How many solar panels do you need to run your appliances?
Each guide starts from measured energy data: energy labels, ENERGY STAR listings, manufacturer spec sheets and US Department of Energy figures. It turns that into a panel count using solar output for 14 cities from the European Commission's PVGIS. Every guide also covers the inverter size, start-up surge and battery the appliance needs.
At a glance
Panels needed on an average day, using 430 W panels:
| Appliance | Energy per day | Phoenix | New York | London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator, bottom-freezer | 1.6 kWh | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Chest freezer, 14–22 cu ft | 0.9 kWh | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Window AC, 8,000 BTU, 8 h | 4.2 kWh | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Split AC, 1.5 ton inverter, 8 h | 12.8 kWh | 6 | 8 | 11 |
| Mini split, 12,000 BTU, 8 h | 7.0 kWh | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Heat pump, typical UK home (yearly average) | 10.6 kWh | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Well pump, 1 HP, 30 min | 0.6 kWh | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Pool pump, single-speed | 12.6 kWh | 6 | 8 | 11 |
| Pool pump, variable-speed | 2.2 kWh | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Electric car, Model 3, 37 miles | 9.2 kWh | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Water heater, 50 gal electric | 14.6 kWh | 7 | 9 | 13 |
| Heat pump water heater | 3.4 kWh | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Space heater, 1,500 W, 8 h | 12.0 kWh | 6 | 8 | 10 |
Winter and cloudy months need more; each guide shows the low month for every city.
Need only the battery? Our solar battery size calculator works out kWh, amp-hours, series and parallel wiring and backup time. Live somewhere hot? The inverter temperature derating calculator shows how much power your inverter loses in summer.
Appliance guides
Running more than one appliance?
Add everything in your home to the calculator to size the whole system: panels, inverter, battery, cost and payback.
Open the full calculator →