Is There Enough Sun in Ohio for Solar Panels?
As you turn up the thermostat in your home this winter, you probably hear dads everywhere going, “You better not touch that thermostat!” The weather is getting colder, but you’re also tired of high electric and gas bills. You see your neighbors across the street with their solar panels, and you start to question whether you should have bought solar panels during the summer; after all, it’s too late to install them with all this cloudy and snowy weather, right? Wrong! Solar panels can provide you with electricity at any time of the year, rain or shine! In this blog, you’ll review how solar panels work, how you can save money by switching to solar, and why they’re perfect for Ohio homes (spoiler: Ohio gets a lot more sunshine than you think!).
Science of Solar Panels
Have you ever gone out on a cloudy day with your friends in shorts, only to come home hours later to find out your legs have gotten a nice sunburn? If you have, you’ve discovered that the sun’s rays are powerful enough to penetrate cloud cover, even if you can’t see it! The same principle applies to solar panels on your home. Although direct sunlight is not reaching the solar panels, light energy is still penetrating through the cloud cover and interacting with the solar panels, generating electricity! On an average sunny day, a single solar panel can generate up to 2 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per day. 2 kWh is generally how much energy is needed to run a load of laundry. Solar panels generate about 25% of their electricity on a cloudy day. Although that may not sound like enough energy for your home, let’s break down the math.
Solar Energy and Your Home
The average Ohio home generally uses 892 kWh of electricity per month, about 29 kWh per day. When you install solar panels on your home, you’ll typically have between 20-24 panels on your roof; that’s between 40-48 kWh of electricity generated per day. At the end of the month, your home will have generated 1440 kWh of electricity, nearly 50% more than you’re usually using! As we’re in the middle of winter, you may wonder, “What good will solar panels be if there’s snow on them? After all, won’t that affect my solar panels?” Luckily, we have an answer to that too.
Wintertime and Solar
When we install your solar panels, we ensure that your solar panels are angled at the right angle to get your home the maximum sunlight possible. An added feature to this angling is that gravity helps snow fall right off when it snows! If snow does happen to stick to your solar panels, the dark panel and heat generated help melt the snow quickly. As a hidden bonus, your solar panels will become more efficient during winter. With cold weather, the wiring can conduct electricity better; better conductivity means more electricity making it into your home. If you’re worried when it snows for a few days, don’t! We’ll show you how solar panels help save you money, even if they’re not generating electricity.
Solar Panels Equal Savings
Earlier, we mentioned that a house with solar panels typically generates about 1440 kWh of energy per month, more than what’s usually used. What do you do with all the extra electricity? Sell it back to the power company, of course! In Ohio, homes with solar panels can sign up for a net metering program. This program gives you a credit on your electricity bill for the electricity you sell back to the power grid. The more power you sell back to the power grid, the more credit gets applied to your power bill. With enough credits, your power bill becomes nothing! Suppose you’re worried about your home generating enough electricity when it’s cloudy, or your solar panels are covered in snow. In that case, you can cash your credit in, and the electric company will help give your home the extra electricity you need. With the combination of generating your electricity and power bill credits, you’ll be saving hundreds of dollars per month!
How Much Sunshine Does Ohio Get?
Ok, you’re nearly convinced; but you don’t want your solar panels generating only a quarter of their potential energy, right? You’d be surprised just how much sunshine Ohio gets! Nerdwallet recently ranked four Ohio cities as some of sunniest cities in the United States. Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Nerdwallet was able to find the annual percent average of sunshine for the following Ohio cities:
- Dayton – 53%
- Toledo – 52%
- Columbus – 50%
- Cleveland – 49%
And remember, these are just averages! Your actual sunshine may be more than these averages, meaning more electricity and savings! With energy prices increasing and the cost of living getting more expensive, investing in solar panels is a great way to save money, increase your home value, and reduce your carbon emissions; in our opinion, solar panels in Ohio are worth it for most homeowners.
Free Solar Panel Home Analysis
If you’re considering solar and aren’t sure if your home will be a good fit, take advantage of our free, no-obligation solar analysis. Using advanced 3D imaging software, we design a rendering of your home to scale, replicating surrounding shade, roof pitch, and exact electricity usage. All we need is a copy of your most recent power bill. After you request a free analysis from our team, we can have your design ready in less than 24 hours.