Calculate your home’s monthly electricity consumption by reviewing your utility bills from the past year, then divide that number by 30 to get your daily kilowatt-hour usage. A typical American household uses 30 kilowatt-hours per day, requiring between 15 to 25 solar panels depending on panel wattage and your location’s sun exposure.
Multiply your daily energy needs by 0.25 to account for system inefficiencies, then divide by your area’s average peak sun hours. In sunny California, you might need fewer panels than in cloudier Seattle for the same energy production. Most residential systems range from 5 to 10 kilowatts, with each 400-watt panel producing roughly 1.5 kilowatt-hours daily in optimal conditions.
Consider your roof’s available space and orientation before finalizing system size. South-…