Using Solar Power for Your Air Conditioner Unit? Here’s What You Need to Know

Using Solar Power for Your Air Conditioner Unit? Here’s What You Need to Know

Air conditioners require vast power to maintain a suitable temperature in your house. Unfortunately, this may result in higher electricity costs and more strain on your home’s backup battery storage system should there be a power interruption. 

To determine how much power your air conditioning unit needs to function on your backup battery storage, you must first determine how many watts it consumes. Let’s examine the wattage requirements of conventional air conditioners, why those watts are essential, and how you might reduce your electricity costs. 

What are BTUs?

British Thermal Units, or BTUs, are precise measurements that each air conditioner uses to calculate its cooling capability. The capacity of your air conditioner to remove heat from the air in your home during a specific period, often an hour, is measured in BTUs. A household central air conditioning unit typically ranges between 20,000 and 50,000 BTUs, whereas a window air conditioner may be rated at roughly 5,000 to 10,000 BTUs. 

The BTU rating, essentially a measurement of an AC’s cooling capability, may also provide you with an estimate of the watts necessary to cool your room. 

What are SEER ratings?

SEER means Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio–it’s used to gauge the power efficiency of an air conditioner unit. Although these metrics are pretty variable, a 13 SEER rating is a good starting point. 

How many solar panels are required to power an AC system? 

How many solar panels are needed to power an air conditioner cannot be answered. Usually, it depends on the wattage use of the appliance you’re using, how frequently your air conditioner runs, and how much power your solar panels are generating when you’re using your air conditioner. 

If you want a reliable response, you may guess that you wish for at least three 350 W solar panels for the typical AC wattage of 1,000 watts based on the average wattage of all AC units (at least in our hypothetical example). Three 350 W panels can provide 1,050 W to power your AC unit, around 350 W each hour. Regardless of how you receive your power, air conditioners often use a lot of electricity.