Domestic energy consumption is the amount of energy that is spent on the different appliances used within housing. In an average (temperate-climate country) household, the yearly use of electricity is composed as follows:
Below, fairly accurate estimates are noted for a general private home in the temperate climate. In addition it should be noted that the latter equations do not differentiate between subtropical climates and tropical climates; again some differences may be present here as well, translating in an even greater margin of error. However a private home in a temperate country generally needs around 20000kwH a year to fulfill in its energy needs.
A private home in a subtropical country generally needs around 8000kwH a year to fulfill in its energy needs.
Other than the domestic energy consumption, the domestic electricity consumption is the amount of electricity is used within the home. Space heating apparatus that work on other energy sources (eg gas, wood from gas stoves, gas heaters, wood burners, ...) are thus not included. The electricity consumption needs to be known to be able to calculate the electricity one needs to generate to create a off-the-grid system.
As stated, for practical (off-the-grid microgeneration) use, rather than the domestic energy requirements, the domestic electricity requirements need to be taken. For general measurements for the temperate countries 4000-5000kwH is thus taken in our primary calculations.
A small-scale, rooftop wind turbine is said to be able to generate power from 10% to up to 25% of the electricity requirements of a regular house. To generate enough electricity to supply in the domestic electricity needs for a regular home annually, a single wind turbine with a rotor diameter of atleast 5 meter is needed. This will generate 5-10MW annually
According to documents by Practical Action, the amount of power generated by solar panels is between 250 and 2500 kilowatt hours per m² . As such, 16.8m² to 1.68m² on solar panels is required to fulfill in the electricity needs of a general home. According to Microgeneration.com however, 32 m² is required to generate enough electricity annually for a home to fulfill in its requirements.
