What can a 5 kW solar system run?

By the SmartSolarSizer team · Published 31 October 2026

Quick answer

A 5 kW solar system can run a typical home's daytime loads: it makes about 22 units (kWh) a day in Lahore on average, around 669 a month, falling to about 18 a day in a cloudy July. That's enough for a typical home's fridge, fans, lights, TV, washing machine and water pump, plus one 1.5 ton inverter AC for most of the day. It can't run two 1.5 ton ACs all day, or anything at night, without a battery. Two limits decide what fits: the energy it makes in a day, and the power it can deliver at any one moment.

Check what your solar system can run

System size

City

Month

Appliance	How many	Hours a day

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Solar a day

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Your use a day

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All on at once

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Panels, hot noon

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Solar output from PVGIS for each city. Hot-noon panel power assumes 14% system losses and cells 40 °C above 25 °C. Surge check assumes an inverter giving twice its rating at start-up.

Two limits: units a day and watts at once

Power and energy are different limits. Power is how much you can run at the same moment, in watts. Energy is how much you use over the day, in units (kWh). A 5 kW system has a limit on both.

Power. A 5 kW inverter can supply up to 5,000 W at once, but the panels rarely give their full rating. PVGIS assumes 14% system losses, and panels lose about 0.3% of their power for every degree their cells run above 25 °C (Jinko datasheet). With cells 40 °C above that, our assumption for a hot afternoon, a 5 kW array gives roughly 3,780 W. On a cool, bright day it's nearer 4,300 W. Anything above that comes from the grid or a battery.

Energy. Over a day, the array makes 22.0 units in Lahore on average. Add up the watts of everything you run, times its hours, and keep the total under that figure.

How many units does a 5 kW solar system produce per day?

It depends on where you live far more than on the brand of panel. Here is a 5 kW system in all 14 cities we track, using the European Commission's PVGIS data with panels at the best angle (PVGIS):

Location	Units a day (average)	Units a month (average)	Best month	Lowest month	Units a year
Phoenix, USA	25.0	762	864 (Apr)	654 (Dec)	9,143
Houston, USA	19.2	584	646 (May)	462 (Dec)	7,008
New York, USA	19.2	585	684 (Mar)	436 (Dec)	7,026
Seattle, USA	15.9	485	705 (Jul)	214 (Dec)	5,822
Toronto, Canada	17.4	529	724 (May)	270 (Dec)	6,351
London, UK	14.0	426	603 (Jul)	192 (Dec)	5,110
Berlin, Germany	14.6	442	650 (Jun)	149 (Dec)	5,311
Madrid, Spain	22.2	675	835 (Jul)	512 (Nov)	8,103
Dubai, UAE	23.5	713	764 (Oct)	653 (Dec)	8,559
Lahore, Pakistan	22.0	669	756 (Mar)	553 (Jul)	8,030
Karachi, Pakistan	23.6	716	832 (Mar)	524 (Aug)	8,596
Delhi, India	22.2	676	795 (Mar)	496 (Jul)	8,121
Sydney, Australia	21.3	649	739 (Oct)	492 (Jun)	7,793
Johannesburg, South Africa	23.8	724	825 (Aug)	619 (Feb)	8,687

PVGIS 5.3, 1 kW of panels, 14% system losses, optimal tilt, scaled to 5 kW. "Units a month" uses the yearly average; real months vary as shown.

For India, MNRE's consumer guidance says a 1 kW rooftop system can generate 4 to 5.5 units on a clear sunny day (MNRE). That's 20 to 27.5 units for 5 kW. Our Delhi figure of 22.2 units is the average across all days, cloudy ones included.

Month by month in Lahore, Karachi and Delhi

Month	Lahore (units)	Karachi (units)	Delhi (units)
January	657	801	732
February	659	759	707
March	756	832	795
April	736	795	755
May	710	763	711
June	629	629	600
July	553	538	496
August	578	524	513
September	632	640	592
October	736	775	750
November	692	755	721
December	698	787	741

The monsoon is the dip that catches people out. Lahore's best month, March, gives 756 units and July only 553, just when the AC works hardest. Winter fog lowers December and January too. Size for the months that matter to you, not the yearly average.

