A Very Solar Holiday
The holidays have arrived, which means so has higher energy consumption. But just how much higher? Is there a way to offset and save energy this holiday season?
In 2020, the average consumed residential electricity in the U.S was 10,715-kilowatt hours. Now in 2022, San Diego rates average 40 cents per kilowatt hour the rates have risen drastically. With the 2020 calculations, this calculates to about 893 kWh per month. Although, when the holidays arrive you can expect a 10% increase specifically in the month of December. Electricity used to power your home is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), a unit of energy equal to one kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power sustained for one hour. Think about kW as horsepower, and kWh as the speed of the car. (1)
So, how can we offset and save energy for the season?
Solar of course! With the figures above from 2020 to 2022 and rates constantly going up, we can calculate how many solar panels the average homeowner would need to power their holiday lighting. Hypothetically, let’s say you use 1,000 kWh of electricity in December. Unfortunately, you cannot add or subtract panels so we will need to account for a system that can produce 12,000 kWh per year for your one-time installation to account for the power in December. Let’s then divide the annual kWh by 1,200 to get the kilowatts of solar capacity needed. With these calculations, you would need approximately a 10kW system. We recommend using SunPower panels. While they are high power, and high-quality panels they were also voted the most efficient panels as well. After calculating, you would approximately need 27-30 solar panels for your holiday lighting depending on your actual use. Now that the Inflation Reduction Act has begun to provide a 30% tax credit on the purchase of an energy storage system, you will be set for savings this holiday season!
Call today for a FREE solar quote and up to $2,000/$500 off!
www.solartechonline.com (619) 743-9198