How Much Sunlight Does My Roof Get

Google s project sunroof gives building by building details and now has data for parts of all 50.

How much sunlight does my roof get. Although your panels may get an average of 7 hours of daylight a day the average peak sun hours are generally around 4 or 5. While your panels may receive an average 7 hours of daylight per day the average peak sun hoursmay actually be closer to 3 or 4. Learn more get an estimate and connect with providers. Understanding how much sunlight falls on a home s roof can help a homeowner make decisions about roofing materials insulation and the placement of solar panels.

Or 30 kwh 5 hours of sun 6 kw of ac output needed to cover 100 of your energy usage. Multiply 5 hours of sunlight x 290 watts from a solar panel 1 450 watts or roughly 1 5 kilowatt hours per day. Dark roofs absorb light up to 90 of solar energy and convert it to heat emitting it back into the atmosphere. Calculating the amount of sunlight.

White ones absorb much less light by reflecting the light without transferring it into heat. 4 how does that compare to your annual energy usage. The us ranges from about 4 hours 6 hours of sunlight per day on average see the below map. The number of peak sun hours you get per day increases the closer you are to the equator and typically during the summer months.

Easy to use tools allow you to construct your own scene and automatically plot the shadow results. 6 but don t forget every house is different. Green roofs on the other hand absorb sunlight and even put it to good use. You need a sunny roof to benefit from solar panels but yours may be sunnier than you think.

Weather is also a factor. Let s say on a good day you average 5 hours of direct sunlight. States like californiaor floridacan expect more clear and sunny days. Solar radiation peaks at solar noon when the sun reaches the highest point in the sky.

That s about 500 550 kilowatt hours of energy per year from each panel on your roof. Let s estimate you get about five hours per day to generate that 30 kwh you use. How to calculate your peak sun hours. Our solar technicians will help determine both your summer and winter exposures to figure out if you get enough power from the sun to energize your home.