Watts To HOME

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Think of a watt like the speed of electricity being used by your devices.

A watt (W) tells you how much power something uses at that moment.
 

For example:
 

• A regular light bulb = 60 watts
   
• A microwave = 1,000 watts (or 1 kilowatt)
   
• A phone charger = 5 watts
   

When you plug something in and turn it on — that’s how many watts it’s using right now.

When you have installed solar panels the Solar Panel (DC) to Inverter (change to AC)

Power goes to one of two places: Your household needs OR to the grid - that is where  YOU GET PAID!

How does my power get calculated when I sell to the grid?
NET METERING or NET BILLING.Net Billing requires the Meter to calculate how much you get PAID.
A Bi-Directional Meter allows electricity to go to your home from:- the grid or - from your own Micro Generation Array
When you produce extra, you sell your extra production to the Grid.

A kilowatt (kW) is just 1,000 watts.
So if you have ten 100-watt light bulbs on at once, that’s 1 kilowatt.

Most homes use electricity at a rate of about 1–1.5 kilowatts every hour — depending on the time of day and how many appliances are running.

This is what shows up on your electric bill.

• A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is how much energy you used over time.
   
• Example:
  If your oven uses 2,000 watts (2 kW) and you use it for 1 hour, that's 2 kWh.
   

So your utility bills you based on how many kilowatt-hours you used during the month.

Let’s break it down:

Activity / ApplianceWatts UsedHow Often You Use ItMonthly Energy (Approx.)

Fridge150 W24/7~100 kWhTV100 W4 hrs/day~12 kWh

Lights (6 bulbs)360 W5 hrs/day~54 kWh

Washer & Dryer (combined)3,000 W6 hrs/week~72 kWh

Microwave1,000 W15 min/day~7 kWh

Furnace Fan or A/C500–1,500 WSeasonal~100–300+ kWh 

The average home in Alberta uses 700–1,200 kWh per month, depending on size, season, and number of people.

If you know your monthly energy use (in kWh), 

You can figure out:

• How many solar panels you need
   
• How much insulation could lower your bill
   
• How quickly you’ll pay off a solar system
   

             Example : 

• Your home uses 1,000 kWh/month
   
• A good solar system in sunny Alberta produces 125 kWh per panel per month
   
• You’d need 8–10 solar panels to cover most of your needs