How Much Electricity Will My Solar System Actually Generate? Will It Cover All My Needs?

WILL I STILL GET ELECTRIC BILLS?

That's what most people wonder when going solar. The answer depends on how much electricity your panels make versus how much your home uses.

Ideally in Southern Nevada we would like to build 100-105% of your needs, but every home is different.

Let's explore how much power your solar system can actually generate and whether it will cover all your electricity needs!

YOUR SOLAR POWER POTENTIAL

A typical 8.5 kilowatt home solar system produces about 12,000-14,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity yearly.

This is enough to power the average Southern Nevada home (which uses about 11,715 kWh per year) by 105%.

Your actual system production depends mostly on your roof layout and surrounding shade.

Your local weather also can play a big factor. For example a system in sunny Southern Nevada makes about 30% more electricity than the same system in cloudy Seattle.

MATCHING YOUR ACTUAL NEEDS

Most installers will design systems to offset 105% of your electricity use, to provide a little bit of buffer and to accommodate the decrease in production over time.

The key is to work with a consultant who can accurately determine your current usage as well as any future usage.

One question I always ask a homeowner is do you plan on increasing your usage in the near future, are you getting an electric vehicle, pool, or hot tub?

Take the Brigino family for instance. They planned on buying an electric car within a couple months after their system was installed.

Based on their driving habits, we added an additional 6 panels that increased their system production over 3,500 kilowatt hours so they could charge their car without needing to buy power from NV Energy.

RIGHT SIZING YOUR SYSTEM

Bring your past 12 months of electric bills to your solar consultation.

This helps installers see your current usage and design the right system size.

Want to cover 100% of your needs? You'll need 20-25 square feet of roof space for each 1,000 kWh of annual electricity use. Most homes need between 300-500 square feet of unshaded roof area for a complete system.

READY TO GET AN ESTIMATE?

Click the link below and we’ll connect you with a trusted local installer!