An average 2,000 square feet home across the US uses approximately 1,000 kWh per month of power. This is approximately 32 kWh per day. The number of solar panels needed to power such a home changes depending on how sunny it is in the region. If this was a 2,000 square foot home in California it would require a 6.27 kW solar power system. California is sunny and so less solar panels are needed compared to a house using the same amount of energy in the northeast. If a standard 60 cell, 285-watt solar panels were used, this would be 22 solar panels.
How individual solar panel output affects the number of solar panels you need?
If you use more efficient panels with higher panel wattage the number of solar panels required to cover the same amount of energy consumption will be less. In the example above, if LG, 360-watt Neon solar panels were used, then only 17 solar panels could be used to deliver a 6.12 kW array. This would provide similar average daily kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar energy.
How many solar panels to power a house in my state?
Over the last 40 years, the average size of an American home has increased by almost 1,000 square feet to around 2600 square feet. The average amount of power used by a home in each of the main solar markets in America is listed in the table below. Your house may use more or less electricity than the state average, but this is a guide showing the average power usage, the size of solar system (in kilowatts) you will need to produce this energy in each state and the number of individual solar panels you will need to make that sized solar array.
You can get an approximate number of solar panels you need to run your home from the right-hand column in the table below if you think your home is fairly typical. Alternatively, you can use the solar panel calculator immediately below to give you an exact number of solar panels by entering your address and the average amount of your monthly electricity bill. This solar calculator has solar production data from all weather stations around the country, and it is also able to show you the cost and savings you will get from going solar.
| State | Monthly electricity usage in each state kWh (source www.eia.gov) | Annual Average Electricity Usage (kWh) | Annual Production from 1kw of solar panels (kWh) | Required solar system capacity to run the average household in each state(kW) | Number of 60 cell 275-285 watt solar panels required to power the average house in each state | Number of 72 cell 350 watt solar panels required to run the average house in each state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 1 030 | 12 360 | 1 752 | 7.05 | 25 | 20 |
| California | 547 | 6 546 | 1 550 | 4.23 | 15 | 12 |
| Connecticut | 711 | 8 532 | 1 150 | 7.4 | 27 | 21 |
| Florida | 1 123 | 13 476 | 1 351 | 9.98 | 36 | 28 |
| Massachusetts | 599 | 7 188 | 1 150 | 6.25 | 23 | 18 |
| New York | 595 | 7 140 | 1 230 | 5.8 | 21 | 17 |
| South Carolina | 1 156 | 13 380 | 1 350 | 9.91 | 36 | 28 |
| Texas | 1 156 | 13 872 | 1 360 | 10.2 | 37 | 29 |
| Utah | 750 | 9 000 | 1 570 | 5.7 | 21 | 16 |
However, this data is a little distorted for states like New York and California because of the high percentage of multi-family buildings in these states. Unfortunately, there are no statistics kept specifically for freestanding homes, but it is likely that if there were then the usage would be higher than the average for all homes.
You can use our solar panels cost calculator for your state to work out how much the number of solar panels quoted in the table above for your state will cost. Although before you do this, it is worth taking note of how the size of your home and your electricity usage varies from the norm as this will ultimately determine the number of solar panels you need.
How many solar panels do I need to power a 2000 square foot house?
This is probably the better way to determine the number of solar panels you would need to zero out your power bill. However, it is still not a simple equation because a 2000 square foot will use different amounts of power depending on several factors including the climate of the region, if the home has a pool and whether the home uses electricity or gas for heating. So the data below is our best guess based on the stories we hear from solar companies in each region.
| State | Monthly electricity use for an average 2000 square foot home in each state in kWh | Annual Average Electricity Usage kWh | Annual Production from 1kw of solar panels in each state (kWh) | Required solar system capacity to power a 2000 square foot home in each state (in KW) | Number of 60 cell 275 watt solar panels required to power the average 2000 square foot house in each state | Number of 72 cell 350 watt solar panels required to run the average house in each state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 1 200 | 14 400 | 1 752 | 8 | 30 | 23 |
| California | 800 | 9 600 | 1 550 | 6 | 23 | 18 |
| Connecticut | 1 000 | 12 000 | 1 150 | 10 | 38 | 30 |
| Florida | 1 300 | 15 600 | 1 350 | 12 | 42 | 33 |
| Massachusetts | 800 | 9 600 | 1 150 | 8 | 30 | 24 |
| New York | 750 | 9 000 | 1 230 | 7 | 27 | 21 |
| South Carolina | 1 200 | 14 400 | 1 350 | 11 | 39 | 30 |
| Texas | 1 240 | 14 880 | 1 360 | 11 | 40 | 31 |
| Utah | 890 | 10 680 | 1 570 | 7 | 25 | 19 |
How much solar would I need for a 3000 square foot house?
It is hard to know if the relationship between the size of solar system you need to power your whole home and the square footage of your house is linear. Many larger 3000 square foot homes are newly built homes, and so they have better insulation and more energy efficient appliances. However, they are also likely to have more luxury fixtures and appliances such as swimming pools and hot tubs.
In reality, the number of solar panels needed for a 3000 square foot home will vary greatly, but for a ballpark guide, you can simply add 30% more to the number of panels and system sizes quoted above for a 2,000 square foot home.
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How much power do solar panels produce in my city?
The table above shows the average number of kWh’s (kilowatt hours) of energy produced each year by 1 kW of solar panels installed on a south-facing roof in each of the listed states. You can find out how much is produced in the other states, (and even down to a specific city in the states listed below), by using our solar panel calculator.
