Residential solar calculator

Homeowners can use this tool as a starting point to help assess their home's solar potential and to get an idea of the estimated costs and payment options. Please keep in mind, the residential solar calculator is intended for informational purposes only and is designed for single-family homes in Calgary.

To gather more accurate decision-making information, please consult with a professional solar installer. They should provide a detailed site review, system design engineering, an accurate quote for installation and other information tailored to your residence.

How to use the residential solar calculator

To use the residential solar calculator:

  1. Choose a location on the map below or enter an address in the search bar.
  2. Enter your electricity usage either by a.) filling in the text box with information from your electricity bill OR b.) selecting your dwelling size.
  3. Click on the "Calculate your solar potential" button.

Results will be generated showing information such as the size of solar panel system recommended, environmental impact and finance options, and resources to help you with the next steps for your solar installation.

Bhargava family

The Bhargava family home takes advantage of energy-efficient technologies and reduces emissions and home energy costs by generating electricity with solar PV. 

See their story

The residential solar calculator

1. Choose a location on the map below or enter an address in the search bar.

Skip map

  • Yields:
  • low potential Low
  • low moderate potential Low Moderate
  • high moderate potential High Moderate
  • high potential High
Map skip anchor
(required)

Example: 800 MACLEOD TR SE

(required)

2. OPTION A (more accurate results)

Input monthly electricity  consumption at this address: 

kWh

Where to find this information on your electricity bill

Providing your usage allows us to recommend the optimal solar installation size and provide the best estimate of your financial viability. If you don’t know your monthly consumption, use Option B and select the size of your dwelling.

Or

2. OPTION B

Select your dwelling size (this value includes all livable area, including finished basements.) 

  • Small

  • 2000 sq.ft and below
  • Usually 1-3 bedrooms

  • Medium

  • 2000 sq.ft - 2600 sq.ft
  • Usually 3 bedrooms

  • Large

  • 2600 sq.ft and above
  • Usually 4 and more bedrooms

Results

Address:
Solar generation

kWh/year

Installation costs

Your potential environmental impact

Carbon dioxide

metric tonnes abated annually

Passenger cars

taken off the road for 1 year

Tree seedlings

grown for 10 years

Your finance options

Buy
Regulated Rate Option ($/kWh)
Installation Cost ($/W)
Inflation rate (%)
Degradation rate (%)
Annual Operating Cost ($/kW/yr)
Electric Grid Emissions Factor (tCO2/MWh)
Interest rate

Loan
Regulated Rate Option ($/kWh)
Installation Cost ($/W)
Inflation rate (%)
Degradation rate (%)
Annual Operating Cost ($/kW/yr)
Electric Grid Emissions Factor (tCO2/MWh)
Interest rate

Calculation failed – no data

We do not currently have the data required to calculate your solar potential. This might be because your home is newer than our most recent LiDAR vintage (2020). We will correct this once our data is updated.

We recommend getting in touch with a solar provider to obtain an accurate assessment.

Need help finding a company?

How we calculate this information

The calculation of solar potential is based on solar irradiance and available roof area to install solar panels. We use The City’s Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to assess your available productive roof area taking into account obstructions, shading, roof shape, orientation and pitch.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) PVWatts tool is then used to estimate annual electricity generated by each panel. The total number of panels and their consumption is then summed to generate a solar potential for each address on an annual basis (in generalized optimal conditions).

The City provides open access to our solar potential data used to make this calculator.

Next steps

Ready to install solar on your rooftop? Here are some other resources that might help.

Disclaimer

The residential solar calculator is intended for information purposes only and as a primary solar opportunity assessment tool. It is only intended to be used within the city limits of Calgary. It is not intended to be used as a decision-making source of information for solar panel installations.

Users should contact solar professionals who will carry out a detailed site review and quote for installation. Please note that new/modified structures since the date of LiDAR collection (2018) will not be reflected within the solar potential map. 

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