Home / Solar Tips / How to buy the best solar panels for your home

• Just getting started? See our article Four steps to get started with solar.
• Want to know how we get our review results? Check out how we test solar panels.
• Want to find out fast which panels are the best? See the test summary from our solar expert (for members only).

What size solar panel system do I need?

To size your solar panel system you need to work out how much electricity you use and when you use it.

As a guide, a typical home uses 20kWh of energy a day, which equates to a 5kW system.

See our separate guide to sizing a solar PV system to figure out your home’s electricity use.

How many solar panels do I need?

• The power output of your whole solar system matters more than the size or number of panels.
• The higher each panel’s nominal power rating (and actual power output), the fewer panels you’ll need (or the more power you’ll generate).
• If you have plenty of roof space, you might find it more economical to buy cheaper panels with lower efficiency and just use more of them.
• The panels in our solar panel reviews are each about 1.6 square metres in area, but they vary in length, width and power output.
• CHOICE Tip: Fewer panels can mean a quicker installation.

An example: You could use four 250W Jinko panels, taking up 6.5m² of roof space, to make a 1000W array. But four 327W Sunpower panels would take up the same overall area and form a more powerful 1308W array (although the Sunpower panels would cost you more).

How much do solar panels cost?

The average price across Australian capital cities for a 5kW system is $5100, and solar technology is only getting cheaper.

• CHOICE Tip: Compare prices for whole systems, not just individual panels.

Read more about the cost of solar systems in our article Solar payback times.

How much money will I save using solar power?

It takes anywhere from two to seven years for a solar system to pay for itself – after that is when you can start counting the savings.

Payback times vary depending on where you live in Australia. The infographic below shows averages for capital cities.