Solar Calculator

[Gidget]

PVWatts Solar PV Energy Calculator Website

You can go down page and use the solar calculator. Just plug in 100% offset, CHELCO, and avg monthly use of ____ kwh, and it will calculate size of system and savings.

Also, the calculator at top of page will show you monthly generation.

We used this and it was very accurate.

 

[sunspotbaby]

Thanks Gidget. I so wish i could cover my house in solar panels, but $114,000 is a bit much for my mobile home.

 

[Gidget]

Thanks Gidget. I so wish i could cover my house in solar panels, but $114,000 is a bit much for my mobile home.

I should say! But holy cow where did you get that number?

 

[sunspotbaby]

I should say! But holy cow where did you get that number?

Maybe i did something wrong.

 

[Sandcastle]

Maybe i did something wrong.

I came up with a cost of $57,000 for my 1800sqft home.

 

[Gidget]

Did you both put in monthly kwH usage or monthly bill? Tip: I would put in kwH used instead of monthly bill because Chelco charges a flat $24 fee to everyone, so it isn't representative of what you actually use. Did you put in 100%? Most people are not going to get a system on a home that will pay 100% of their electric bill. More often than not, it is like 1/3 to 1/2. Ours is net zero because of many factors and a huge factor is that we just don't use a lot of kwH. There are other parts of the equation when it comes to a reduction in an electric bill so you would have to do things to make the house the most energy efficient - blown insulation, windows, tankless water heater, etc..in order to reduce usage.

If anyone is serious about getting solar the best thing to do is to call a solar contractor and they will come out and give you an assessment. But for fun, when I calculated ours, it came out right on the money before tax rebates, etc...

Hope that helps.