SRoeCo Solar

Step 1: Look at your electricity bills and average out your usage to find “Your kWh/year”.

• kWh/year = Average Kilowatt Hours of electricity that you use in a typical year.
• Your bill may tell you your kWh/month. If your bill is ~$100/month, you might use ~1,000 kWh/month. If your bill is ~$200, maybe closer to 1,800 kWh/month.

Step 2: Look at the US Solar Map below to get the number of hours per day the Sun shines on your house.


Read the rest of this entry »

Step 1: Determine your solar array size in kW and enter it into the calculator below.

Step 2: Decide which solar panels you want to use, and enter the DC Watt rating of the specific solar panel model you want to use into the calculator below.

• Example: Suntech STP210-18/Ub-1 are rated at 210 DC Watts. Sunpower 230-WHT are rated 230 DC Watts. Read the rest of this entry »

Should I use Sanyo 200′s or Suntech 270′s? SunPower 210′s or Canadian Solar 240′s? Which size solar panel you use depends mainly on how much roof space you have available and how much electricity you plan to use (with solar power). Below are 6 steps to calculate which size solar panels you need for your building.

Step 1: Know Your Electricity Usage

Gather your old electricity bills for the past 12 months. Contact your utility company if you don’t have them and your electricity provider should gladly send you a printout with your past electricity usage. You’re looking for 2 things: (1) your monthly kW/h usage, and (2) your monthly cost.

Step 2: Know your Roof Direction

Grab a compass (maybe your car navigation, or check Google Maps) and figure out which way is South. Go outside, look at your roof and see how much roof space is facing South, Southwest, East and West. The more South the better, but West is actually okay.

Step 3: Measure Roof Area Read the rest of this entry »

Watch this short tutorial on how to use the SRoeCo Solar website and calculators.

How to Calculate Solar Cost

• Step 1: Look at your past electricity bills to average out your annual electricity usage. Look for the “kWh” and figure out your average yearly usage.
• Step 2: Choose the calculator for your electricity provider (Utility).Non-CA or FL Residents:
  1. First calculate solar system size
  2. Then calculate solar cost

  California Resident:

  • Southern California Edison (SCE)
  • Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
  • San Diego G&E (SDG&E)
  • Los Angeles Dept of WP (LADWP)
  • Burbank Water and Power
  • Glendale WP
  • Pasadena WP

  Florida Resident:

  • Florida Solar Calculator
  • Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU)
• Step 3: Enter “Your kWh/year” and calculate!

How to Design Your Own Solar System

• Step 1: Calculate your Solar Array Size.
• Step 2: Determine the Number of Panels you’ll need.
• Step 3: Choose the Inverter Size!
• Step 4: Figure out the array String-Size!

Disclaimer: Our solar calculators estimate the solar cost and size of a solar project. These should only be used as rough estimates, and may be incomplete. A solar installer would be able to provide you with a more accurate estimate.