How many solar panels do you need for a 2-bedroom home?

A two-bedroom home commonly needs roughly 14–18 modern 400-watt solar panels to offset around 700–900 kWh of monthly electricity use under favorable conditions. But the bedroom count is not the real driver—your electric appliances and actual utility usage are.

Watt My Roof example: A 2-bedroom home with a refrigerator, washer, electric dryer, central HVAC and dishwasher uses an estimated 827 kWh per month. At five peak sun hours per day, 400-watt panels and 20% system losses, the calculator recommends 17 panels for a 6.8 kW system.

Why two 2-bedroom homes can need different systems

One home may use gas for heat, hot water and clothes drying. Another may run all three on electricity. The second home can consume hundreds of additional kilowatt-hours each month even though both have the same number of bedrooms.

Load	Planning use	Effect on the estimate
Refrigerator	≈ 55 kWh/month	Steady year-round load
Washer	≈ 12 kWh/month	Usually modest
Electric dryer	≈ 75 kWh/month	Meaningful, usage-dependent
Central HVAC	≈ 240 kWh/month	Large and climate-dependent
Electric water heater	≈ 320 kWh/month	Can substantially increase system size

Use your bill for the better answer

Find the kWh—not the dollar amount—on twelve months of electric bills. Average those months, enter the result in Watt My Roof’s advanced settings and select a realistic peak-sun-hour value. The bill-based result replaces the home-and-appliance estimate.

Will 17 panels fit on the roof?

Panel count does not guarantee roof fit. A final design must account for panel dimensions, roof faces, pitch, vents, chimneys, fire setbacks, structural condition and shade. Watt My Roof estimates energy sizing; a qualified installer must verify physical layout and local interconnection rules.