A solar system for your home is a great way to practice sustainable living and save significant costs on your annual power bills. As to how much solar is required to power a house, the answer will ultimately depend on a few different factors. These include, the amount of electricity you use or plan on using, How and when you use your electricity & your budget.
Read on to discover the factors that will determine what size solar system will be required to power your home and how you can get a customised solution that’s right for your needs.
How Much Electricity Do You Use?
As your solar system will only produce electricity to supply your home during the day, you need to generate more solar during the day then you use. This excess solar is crucial, as it will be utilized to charge a battery or to be fed back into the grid, supplying you with feed in credits that offset your electrical usage costs at times when your solar is not operational, like in the evening. The main things to consider in determining your electrical usage are:
- Do I have ducted reverse cycle air conditioning?
- Do I have gas or electric hot water and cooking appliances?
- Do I have a pool or any other heating or cooling appliances?
As these are what are going to use the bulk of your electricity.
How much electricity will I use in the future?
At Solar Energy Adelaide we urge our customers to have one eye on the future when selecting the size of their solar system. Sure a 5kw system might be great for now, but what about in fine years when you’re retired, looking after the grandkids two days a week? Or get that new job and are working from home? And this is before we get into the most important thing that many people haven’t thought about, electric vehicles.
We know what you’re thinking – “I won’t get an electric vehicle, my petrol/diesel car is great and you can’t drive that far with an electric vehicle”. Just like the internet was never going to take off and the smart phone wasn’t going to be that useful, you will more than likely have an electric vehicle in your garage in the next decade. Why wouldn’t you? $100-$200 for a tank of fuel compared to $0 when you charge it from your solar. Ongoing maintenance that is a quarter of what your normal car maintenance is, plus when you consider at some point in the future it will probably also be able to double as your battery for your home or business, you would be crazy not to own one.
How Much Roof Space Do You Have?
Obviously more solar means more panels , and more panels means more roof space is needed. Quality roof space ideally faces North, East or West. Although a north facing roof is optimum for year round solar yield, a split of east & west facing solar panels panels will be highly efficient at yielding solar as well. Interestingly, East/West split solar systems can actually be more financially lucrative for many people as the system will produce more power earlier in the morning and later in the day as these are peak times for residential electrical use. Even if need be, a South facing roof facet can be utilized. Our data shows that In the Adelaide metro area a south facing roof at 25 degree roof pitch will still produce 72% of what the same north facing solar array would at the same 25 degree roof angle over a 12 month period.
What is Your Budget?
Now you’ve thought about your present and future electricity usage, and you’ve believe you have some decent roof space to lay panels. The more solar panels you choose to have installed on your roof, the greater the price you will need to pay. However, one of the upsides to spending more on a bigger solar system is that it is more likely to provide you with greater value and it will likely pay for itself over a shorter amount of time. Think about your maximum budget and try to stay within it while still purchasing a solar panel system that will provide you with quality and meet your needs.
Customised Solar Systems for Every Home
When it comes to how many solar panels are required to power a home, Solar Energy Adelaide knows that every entity is different and every family has different needs. That’s why we install and maintain high-quality systems that are 100% customised to your home, lifestyle and budget. We work closely with you to design a system that will provide you and your household with the electricity you need to live & work comfortably while helping you to drastically cut down the cost of those nasty power bills. We take our services to clients all over metro Adelaide, including the Eastern, Western and Southern suburbs, Adelaide Hills, Seaford, Moana and Aldinga. Give us a call today for more information and to take a huge step towards greener living!
Give us a call today on 0458 957 309 and have a chat about your solar installations in Seaford.
