Electricity can be quite costly in the Bay Area and throughout California, and with more and more homes going all-electric, utility bills will continue to grow. Adding solar to your home is an easy way to cut your utility costs dramatically while helping the environment, but how big of a system do you need? There are several factors to consider when planning and sizing your solar system.
Available Roof Space
The roof is usually the best option for mounting your solar panels. Depending on the position of your home, the shading on your roof, and your energy needs, a roof-mounted system can be designed to optimize your production and ensure the maximum return on your investment. Ground-mounted solar is another option, especially if you have lots of room on your property to install a system. Ultimately, a solar expert will be able to provide you with a customized recommendation based on your needs and goals.
Your Home’s Efficiency
An efficient home will use less power every day, whether that power comes from solar, the utility grid, or battery storage. Simple things like replacing old inefficient lighting, electronics, and appliances can significantly reduce your energy consumption and let you use your solar energy more efficiently. Installing a more efficient HVAC system can also help, as well as properly sealing and insulating your home.
Equipment You Will Need
A basic solar system will require solar panels, racks to mount the panels, a solar disconnect, an inverter, and a metered connection to your electrical panel. More advanced systems may include microinverters to directly convert the energy to AC power at the solar panel, or solar optimizers for panel-level MPPT tracking that maximizes the energy you capture. If you would like to use your grid-tied solar system during power outages, a solar battery storage system can be added. The ideal equipment will depend on the size of the system and your budget.
Electrical Consumption
For the greatest savings on your utility bills, your solar system should produce enough electricity to power your entire home, though if your budget is limited, a smaller system can still dramatically reduce your electricity costs. To determine the system size you will need, take a look at your utility bills. Find the monthly electrical usage measured in kilowatts and divide that by the number of days in the month.
For example, If you use 1,000 kilowatts a month, your daily usage would be about 33 kilowatts. With about five and a half hours of peak sun per day in the Bay area, your system needs to be large enough to generate your daily energy usage during that period. This means that a 6-kilowatt system would be required for 33 kilowatts of daily electrical usage. Keep in mind that usage will fluctuate from month to month, so to more accurately calculate your daily usage, take an average of all the utility bills for the past year or so.
Choose Simply Solar for Your Solar Installation
Need help sizing and installing your solar system in the Bay Area? Count on our experts at Simply Solar. We can design and install a system that perfectly meets your electrical needs and budget requirements. We feature custom solar installations using equipment from the top manufacturers in the industry. All our systems are backed by a 25-year workmanship warranty, as well as our exclusive Simply Solar guarantee. With more than 20 years of industry experience, you can trust our team for reliable, long-lasting solar installations, solar battery storage systems, solar carports, and more.
Ready to get started? Call (707) 285-7037 today or contact us online to request your FREE solar estimate in Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley, the Bay Area, or Fresno.
