Okay, I'm still new to this whole solar thing. But I don't think I can fully run my house on solar. Ever...
I've built an array, got some storage and have some real numbers now to use. Right now with 6 400 Watt panels I'm pulling in about 10 KWH/day (been lots of sunny days). That is using 1/2 of 1 side of my garage roof. My main roof can hold about 20 panels per side of the same size. These would all be east facing. I don't have numbers for the west side yet but I'm guessing it'll be about the same? So if I use all available space, and have perfect weather, always, I can pull in about 2200 KWH/month. But my electric bill is 4000 KWH/month (even higher during really cold or really hot months)!
Now, this house is oldish, 2 story 4 bedroom. Colonial build in 1975. So there is probably quite a bit of heat/cooling loss. Windows all leak, etc. And everything is electric. Electric stove, cloths dryer, heat pump and hot water heater. But I believe the average usage per house in my state is 1000 KWH/month. Does that sound right?
I guess my question is: Is my consumption really that far outside the norm? Or am I doing something wrong?
I've built an array, got some storage and have some real numbers now to use. Right now with 6 400 Watt panels I'm pulling in about 10 KWH/day (been lots of sunny days). That is using 1/2 of 1 side of my garage roof. My main roof can hold about 20 panels per side of the same size. These would all be east facing. I don't have numbers for the west side yet but I'm guessing it'll be about the same? So if I use all available space, and have perfect weather, always, I can pull in about 2200 KWH/month. But my electric bill is 4000 KWH/month (even higher during really cold or really hot months)!
Now, this house is oldish, 2 story 4 bedroom. Colonial build in 1975. So there is probably quite a bit of heat/cooling loss. Windows all leak, etc. And everything is electric. Electric stove, cloths dryer, heat pump and hot water heater. But I believe the average usage per house in my state is 1000 KWH/month. Does that sound right?
I guess my question is: Is my consumption really that far outside the norm? Or am I doing something wrong?