Before you buy solar, you need one number above all others: how many kWh does your household actually use? Tick your appliances — or work backwards from your electric bill — and find out.
No email, no phone number. Every assumption is shown so you can check the math.
Tick everything you own that runs on electricity. Each item already includes a realistic daily energy use — cycling, standby, and all — for an average U.S. household.
The same appliance list uses 30% less power in an energy-conscious home than in a big household with the A/C cranked. Pick the profile that fits.
Your state sets the electricity rate (EIA data) and the sun hours used for the solar-size estimate below.
Your state rate used here: — (EIA residential average)
Tick your appliances in step 1 to see your household consumption.
The items eating the most kWh in your selection — this is where efficiency upgrades pay off fastest.
| Item | kWh/day | Share | Cost / yr |
|---|
Take your annual kWh into the Solar Savings Calculator to see what a system would save you, or check outage resilience with the Battery Backup Calculator.
Appliance tick-lists are great for understanding where your power goes, but they systematically miss phantom loads, aging equipment, and the habits nobody counts — the garage freezer, the pool pump nobody mentions, the A/C set at 68°F. That's why we show both numbers side by side.
If your appliance estimate and your bill-reverse estimate are within about 20%, your model of your home is solid, and you can size solar with confidence. If they're far apart, trust the bill — and figure out what you forgot to tick.
Want to know exactly what your utility is charging you per line item? Our guide on how to read your electric bill walks through a real bill, and Net Metering 101 explains how solar exports get credited.