Technical terms, solar jargon, sophisticated calculations, and more can confuse people and discourage them from opting for a solar-powered energy system. So, to elevate your awareness and make it easier for you to identify whether your home is suitable for installing a solar energy system, the company Sun Number came up with the Sun Number score. Before finding out your home’s solar score, let’s understand what a sun number is, and which factors determine the sun number for your home.
What is a Sun Number for a House?
A sun number is the measure of a home’s solar potential and how suitable it is for a solar panel installation. The sun number score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being the highest. Here, a higher sun number means that your home is better suited to be equipped with solar panels and inverters. This is an easy way for you to understand the ability of your house for generating solar electricity without having to understand all the unnecessary industry jargon.
What is a Good Sun Number?
While the sun number of 100 is perfect for solar panels, it is very rare and not many homes are able to achieve this score. That being said, a score of 70 or higher is generally considered good for a house and can guarantee financial savings in the long term.
Higher sun number scores for solar panels mean greater savings in terms of generating electricity as well. Considering the high installation costs for a solar energy system, any savings will help improve the ROI of the system.
Also Read: 2kw Solar Panel Systems in India- All About Productivity, Cost, and ROI
Factors Affecting the Sun Number Score
Building Solar Score
The building solar score has a maximum score of 80 points and makes up for the majority of the entire sun number score of a house. This is the biggest factor in deciding if your home is suitable for going solar. There are platforms that use 3D imagery to determine how your home stacks against different criteria and provide the building score. While a score above 50 is fine, scores above 60 are considered best.
The criteria on which a building is analysed are:
- Roof size
- Roof orientation
- Roof pitch
- Roof shading
Regional Climate Score
Solar panels work with sunlight. So, the higher amount of sunlight your home receives, the higher will be its potential for generating electricity. The regional climate score has a maximum limit of 8 points and accounts for the total sunlight an area receives. A high regional climate score indicates that the area receives more sunlight.
Also Read: Effect of Weather on The Performance of Solar Panels
Electricity Rates Score
A solar energy system helps you, as a homeowner, to save money in an area where electricity costs are high. The sun number accounts for the average electricity rates of the area around your home and gives you an idea about how much money you can save by installing solar panels. It has a maximum score of 8 and a higher sun number means higher average electric prices while a lower sun number score means that the electricity prices in the area are low.
Also Read: How to Reduce Electricity Bill with Genus Inverters?
Solar Cost Score
The solar cost score is the smallest contributor to the final sun number. It takes the solar installation prices in your locality into consideration. With a maximum score of 4, higher solar cost scores mean low solar installation costs in the area.
Also Read: Calculating Solar Panel Cost Made Easy
Conclusion
Though a sun number score of 100 is ideal, it doesn’t mean that a lower number isn’t good enough for a home. You can install solar panels even if the solar score is below 70. It will just mean a lower energy output and lesser savings.
So, are you ready to find out what your home’s sun number is? Get in touch with us at Genus today and say yes to solar energy!