Calgary launches residential solar power calculator for homeowners

For homeowners looking to buy solar panels for a single-family home, the City of Calgary has released a residential solar calculator to help assess their home’s potential in an attempt to save costs on utility bills.

Have you been considering solar panels for your home & are not quite sure where to start?

Learn about our residential solar calculator to help you understand the solar energy generation potential of the roof area of your home & the financial viability of installing solar panels. pic.twitter.com/IlFOlRHYky

— City of Calgary (@cityofcalgary) April 21, 2022

The tool is supposed to help homeowners determine if installing solar panels on their roofs is financially feasible.

Standard solar panels, photovoltaics (PV), generate an electric current by catching light particles from the sun and converting the particles into electricity, which can then be used to power your own appliances, heating systems, and lighting according to the City of Calgary.

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The calculator itself is based on the availability of the roof area and measuring how much sunlight reaches the roof.

Installing a solar panel is also based on three different purchase options including buy, loan, and lease and for each of these options the average monthly saving on your utility bill is expected as a payback on your investment, says the City of Calgary.

The solar calculator on the city’s website shows a map where you can enter your address to help calculate the size of panels needed for your single-family roof, how much costs you will save on your electricity bills, and resources to help with installations.

Currently, the tool only calculates single-family homes, however industrial and commercial buildings may be added in the future.