Sizing Solar in Edmonton

How many solar panels do I actually need in Edmonton?

Most Edmonton homes land around 16 to 28 panels, roughly a 7 to 11 kW system. But the honest count comes from two numbers: your annual kWh usage and your usable roof. Here is exactly how I work it out, so you size to your real bill instead of a sales target.

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5.0 · 70+ five-star Google reviews

Written by Dmitry Naboka · Master Electrician #13824 · Raydn Renewables, Edmonton · Last updated July 2026.

Typical homeAbout 16 to 28 panels, roughly a 7 to 11 kW system
The two inputsYour annual kWh usage and your usable, well-oriented roof
Panel wattageCommonly 400 to 440 watts each in 2026
Panel sizeRoughly 1.1 by 1.8 metres each
OrientationSouth produces most per panel; east and west need a few more
Plan aheadEV, heat pump, or growing family? Size with headroom now

5.0 on Google · 70+ verified reviews

What solar customers say

These are Google reviews, copied word for word. Real Alberta solar jobs, real names, nothing edited.

★★★★★

“The guys at Raydn completed a solar system at my property and I am thoroughly impressed with their workmanship. The system on the roof looks sleek and clean. There can be some unpredictable happenings like in all the trades but you can be sure that Raydn aren't taking that as a chance for shortcuts. The finished product top to bottom is first class and that's all there is to say really. I wouldn't look much further, unfortunately there are some solar companies that fall way short of what should be expected and people fall for their sales pitch so do your best to avoid all of the noise. Local is best.”

Ryan · Verified Google review

★★★★★

“We were having some ongoing issues with the solar system that another company originally installed a while back. I called Raydn Renewables to come out and do some maintenance to see if they could sort it out. Dmitry showed up on time, tracked down the problem quickly, and got everything working exactly the way it should be. He took the time to answer all of our questions and explained the fix without any of the usual contractor runaround. It's hard to find tradesmen who show up, do clean work, and actually know their stuff inside and out. If you need reliable solar maintenance or a solid electrician in Alberta, I'd highly recommend Dmitry and the Raydn team. Honest guys, great service, and zero BS.”

Arttus · Verified Google review

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It starts with your bill, not a rule of thumb

The right panel count is not a number off a chart. It comes from your own annual kWh usage and how much good roof you have. Everything else is guessing.

Two houses on the same Edmonton street can need wildly different systems.

House one

500 kWh

a month

One family runs 500 kWh a month.

No hot tub, no EV charging.

House two

1,200 kWh

a month

the other runs 1,200 with a hot tub and two EVs.

A hot tub draws year round. Two EVs add a second bill.

Same roof size, very different panel counts.

Twelve months of your power bills

That is why the first thing I ask for is twelve months of your power bills.

Your annual usage in kilowatt-hours

is the anchor for the whole design.

Anyone who quotes you a panel count before seeing your usage is sizing to their catalog, not to your house.

The sizing math, step by step

Total your annual kWh

Add up twelve months of usage from your bills. This is the target the system is built to offset.

Convert usage to a kW size

Each 1 kW of well-oriented Edmonton solar produces a known annual amount. We size the kW so yearly production matches your usage.

Divide by panel wattage

A 10 kW system at 430-watt panels is about 23 panels. Higher-wattage panels mean fewer panels for the same size.

Fit it to the real roof

We lay the array on your best faces and check it physically fits. Roof reality can adjust the final count up or down.

When the roof is the constraint

Sometimes the roof cannot hold every panel your usage wants. That is not a dealbreaker, it is a design problem we solve.

Fix 1

Higher-wattage panels

More capacity in less space. The same square metres of roof deliver a larger system.

Fix 2

Prioritize the best faces

South first, then east and west, avoiding shaded corners. Every panel earns its spot.

Fix 3

Size to what fits

If full coverage will not fit, we still knock a big share off the bill. Honest partial beats an oversold fantasy.

Size for the house you will have, not just today's

The most common sizing mistake is planning only for today. An EV, a heat pump, or a growing family all raise your future kWh.

Adding panels later is possible but rarely clean. It can run into three things.

inverter capacity limits

The inverter you already own caps what the array can send.

a second electrical permit

A second permit, a second inspection, a second trip.

and another EPCOR Micro-Generation amendment

The utility agreement has to be reopened and amended.

If you already know a new EV or a heat pump is coming, tell me at the quote stage and I will build sensible headroom into the design from day one.

It is far cheaper to size correctly once than to bolt on an awkward second array in three years.

Honest Answers

The questions homeowners actually ask

From a Master Electrician's chair, not a salesperson's script.

How many solar panels does an Edmonton home need?

Most Edmonton family homes land in the range of about 16 to 28 modern panels, which is roughly a 7 to 11 kW system. The exact count comes from two things: your annual electricity usage in kWh, and how much usable roof you have. There is no universal answer, because a 500 kWh-per-month house and a 1,200 kWh-per-month house need very different systems even on the same street.

How do I calculate the system size I need?

Start with your annual kWh usage from twelve months of bills, then size the system so its yearly production roughly matches that usage. In Edmonton, each 1 kW of well-oriented solar produces a meaningful chunk of kWh over a year. We work backward from your usage to a kW size, then divide by the panel wattage to get a panel count. Your own bill is the input that matters, not a rule of thumb.

How big is a solar panel and how much power does it make?

A modern residential panel is roughly 1.1 by 1.8 metres and is commonly rated around 400 to 440 watts each in 2026. So a 10 kW system is roughly 23 to 25 panels. Higher-wattage panels mean fewer panels for the same system size, which matters a lot when roof space is tight.

What if my roof is not big enough for the panels I need?

Then we optimize. Higher-wattage panels fit more capacity into less space, and we prioritize your best-facing, least-shaded roof planes first. If the roof truly cannot hold enough to cover your full usage, we size to what fits and still knock a large share off your bill. An honest installer sizes to your roof reality, not to a sales target.

Does panel orientation change how many I need?

Yes. South-facing panels produce the most per panel in Edmonton, so a south roof needs fewer panels to hit a target. East and west faces still produce well but a bit less each, so you may need a few more to reach the same annual output. Shading from trees or chimneys also reduces per-panel output. We account for all of it when we set the count.

Can I add more panels later?

Sometimes, but it is cleaner to size correctly up front. Adding panels later can mean inverter capacity limits, a second permit, and another EPCOR Micro-Generation amendment. If you expect an EV, a heat pump, or a growing family, tell us now and we will size with that headroom built in rather than bolting it on awkwardly down the road.

Keep Reading

Want your exact panel count?

Punch your usage into the calculator and it estimates your system size and panel count using real Edmonton production figures. Or call me and I will pull your usage, measure your roof, and give you a firm count and layout, sized to your real bill and your future plans.