Before you buy solar, know your load. It takes 15 minutes with a pen and paper.
Step 1: List your appliances
Walk round the house. Write down everything you want on solar.
Step 2: Find the watts
Look at the label on each item. If it shows amps only:
Watts ≈ Amps × 220
Step 3: Write the hours
How many hours a day is it on?
Step 4: Multiply
Watts × Hours = Watt-hours (Wh) per day
Example: 2-bedroom flat in Rumuola
| Appliance | Watts | Qty | Hours/day | Wh/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LED bulbs | 10 | 8 | 6 | 480 |
| Fans | 60 | 3 | 10 | 1,800 |
| TV + decoder | 100 | 1 | 6 | 600 |
| Fridge | 150 | 1 | 8 (cycling) | 1,200 |
| Phones + router | 30 | 1 | 12 | 360 |
| Total | 4,440Wh |
So this home uses about 4.4kWh a day.
Step 5: Peak load
What might be on at the same time? Lights + fans + TV + fridge = about 550W. Add ironing (1,000W) = about 1,550W. A 3kVA inverter covers that.
What the numbers tell you
- Daily energy → panels and battery size
- Peak load → inverter size
- Night energy (6pm to 7am) → battery size
Next, read how much solar do I need, or put your list into the calculator.
