How much solar do I need? How many solar panels do I need? These are common questions for anyone looking to install solar power in Florida. The answer lies in your current energy usage. So, dig out your recent energy bills. Here’s how to work out how much solar you need:
Use Our Solar System Sizer Tool
We’ve got you covered with a handy tool that will calculate how much solar you need. Here’s how it works:
Step 1
- Get out your energy bills.
- Take note of the highest, middle and the lowest daily kWh usage. Or, if you have 12 months of bills to view, you can take the highest, middle, and lowest monthly power bills and use those instead. (If you don’t have this information available, your energy company should be happy to provide it to you).
Step 2
- Use our calculator to calculate your average kWh usage or monthly cost.
Step 3
- View our chart on our solar sizer calculator to see how much solar you need.
Example Calculation – How Much Can I save?
Here’s a quick example of how much you could save. We’ve used our system size calculator:
- Highest daily kWh usage: 53 kWh
- Middle daily kWh usage: 42 kWh
- Lowest kWh usage: 28 kWh
- Calculated Annual Kilowatt Usage: 14,965
Using this calculation, our suggested solar system size would be an 11.59 kW system (Florida Power Company’s top seller). With an estimated production of 17,458 kWh per year and 1,455 kWh per month, here are the savings we could make: $2,254 yr / $187.83 a month!
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need?
Don’t worry; we’ll take care of calculating how many solar panels you need based on the optimal setup for your roof, location and how much you need based on your kWh demands.
Why Install Solar Panels?
So, you’ve worked out much solar energy you need. But, what next? It’s time to install your solar system. Here’s why:
Solar PV Reduces Electric Bills
As you’ve seen in our calculations, you’re going to save a lot through energy bill reductions. Using our example, over 20 years, you would save over $45,000! Regardless of your solar system size, you’ll save money. That’s a fact.
It’s a tested and proven method. Take those sun rays and convert them to electricity on your own property. Power your lights, appliances, TVs, computers and more – with your very own solar panels.
Net Metering
Better still, you can get money back through net metering. Net metering is when you feed your excess solar power generation back into the grid. You get rewarded for it by your energy company. Even more savings!
Solar PV is Better than Hybrid Heaters
As the price of solar installations in Florida has dropped in recent years, the benefits of heating your water with solar electricity have gone up. Water heaters are notoriously energy thirsty and a primary cause of high electricity bills.
With solar panels, you’ll be powering your water heater with consistent free energy—no need to worry about those long showers as much anymore. If you’re producing enough electricity, you can have them as long as you want – because you’re not paying bills!
Sunlight Hours for Your Location in Florida:
Worried about whether you’ll get enough sunlight hitting your solar panels in Florida? Fear not, it’s called the ‘sunshine state’ for a reason:
- January: 6.9 hours
- February: 8.2 hours
- March: 8.4 hours
- April: 9.3 hours
- May: 10.9 hours
- June: 10.7 hours
- July: 10.8 hours
- August: 9.5 hours
- September: 8.9 hours
- October: 7.6 hours
- November: 6.5 hours
- December: 6.3 hours
Average daylight hours source.
Average Appliance kWh Consumption
If you want to go deeper into how much solar you need, you can analyze your appliances. On average, annual appliance energy consumption looks like this:
- Refrigerator: 600 kWh
- Air Conditioning Unit: 215 kWh
- Central Air Conditioning:1,000 kWh
- Electric Vehicle: 3,000 kWh
- Heated Swimming Pool: 2,500 kWh
- Hot Tub (outdoor): 3,300 kWh
- LED TV: 432 kWh
- Desktop computer: 194 kWh
- Laptop: 150 kWh
What Affects Solar Panel Efficiency?
Many factors come into play here—for instance, the angle of your roof or shade from nearby trees. At Florida Power Services, we always design solar systems to provide optimal year-round energy production.
The quality of the panels also matters. Some companies use cheaper materials than we do, which results in poor absorption of those sun rays. Be wary of entire solar roofs made of solar tiles, too; their aesthetic qualities come at the price of less being efficient than regular solar panels.
What About Battery Size?
Solar batteries capture the unused solar power generated during the day, saving it for when you need it at night or during low-sunlight days. When planning battery setup, we consider:
- Your average kWh demands.
- How long you’ll need the battery to provide power for during the night or cloudy days.
- The best return on investment for your plans, so you can begin to make a profit ASAP.
Grid or Off-Grid?
A significant factor in decking your solar power system setup and size is whether you want to be connected to the electricity grid or not. If you’re grid-tied, you have the space to rely on the grid’s energy at all times, including during the night.
But if you go off-grid, you need to be sure you’ll have enough energy throughout the day – so usually, more space is given for extra kWh demands.
Off-grid solar systems are completely disconnected from the main grid. They’re often used by people looking to live in rural areas with a 360 green vision. Solar batteries are a must in off-grid solar systems and usually require more solar capacity than grid-tied systems.
Act Now to Save Thousands of Dollars in 2021!
You could pay thousands of dollars on your solar installation in Florida if you delay.
That’s because of solar tax incentives in Florida. In 2021, you can save 26% on your solar installation costs. On a $30,000 installation, that would be $7,800!
By 2024, the federal solar tax credits will drop to 0%! We’ve seen customers in the past regret delaying their installations, as they missed out on higher tax credit savings. Don’t miss out!
Read our in-depth here to see if you’re eligible for 2021 Solar tax credits in Florida.
Solar Power Installation in Florida
Are you interested in installing solar power in Florida? Contact us today! Call (727) 667-9955 or schedule a consultation.
With decades of experience, we’ll help design and install the optimal solar system that brings you the best return on investment.
Florida Power Services “The Solar Power Company” is the Sunshine’s states leading solar power installer and would love to help you save thousands of dollars in 2021.