How many ACs can a 5 kW solar system run?

One inverter AC comfortably, two in turn. The table below leaves 600 W for the fridge, fans and lights at noon, and 8.8 units a day for the rest of the house (the home below). Running powers are the planning figures our main calculator uses for very hot weather.

AC	Running power	At once on a hot noon	Hours of one AC, average day	Hours of one AC, July
1 ton inverter split	1,100 W	2	12.0 h	8.2 h
1.5 ton inverter split	1,600 W	1	8.2 h	5.7 h
1.5 ton non-inverter	2,200 W	1	6.0 h	4.1 h

So on a hot sunny noon a 5 kW system runs one 1.5 ton inverter AC at full power with the basics. A second one needs 3,800 W in total, against about 3,780 W from the panels, so the grid or a battery has to top it up. Over a whole day the energy covers one AC for about 8 hours. Inverter ACs slow down once the room is cool, so real running time is often longer. A non-inverter AC is the hard case: it draws more, and starting it needs about 5,000 W for a moment. Deye's 5 kW hybrid gives twice its rating for 10 seconds (Deye datasheet), so it can start one. Running it with the iron, pump and basics comes to about 4,850 W, right at the 5,000 W limit. Our 1.5 ton AC guide goes deeper.

A day on a 5 kW system: a typical home in Lahore

Here's an example summer day for a family home. The checker above opens with the same list, so you can change it.

Appliance	How many	Power each	Use	Units a day
1.5 ton inverter AC	1	1,600 W	8 h	12.80
Ceiling fans (standard motor)	5	75 W	10 h	3.75
Fridge, medium	1	300 W	per day	1.10
LED lights	10	15 W	6 h	0.90
TV	1	120 W	5 h	0.60
Washing machine, one load	1	1,150 W	per day	0.70
Clothes iron	1	1,200 W	0.3 h	0.36
1 HP water pump	1	850 W	1 h	0.85
Laptop	1	50 W	6 h	0.30
Wi-Fi router	1	10 W	24 h	0.24
Total				21.6

That's 21.6 units against 22.0 on an average Lahore day: it fits. In July the system makes about 17.8 units, so the AC hours would need trimming or the grid tops up the difference. The bigger issue is timing. Everything above only fits if most of it runs while the sun is up. The fridge, router and fans keep running after dark, and that needs the grid or a battery.

What can a 5 kW system run at night?

Without a battery, nothing: the panels stop at sunset. With one, it depends on its size. A typical night of 3 fans for 8 hours, 4 lights for 5 hours, the fridge (half its daily use) and the router uses about 2.7 units, plus about 0.1 for the inverter's standby. Allowing for the 90% usable share and 90% efficiency of a lithium (LiFePO4) battery, that needs about 3.5 kWh of battery.

A 5.12 kWh battery (one 51.2 V 100 Ah module) covers that night of fans, lights and fridge, with about 1.7 kWh spare.
A 10.24 kWh battery (two modules) could instead run one 1.5 ton inverter AC at full power for about 5.2 hours, and nothing else.

Size your own with the battery size calculator.

What runs on a 5 kW system during load-shedding?

That depends on the inverter, not the panels. A standard on-grid inverter disconnects and shuts down when a grid disruption is long or large; solar-plus-battery systems keep running only if they are designed to (US DOE). So with an on-grid system, a power cut switches off your solar too, even at noon.

A 5 kW hybrid inverter keeps going from the panels and battery. In daylight it can run the AC and the house as long as the panels keep up; at night, only what the battery holds. Our inverter types guide compares on-grid, hybrid and off-grid. If the inverter sits in a hot store room, check how much it loses in summer with the inverter temperature derating calculator.

How many panels and how much roof does 5 kW need?

About 9 panels of 575 W (5.17 kW) or 12 panels of 430 W. A 575 W Jinko Tiger Neo panel measures 2,278 × 1,134 mm and weighs 28 kg (Jinko datasheet). 9 of them cover about 23 m² of roof, around 250 sq ft, before gaps for walking and wiring. A 430 W Tiger Neo is 1,762 × 1,134 mm (Jinko datasheet). MNRE's rule of thumb is 10 m² of shadow-free area per kW (MNRE), about 50 m² for 5 kW. Tilted rows on a flat roof need gaps so they don't shade each other, so plan for well over 23 m² and keep clear of water tanks and walls.

