Calculate Potential Savings

Calculate How Much Solar Power You Need With Our Solar Calculator

The solar energy system is becoming prevalent across the country as electricity prices continue to increase rapidly and continue to climb. Going solar is a practical and efficient means to ease the soaring costs of high electricity bills and decrease greenhouse gas emissions in the environment.

Nowadays, many people have recognized the importance of going solar to cut-cost on their electrical consumption, save money and contribute to the decrease in the release of their carbon footprint. And for determined property owners who want to invest in the solar energy system and harvest its many advantages, there’s a need to understand the necessities and the costs of going solar.

To assist you with the essentials and computation on the solar power you need for your property, the solar calculator will assess the extent and the cost required before starting your journey to renewable energy.

What Size Of Solar Energy Is Required?

For the extent of the solar energy the homeowners might require in their properties, they first need to know the usual power consumption in their homes. Property owners can refer to their previous utility bills to see the regular kilo-watt hours (kWh) they consumed every month, or they can ask their local utility companies for their average monthly electric consumption. Or if the homeowner knows their monthly utility bill and their respective utility provider, in that case, they can use the online solar calculator to calculate their potential savings.

The price and scope of the solar energy system that’s required will be based on the existing and upcoming energy usage, the locality or location of the property, what type of solar energy system needs to be installed along with particular parts, and of course, the accessibility of solar incentives and rebates from their region.

For the solar panels, homeowners can compute the required quantity by multiplying their required household's energy per hour through the hours where sunlight is at the highest in their area divided by the solar panels' wattage. The homeowner can apply the low and high wattage quantities to get the required solar panels. Please remember that the roof size and degree of sunlight the roof receives are also considered.

For the number of solar panels required, the homeowners must identify the following:

1. The usual energy home needs
2. The existing energy watts in use
3. The weather and degree of sunlight in their location
4. The productivity of the solar panels
5. The size or dimension of the solar panels
6. Nevertheless, homeowners can always seek the advice of a reputable solar company to help them assess their needs in switching to solar.

Computation of the Overall Watts Electronics Consumption

The best way to utilize the solar calculator to compute the overall watts in the homeowner's electronics consumption will be to create an itemized record of all the household appliances they have and list the watt usage daily. For example, suppose you have a device with 100 watts, and the use is two (2) hours each day. It would then sum up to 200 watts of usage each day. But you can also refer to your electricity bill if you don’t feel like searching around your property to know the household appliance's daily usage and wattage. Remember, though, that the electricity bill provided kilowatt-hours (kWh), not watt-hours.

And to define the watt-hours, just multiply by 1000 kWh usage. Suppose the electricity bill for the month in the property utilized is 500 kWh; multiplying by 1000 would result in 500,000 watt-hours of use for the month. As mentioned, you can ask the utility company for the necessary details on your electricity usage to boost the utilization of the solar calculator.

Know the Average Hours of Sunlight Per Day

The extent of daily sunlight received nationwide differs several times yearly. To determine the average daylight in your area each day, you need to know the sun’s peak hours, when an hour of sunlight will be equivalent to at least 1,000 watts/sqm and not just during sunrise and sunset.

Then there’s a burst of abundant sunshine that the country receives. Almost everywhere in the U.S., the sun's peak hours are between three-and-a-half to six hours. Determining the average sun’s peak hours will be a critical phase for determining the suitable size and quantity of solar necessary for installation on your property since it will directly affect the solar energy your solar system will generate.

What Will Be The Cost of a Solar Panel Per Watt?

Once you are done with utilizing the solar calculator, you need to know the cost of a solar panel per watt for your projected solar energy system. In this way, it will help you compute solar power and define if it will benefit your specific needs.

Solar panels come in various sizes, from as low as five (5) watts up to 400 watts per panel. And the price watt will be based on the size and quantity of solar panels you might require for your property. The solar panel per watt price range costs between $2.25 and $3.25 in most parts of the country.

Installation Costs of a Solar Panel System

Once you have determined the system cost of installing solar in your area through the solar calculator and decided to buy all the essentials for your solar energy system, consider a DIY or do-it-yourself installation. But to achieve the do-it-yourself installation, you must be a “jack of all trades" since it’s handy. Still, you must also understand electrical components and the capability to securely and steadily go onto the roof for the installation.

Some property owners will add additional costs to the solar energy system installation. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a professional installer's labor fees will cost about 7%-10% of the total cost of the solar facility. The price is an added purpose, and the solar calculator can determine the system size or kwh.

Why Go Solar?

1. Going solar will ultimately enhance one's well-being.
   Suppose there is an increase in homeowners who invest in a solar energy system. In that case, there will be a decrease or fewer conventional electricity generating stations, and power plants will require a country to generate electricity. The air quality will then improve through the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Saving money.
   Installing your solar energy system means cutting the cost of your electricity bill and freeing yourself from the utility companies that use the demand for the increasing fuel, which mostly follows the skyrocketing electrical rates.
3. Become more independent with solar.
   The solar energy system will save you money, help the environment, and protect you during a power interruption or grid failure in your area. Purchasing a battery will also be an excellent investment so you can save additional power that you can use during winter or rainy seasons

Renewable energy is the way to go with the continuous hikes in electricity prices, inflation, and climate change! Our environment has abundant energy sources, the power of the sun, water, and air, which we can harness not just for the benefit of our community but, most of all, our well-being.

Regardless of your consideration to move toward solar to cut costs, save money, or contribute to the environment, the solar calculator can help you decide if it will be worth investing in a solar energy system. Our solar calculator was created to help you determine and decide if the solar energy system will be perfect for your property!