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Solar Calculator

Use this solar panel calculator to estimate solar costs and savings in your area.
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Solar can save you up to $--

20 years estimated savings.

Electricity Bill

Before

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After

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System information

Recommended System Size

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System
Cost

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Tax
Refund

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Home Value Appreciation

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Solar Payment

Electric Bill With Solar

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$0 Down Solar Loan Payment

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Net Monthly Cost with Solar

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Monthly Bill Savings

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According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average American household uses 10,715 kWh of electricity per year¹, which means a home would need a 7kW system to offset 100% of electricity. As you can see from the table below, a 7kW system includign installation will cost you around $20K before applying any incentives.

System Size
Avg. System Cost
(before Tax Credit)
Avg. System Cost
(After Tax Credit)
2 kW
$5,620
$4,159
3 kW
$8,430
$6,238
4 kW
$11,240
$8,318
5 kW
$14,050
$10,397
6 kW
$16,860
$12,476
7 kW
$19,670
$14,556
8 kW
$22,480
$16,635
9 kW
$25,290
$18,715
10 kW
$28,100
$20,794
12 kW
$33,720
$24,953
15 kW
$42,150
$31,191
20 kW
$56,200
$41,588
25 kW
$70,250
$51,985

Now you must be thinking how many solar panels do I need for this 7kW system. This depends on a few key factors, including geographic location, panel efficienty & power, and of course the amount of energy your household uses. An average home would need between 20 and 24 solar panels to fully offset electricity bills with solar. This is assuming you get 340 W solar panels.

System Size
Number of
panels needed
Estimated Annual
Production
4 kW
12
6,400 kWh
6 kW
18
9,600 kWh
8 kW
24
12,800 kWh
10 kW
29
16,000 kWh
12 kW
36
19,200 kWh
14 kW
42
22,400 kWh

Can your roof fit around 20 solar panels? An average house in the US is 2,687 square feet² and such a house can fit around 35 solar panels.

Home Size
Estimated Annual
Electricity needed
Number of solar
panels needed
1,000 sq. feet
4,710 kWh
14
2,000 sq. feet
9,420 kWh
29
2,500 sq. feet
11,775 kWh
35
3,000 sq. feet
14,130 kWh
42

Table below will give you an idea of how many solar panels you need for common electrical appliances³. Electric vehicles consume a lot of electricity so plan accordingly if you are thinking of buying one in future.

Product
Average Annual
Electricity needed
Number of solar
panels needed
Refrigerator
600 kWh
2
Window air conditioning
215 kWh
1
Central air conditioning
1,000 kWh
3
Electric Vehicle
3,000 kWh
9
Heated swimming pool
2,500 kWh
8
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