Most homes need between 10 to 20 solar panels to cover their annual usage. The exact number depends on how much electricity your home uses, how much sunlight your roof receives, and how much of your energy bill you’d like to offset.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through three easy steps so you can estimate the winning number of solar panels for your home.
Step 1: Understand your energy needs
How many solar panels you need depends on how much energy you use and how much you want to produce. Check your annual energy consumption and then decide whether you can feasibly generate all or some of it with solar panels.
Your electric bill is your best bet for pinpointing your annual energy consumption. Look for your total kilowatt-hour (kWh) usage on a recent bill or annual statement. In Massachusetts, most homes use around 500kWh per month, which equals 6,000 kWh each year.
To really slash their utility bills, many homeowners aim to offset their total annual energy usage with the power their solar panels produce. It’s a common misconception, though, that you have to go 100% solar to make it worthwhile. Even a partial system that offsets some of your usage can significantly reduce your utility bills.
And if your current budget only allows for a small system, you can always add more panels later to meet your energy goals!
Step 2: Factor in your location
While Massachusetts isn’t the sunniest state, we still average about 4 to 4.5 sun hours each day. That’s more than enough to make solar cost-effective, especially with the generous solar installation savings and incentives available in our area.
Factors like the size, orientation, and pitch of your roof can also affect the number of solar panels you’ll need. Good thing the expert solar installation team at Wattson Home Solutions provides a custom evaluation with every solar consultation! We’ll design your home’s system to meet your personal energy production goals.
Step 3: Calculate how many solar panels you need
Once you know how much energy you use and understand your home’s unique specifications, you can work out roughly how many panels you’ll need to achieve your energy goals.
Solar panel systems are typically sized based on your annual energy usage, average daily sun hours, and the output of your chosen panels.
Let’s do a quick calculation using some average numbers for Massachusetts residents:
- Annual household energy use: 6,000 kWh
- Sun hours per day: 4.25
- Solar panel output (per panel): 400w (0.4kW)
Daily energy needs:
6,000 kWh per year ÷ 365 days = 16.4 kWh per day
Energy production per panel per day:
0.4 kW × 4.25 sun hours = 1.7 kWh per panel per day
Panels needed:
16.4 ÷ 1.7 = 10 panels
So, the Massachusetts homeowners above would need around 10 solar panels to cover their full energy usage. You can calculate things for yourself by entering your own annual energy consumption. Then, see what the numbers say!
You can also contact our solar installation team. These pros will be happy to discuss a custom-designed system based on your energy usage, your roof’s solar potential, and your long-term goals. Whether you’re looking to offset your entire bill or just reduce it significantly, trust Wattson Home Solutions to walk you through all the ways solar panel installation can help you save.
Welcome to Wattson Home Solutions. We help you save money by improving the energy efficiency of homes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
We’re expert solar installers, and we can help you with mini-split or heat pump installation. We’re also expert home insulation and spray foam insulation installers.
- If you liked this article, you might also like ‘‘How to clean solar panels‘.
- If you’d like to learn more about how we can help to improve your home’s efficiency, drop us a line here.