How much electricity do you need for your solar system?

This is a complex question, but then again it is easy. All you have to do is determine how electricity you use.

This is as easy as adding together all your electric bills for the year, especially if you have air conditioning or a pool, or there is a time of year when your usage spikes over other times of the year. This way you can install a solar panel system that is the right size. When you think about solar, you want to think of the three bears. You don't want something too small, or too big. You want something that is just right.

Just be sure to use only full years for accuracy, and to look only at electrical usage, not natural gas or heating oil.
 

Gather your utility bills for an accurate solar count

Gather your utility bills for 12 consecutive months and add up the total cost and the total kilowatt-hour usage of each month to determine your annual usage.

Many utility bills now have a bar chart or graph showing your monthly electrical usage. If you look at more than a year's worth of bills divide the total of all complete years and divide by the number of years to get the average kWh usage of the years.
 

The national average is about 900kWh per month

In case you are curious, the national average is about 900kWh per month, and it can range from 400 kWh to more than 1,000, so be sure to check and see how much power you use before you can install a solar system that can generate enough power for your home needs.

To find out what panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years.

For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.