A common question that comes up during solar panel installation consultation is if having solar panels will allow a homeowner to go off the grid. Often, people have seen tiny homes that have gone completely off-grid and would like something similar for their homes.
Due to the size and electrical needs of your average Utah home, it is not possible for solar power to completely take your home off-grid. To help you see why your Utah home is unable to go off-grid but may still benefit from adding solar power, HedgeHog Electric is here to help.
AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY THE AVERAGE UTAH HOME NEEDS
On a monthly basis, your average Utah home uses 798-kilowatt-hour (kWh) per month. This kind of usage means households pay between $75-$203.
With that baseline understanding, it’s time to look at solar panels. First, you should know that the number of solar panels you have will have an impact on how much energy is captured. So, more solar panels equal to more available electrical energy you can use. The quality and size of the solar panels can also impact how much energy is generated.
To help illustrate this point, check out this example. Say you have room on your south-facing roof for thirteen 320-watt solar panels and you get at least 4 hours of solid sunlight. To find out how much energy this gives you, there are a few steps you need to take, which we will demonstrate using the numbers from our example.
- Multiple solar panel wattage (320-watt) by the hours of sunlight (4 hours).
- This equals 1,280 watts, which is equal to 1.28 kWh—because, for every 1,000 watts, you get 1 kWh.
- Now that you have the baseline for a single panel, you can multiply the 1.28 kWh with the number of solar panels (13 solar panels) for a total of 16.64 kWh produced a day.
- Over the course of a 30-day month, your solar panels will produce 499.2 kWh.
As the average household in Utah uses up to 798 kWh, you can significantly reduce your reliance on the main electrical grid with the right solar panels.
There are times that you will receive more solar energy than you can use at one time. You can store this excess energy in a solar battery bank or opt for net metering.
NET METERING CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE WITH YOUR POWER BILL
Net metering is a solar power incentive that is available throughout Utah. With net metering, the excess energy produced by your solar panels is sent back into your local power grid. When the grid receives this excess energy, the power is credited to your overall power bill.
While there will still be times where you will draw on the main power grid, the credited energy will help to reduce your overall bill. So, along with your solar panels providing you with free, clean, and renewable energy, any extra they produce will help you with your monthly utility costs.
So, if net metering sounds like it is worth it to help reduce your power bill, you are in luck. One of HedgeHog Electric’s popular electrical services is solar panel installation, and we are happy to discuss your solar power options with you.
DISCUSS YOUR SOLAR POWER OPTIONS WITH HEDGEHOG ELECTRIC
When you choose to add solar panels to your home, there are many variables to consider, ranging from your budget to what type of solar panels you want. The choices can be overwhelming, but we are here to help.
Our electricians here at HedgeHog Electric can help you decide how to best incorporate solar power into your home and help you through the entire process, from purchasing panels to installing them.
If you are interested in discussing your solar installation option, feel free to contact us for a consultation. We are more than happy to help you see if solar power is right for your home.