What's in a 5 kW system?

Panels: about 9 of 575 W, 9 or 10 of 550 W, or 12 of 430 W.
Inverter: a 5 kW on-grid inverter if you only want lower bills, or a 5 kW hybrid if you want power during outages and the option of a battery.
Battery (hybrid only): 5 to 10 kWh of lithium covers evening fans, lights and the fridge, or a few hours of one AC.
Mounting, cables and protection: the frame, DC and AC cables, breakers and surge protection.
Meter: a two-way meter from your utility if you connect for net billing or net metering.

Power is available when the sun is up, building from mid-morning to a peak around midday and fading by late afternoon. Plan heavy loads like the washing machine, pump and iron for the middle of the day.

Is 5 kW enough? 3 kW vs 5 kW vs 10 kW

System	Units a day, Lahore	Units a month, Lahore	Panel power on a hot noon (est.)	Suits
3 kW	13.2	401	about 2,300 W	A small home, or one AC for much of a sunny day with little left over
5 kW	22.0	669	about 3,800 W	A typical home with one AC most of the day, or two ACs in turn
10 kW	44.0	1,338	about 7,600 W	A large home, or two ACs for most of the day

Hot-noon power uses the same assumptions as above: 14% losses and cells 40 °C above 25 °C.

Bigger isn't automatically better since Pakistan moved new connections to net billing in February 2026. Exported units now earn about Rs 11, while bought units cost far more; existing users stay on net metering until their contracts expire (The News). Size to what your home uses in the daytime, then add a battery if you need power after dark. Our net metering guide explains why.

What a 5 kW system costs and saves

Pakistan. Pakistan Observer reported 5 kW systems at Rs 6–7 lakh in April 2025 (Pakistan Observer); prices follow the dollar, so get current quotes. About 18.9 of the example home's units are used while the sun is up. Each replaces a bought unit at Rs 33.10 (201–300 slab) to Rs 41.78 (above 300 units, time-of-use), before taxes (Pakistan Observer). With the other 3.1 units exported at Rs 11, that's about Rs 660–820 a day.

India. The PM Surya Ghar subsidy is capped at Rs 78,000, reached at 3 kW (Delhi government), so a 5 kW home system gets the same maximum.

US. At the late-2025 average of $2.49 a watt (Solar Power World), 5 kW costs about $12,450. There's no federal tax credit for systems completed after 2025 (IRS). Work out your own payback with our payback guide.

Common questions

Can a 5 kW solar system run a whole house?

A small or medium home's daytime loads, yes, including one AC for most of the day. It won't cover two ACs all day, an electric geyser, or anything at night without a battery. Our example home uses 21.6 units against 22.0 made on an average Lahore day.

Can a 5 kW inverter run a washing machine and an iron at the same time?

Yes. A washing machine draws about 1,150 W and an iron about 1,200 W, about 2,350 W together, well within 5,000 W. The question is what else is running: add an AC and a water pump and you approach the limit.

Can a 5 kW system run an electric geyser?

Only briefly. A 4,500 W water heater uses almost the whole inverter and more than the panels give on most afternoons, so the grid or a battery supplies part of it. A gas geyser or a heat pump water heater suits a 5 kW system better.

Does a 5 kW system work in winter fog?

It keeps working, but output drops. In Lahore it makes about 657 units in January and 698 in December, against 756 in March. Winter loads are lower too, as the AC is off.

Is 5 kW too big for a small house?

It can be under net billing. If most of the output is exported at about Rs 11 a unit, a smaller system or a battery may pay back faster. Add up your daytime use first, then size the system to it.

How much of my electricity bill can a 5 kW system cover?

In Lahore it makes about 669 units in an average month. Compare that with the units on your bill: if you use 400 to 700 units a month, mostly in the daytime, a 5 kW system covers much of it. Units you use at night still come from the grid unless you add a battery.

Size a system for your exact home

Add every appliance and the calculator sizes the panels, inverter and battery together, with cost and payback.

Open the full calculator →

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from these sources, checked on 30 October 2026.