something you can usually determine by looking at your energy bills, however, the average family in Australia will use 15-20 kiloWatts per day and the average singleton will use between 8-12kW in the same timeframe.
This may vary somewhat if you use a lot of extra power to keep your home warm or if you are rarely home and use less than average, so it is always a good idea to try and nail down your energy usage as closely as you can.
Solar panel output options
Most solar panel installers offer a wide range of solar panel output options, but 6.6kW units are currently the most popular for use in domestic properties., that being said, higher power 8 and 10kW panels are becoming more common and may be better for bigger homes or homes with higher energy needs.
Installation considerations
The size of your roof is a major factor in how easy your solar energy system installation will be. If your roof has a non-standard pitch or has lots of shaded areas, your solar energy system installers will need to mount brackets to get around the issues and maximize your sun exposure and this could be slightly more complex.
In Australis, panels that face North are the most efficient, so if your roof faces in another direction, your installer may need to take some time to work out the optimum position for all of your panels to be placed in.
Calculating the size of your solar energy system
If a single panel produces a single kilowatt hour of power, then you will simply need to divide the number of panels by the number of hours you use, if it offers 4kWh of power, then you will need to divide the number of kWh of energy you need by 4. Of course, you could use an online calculator to give you an accurate idea too.
Conclusion
As you can see, sizing your solar energy system can be a pretty complex undertaking, which is why it is always a good idea to talk to your solar panel installers, who know what they will be doing, and who will be able to tell you exactly how many panels you need to power your home.