What Size Solar Panel System Do You Need?

Electricity consumption

While there are online sources that talk about the average household use of electricity in Australia, this may not necessarily reflect your own consumption.

This is because there are various factors at play. These include the number of occupants in the house, what appliances you use, and how many people are at home during the day or at other certain times of the week.

So it’s important to work out your household’s actual consumption. The best way to do this is to look at your electricity usage from your bills over a year. By adding up all your usage (measured in kWh) and dividing by 365 you can get a picture of your average daily consumption.

Your location

If you live in an area that gets a lot of shade, you will likely need a bigger system than in a sunnier region.

Sunshine levels can vary a lot across Australia. For example, according to the weather bureau, Alice Springs gets approximately 11 hours of sunshine a day on average, while Melbourne gets 4 to 5 and Sydney 6.

Roof Orientation

The ideal in Australia is to have your solar panels facing north, as then they reach peak power at noon or midday.

However, if (for example) you have a sloping roof that faces east-west, any panels facing east will peak in the morning, while those facing west will peak in the afternoon. In this case, you may need to install extra panels to get the best result.

So, how many panels to buy?

You can use our Solar Calculator to get a picture of how much kW capacity you would need in your solar installation. Simply enter your daily usage, your state, and answer the questions about residents to get an immediate estimate.