What Can A 6 kW Solar System Run
A 6kW solar system is one of the most popular sizes as it matches the power usage of most common Australian homes. To put your mind at ease and to see in real terms what a 6kW system will run, we have taken the time to research and list the daily usage of each common home appliance to see if it will match your needs.
A 6KW solar system can run a medium to large 3 – 4 bedroom household with most appliances you would expect to find including:
- Fridge
- Washing machine
- Dishwasher
- 2 x LCD Televisions
- 2 x Desktop computers
- Lights
- Clothes dryer
- Central Air conditioning
- Hot water system
There are a bunch of different combinations of appliances you can run on this system, but the below chart will give you an idea of the types of appliances and hours per day on average they are run for this breakdown.
A 6KW solar system will produce up to 24 kWh per day. With 24kW hours of power per day produced by this system, you can run a bunch of electrical appliances in a 4 – 5 bedroom house.
| Appliance | Watts per hour | Avg. Hours used daily | Total Watts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot water system (100L electric) | 1500 | 3 | 4500 |
| Microwave | 1500 | 0.3 | 450 |
| Dishwasher | 1800 | 1.5 | 2,700 |
| Freezer | 42 | 24 | 1,000 |
| Refrigerator | 35 | 24 | 900 |
| Washing machine | 500 | 0.5 | 250 |
| Clothes Dryer | 4000 | 0.3 | 1,050 |
| Central Air conditioner | 3200 | 3 | 9,600 |
| 2 x LCD televisions | 60 | 5 | 300 |
| 2 x Laptops | 200 | 6 | 1,200 |
| Lights for 4 bedroom home (10 x 7 Watt LED lights [60W equivalent per globe]) | 70 | 6 | 420 |
| Wifi | 6 | 24 | 144 |
| Total | 22,500 |
Note: Daily hours are calculated by taking the average weekly usage and dividing by 7 days. For example, with clothes dryer use, 71.8% of households own a clothes dryer, and 74.4% of people use the clothes dryer for every load. With the average house doing 2.5 loads per week and time per load being 1 hour each time, average of 2 hours per week and 0.3 of an hour per day. Also, in the chart above, 1 hour is represented as “1”, whereas 30 minutes is represented as 0.5 hours. Daily watt figures sourced from energyusecalculator.com
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need For A 6.6Kw Solar System?
Depending on the type of solar panels you choose to use, you may have 20-25 solar panels on your roof to install a 6KW solar system.
To produce 6,600 watts of power, you need 19 x 340-watt solar panels on your roof. The dimensions of a typical solar panel are 1m x 1.7m which is 1.7 m2.
Roof Space needed: 1.7m2 x 19 panels = 32m2
You will need 32 square meters of roof space to install your 6Kw solar system.
Factors To Consider When Buying A 6 kW Solar System
Your Electricity Usage
The most important factor to consider when choosing a solar system is the amount of electricity you need to run your household.
A 6 or 6.6kW solar system will produce about 24kWh of power per day, so you will need to check your quarterly bill and determine your average power usage during winter and summer to see if it is a good fit.
A solar system produces about 4 times its rated capacity daily. Thus, a 6kW solar system will produce 24kw of power per day. If your consumption is below or equal to this, a 6Kw solar system is fit for your household.
Location
Solar systems produce maximum rated power when they are exposed to over 5 hours of unshaded sunlight per day. Even just partial shading can greatly reduce the output of the system to knock it offline entirely (see what is a microinverter to counter partial shading) so having a north face on an unshaded roof for the bulk of the day is key.
How many hours of sunshine does your location receive? If you think they are not sufficient, you may need a larger solar system to compensate.
Quality Of Solar Panels You Install
Solar panel-making technology has greatly advanced over the last 20 years. As a result, solar panels can absorb more sunshine and produce more power. 10 years ago the standard solar panel was a 250W panel, not the standard is 340W with them going right up to 420W.
This basically means you can produce the same amount of power with less panels and roof space.
What is the rebate on a 6kW system?
The average rebate on a 6kW solar system is $2,633. This is for states NSW, QLD, SA, WA ACT, and NT. The remaining states of VIC and TAS have a rebate of $2,234. Rebate amounts are determined by the number of STC’s that are available for you in your state on a 6kW system, multiplied by the current trading price of STCs.
What Is The Average Cost Of A 6Kw Solar System?
The average 6Kw solar system costs about $6,629. It is a full solar system that includes solar panels, inverters, and solar storage batteries. Solar panels absorb the sunshine and convert it to electric power. Then passes it through the inverters for conversion to usable electricity in the home. The excess power is stored in the batteries for use later when the sun sets or on cloudy days.
How Much Power Does A House Need
How much power consumption a house needs depends on the house. A large house may have more power consumption than a smaller house. This is because the house may have more rooms that will need lighting and use other appliances.
An average home in Australia consumes up to 20kWh. Power consumption rises and decreases depending on the seasons. Rising in both summer and winter.
How Long Will It Take For A 6Kw Solar Power System To Pay For Itself
How long it takes for a solar system to pay for itself depends on how much savings you make on your electricity bill and how much power it produces. On average, it takes between 3 – 4 years for a 6kW solar system to pay for itself.
You can save up to $1,800 per year on your electricity bills when you use a 6KW solar power system. Thus, depending on the household this could be done in as little as 3.2 years.
How Do You Determine The Size Of Solar System You Need For Your Home
The best solar system for your home is determined by your current power consumption rate. A small to medium-sized house can be easily powered by a 1kW to 3kW solar system. For a larger home, 4kW to 6kW solar systems are sufficient. A solar system larger than 6KW will serve the purpose of an extremely large house.
How Long Do Solar Panels Last
Most manufacturers offer a 25 to 30 years warranty on their solar panels. Thus once you install your solar panels, you can enjoy cheaper solar power for over 25 years.
That being said, installers are already replacing systems that have only been running for 10 years as customers opted for cheap Chinese panels.
Don’t cheap out and go with rubbish brands or you will cut your solar system lifespan in half.
