If you are thinking of making the move to a solar powered home in Newark, good for you. You will be taking a step toward independence, as well as spending less on utility bills and substantially reducing your carbon footprint.
When you make plans to supply all of your home’s electrical needs via solar panels, calculate carefully to ensure you’ll have enough power. The following factors will determine the final figure.
On average, an American family consumes about 11,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. You’ll need less if you are a super energy-conscious type with a house smaller than the typical 2,000 square feet, more if you live in a large home and are fond of running multiple energy-hungry appliances.
A premium solar panel might be 290 watts. Multiply that by, say, 4 hours of direct sunlight a day, on average. That amounts to 1,160 watt-hours; in other words, 1.16 kilowatt-hours daily. Over a year, the total will be about 423 kilowatt-hours.
Divide the total kilowatt-hours you’ll need every year by the annual kilowatt-hours output of your panels. The result will give you the number of solar panels required to run your house.
For example:
11,000 kilowatt-hours required annually ÷ 423 kilowatt hours per panel = 26 panels needed
According to solar energy experts, it’s best to oversize your system slightly to compensate for periods of cloudy weather.
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