The answer depends on your appliances, your location, and how many hours of sun your state receives. This guide walks you through it step by step.
Calculate my panel count →Most Nigerian homes need between 6 and 20 panels of 400W each, depending on size and whether air conditioning is included. Here's a quick reference:
| Home size | Typical daily load | Panels needed (400W) | System size | With AC? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 room flat | 2–4 kWh/day | 4–6 panels | 2 kVA | No |
| 2-bedroom flat | 4–7 kWh/day | 6–10 panels | 3 kVA | No |
| 3-bedroom house | 7–12 kWh/day | 10–16 panels | 3–5 kVA | No |
| 3-bedroom + 1 AC | 12–18 kWh/day | 14–20 panels | 5 kVA | Yes (1×1.5HP) |
| 4–5 bed duplex | 18–30 kWh/day | 18–28 panels | 8–10 kVA | Yes (2–3 AC) |
| Small office | 20–40 kWh/day | 20–36 panels | 10–15 kVA | Varies |
Step 1 — List your appliances and hours of use. Write down every appliance you want to power, its wattage, and how many hours per day you'll use it. Multiply watts × hours to get daily watt-hours (Wh) for each item. Add them all up for your total daily load.
Step 2 — Find your peak sun hours. Nigeria receives between 4.5 and 6.0 peak sun hours per day depending on location. The south (Lagos, Port Harcourt) averages 4.5–5.0 hrs. The north (Kano, Abuja) averages 5.5–6.5 hrs. Use your state's figure.
Step 3 — Apply the formula. Panels needed = Daily load (Wh) ÷ Panel wattage (W) ÷ Peak sun hours × 1.25 (efficiency factor). Example: 8,000 Wh/day ÷ 400W ÷ 5 hrs × 1.25 = 5 panels. Round up always.
Step 4 — Check your inverter can handle it. Your inverter's solar input limit must be equal to or greater than the total panel wattage. A 3 kVA Growatt hybrid typically accepts up to 4,000–4,500W of panels, so 10 × 400W panels need at least a 5 kVA inverter.
| Appliance | Typical wattage | Daily use (hrs) | Daily consumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| LED bulb (per bulb) | 9W | 8 hrs | 72 Wh |
| Ceiling fan | 60–80W | 10 hrs | 700 Wh |
| Standing fan | 40–60W | 10 hrs | 500 Wh |
| 32" LED TV | 50–70W | 6 hrs | 360 Wh |
| Fridge (medium) | 100–150W | 24 hrs (cycles) | 800–1,200 Wh |
| Freezer (chest) | 100–180W | 24 hrs (cycles) | 900–1,400 Wh |
| Inverter AC (1HP) | 750–900W | 8 hrs | 6,000–7,200 Wh |
| Inverter AC (1.5HP) | 1,100–1,300W | 8 hrs | 8,800–10,400 Wh |
| Water pump (0.5HP) | 370W | 2 hrs | 740 Wh |
| Washing machine | 400–600W | 1.5 hrs | 600–900 Wh |
| Laptop | 45–65W | 6 hrs | 270–390 Wh |
| Phone charger | 10–25W | 3 hrs | 30–75 Wh |
Fixed-speed (non-inverter) air conditioners consume 2–3× as much electricity as inverter models and are very difficult to run on solar efficiently. If you want to include air conditioning in your solar system, inverter-type ACs are essential — they consume power proportionally to the cooling needed rather than cycling on and off at full power.
| Region | States | Peak sun hours/day |
|---|---|---|
| South-West | Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti | 4.5 – 5.2 hrs |
| South-South | Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River | 4.4 – 5.0 hrs |
| South-East | Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi | 4.6 – 5.2 hrs |
| North-Central | FCT, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, Plateau | 5.2 – 6.0 hrs |
| North-West | Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Jigawa | 5.8 – 6.5 hrs |
| North-East | Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe | 5.5 – 6.5 hrs |
Panels generate energy during daylight; batteries store it for night use. You need both in the right ratio. A common mistake is oversizing batteries without enough panels to recharge them — meaning batteries start each night partially discharged and gradually degrade. As a rule of thumb, you want enough panels to fully recharge your battery bank on a typical sunny day while also running your daytime loads.
Yes, but with limits. Your inverter has a maximum solar input rating — adding panels beyond this limit won't help and could damage the inverter. If you anticipate growing power needs, tell your installer upfront so they specify an inverter with headroom for expansion. Some Growatt and Deye models allow parallel inverter stacking for very large future systems.
In Nigeria (which sits near the equator, 4°–14°N latitude), panels should ideally face true south at a tilt angle roughly equal to your latitude. In practice, south-facing roofs with a tilt of 10–20° produce near-optimal output. East or west-facing roofs lose roughly 10–20% output. North-facing roofs are the least ideal but still workable — your installer should account for roof orientation when sizing your panel count.
Our calculator does this calculation automatically based on your actual appliances and state. Free, and takes 2 minutes.