Did you know that more than one million solar energy systems were installed in the United States of America over the past year? Solar panels are allowing homeowners and nature lovers to enjoy living in places where consistent electricity isn’t available. It’s also playing a big role in combating climate change and global warming.
If you plan on running your entire home off of solar power then it’s a good idea to make sure that you size your solar panels and solar system to match your power needs. Failure to use enough solar cells could result in a lack of electricity for your household.
The good news is that you’ve found the right place to learn all about how to find the right solar panel size for your home’s needs. Keep reading this article to learn more today!
The First Steps for Solar Power
The first thing that you’ll need to do when you decide to commit to solar panels and solar energy at your home is the budget. It’s no secret that solar energy systems can get a bit pricey even with the help of government incentives. If you’re working with a set budget then you need to make sure that your solar system remains within the budget that you can afford.
The amount of space that your solar panel setup uses is another thing that you need to consider if you want to make your home. solar home. It’s important to maximize the space that you have to work with, whether that’s your yard or your roof.
The last big consideration to make when you start shopping for solar power systems is the system output. You should make sure that your solar panels can collect enough energy each day to offset the energy that your household uses.
Estimate Your Energy Usage
It shouldn’t be too difficult to get ahold of the kilowatt hours from your home’s electrical usage over the past month. Start keeping track of the kilowatt hours that you’re using to get a consistent estimate of how much energy your home needs over the course of each month.
For the best results, collect a full year’s worth of electric bills and then determine your average electricity use over the past year. The two seasons that are the worst for energy use are winter and summer, so using electric bills from the autumn only will lead to inaccurate energy needs for your home.
Add up all of the kilowatt hours that you’ve used over the past 12 months and then divide them by 12 to get your average monthly energy usage per month. You can also dive deeper into these numbers by dividing them by 30 to determine how much energy your home is using each day.
Find the Peak Sunlight Hours
Another important step to take when you’re looking into adding solar panels to your home is the peak sunlight hours in your area. This is especially important when it comes to the overall location of your home and the proximity of large trees or other buildings.
The peak sunlight hours are vital for collecting energy with solar cells because you want to make the most of your power collecting opportunities. The best way to start is by looking at a sun chart for your geographic location. Using this chart will make it easy to see when the peak sunlight hours are and where you should position your panels to collect the most sunlight possible.
Another good strategy that you can use to find the peak sunlight hours for your area is to look up any large towns or cities near you. You should have no issues finding the daily average peak sun hours. You can use that information to start designing and scaling your solar system to meet your needs while making the most of varying costs.
Calculate Your Needs
The most effective way to determine your energy needs when it comes to solar panels is to determine the daily number of kilowatts that your household uses and divide that number by the number of peak sunlight hours. You can use the kilowatt output that your home needs to find solar panels that can collect that amount of energy.
Benefits of a Home Solar Energy System
Getting solar panels for your home’s energy needs brings a ton of great benefits to the table. One of the biggest ways in which solar panel technology stands out is the ability that it has to provide power without causing harm to the environment. All your solar panels need is an ample amount of sunlight to collect energy.
It also has some serious benefits for your bank account when you choose to use solar power at your home. The upfront costs of your solar energy system might be a bit high but you’ll end up paying for your solar energy system over a matter of years with your utility bill savings.
It’s also the most reliable energy source that you can use when it comes to getting access to electricity. As long as you have access to sunlight you’ll have access to energy for your home even if the power grid goes down.
Another big perk of getting your power from solar energy is the fact that you don’t have many maintenance costs. Solar panels are quite durable, meaning that they’ll stand up well to severe weather. The only maintenance that you’ll need to perform as a homeowner with solar panels is to wash them off and wipe away any dirt.
Make the Most of Your Home’s Solar Panels
Shopping for solar panels is something that takes time, patience, and a lot of research if you want to ensure that hou’re collecting enough solar energy to power your home. Make sure that you keep track of the amount of kilowatt hours that your home is using when you start to design your solar energy system. It’s also a good idea to find the peak sunlight hours at your home.
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