Let's clear something up before you spend a dollar on panels.

Most advice about running a heat pump on solar power gets at least one of these three things wrong:

Myth #1: "Solar can't keep up with a heat pump in winter."

Not quite. A heat pump moves heat instead of creating it, so each kilowatt-hour of electricity it uses can deliver roughly two to four kilowatt-hours of heating, depending on the model and the outdoor temperature. That efficiency gap is why the numbers often work out better than homeowners expect.

Myth #2: "Just match your panels to your old furnace."

A furnace is rated in BTUs. Solar is sized in kilowatts and measured in kilowatt-hours. Mix those up and you can end up with a system that's too small, or one that's far bigger (and pricier) than your home needs.

Myth #3: "You'll need batteries or a fully off-grid setup."

Most households stay grid-connected with net metering, which changes the sizing conversation entirely. 🙂

So what actually decides how many panels your heat pump needs? It comes down to one number from your own home, and most people have never looked it up. The full blueprint shows where to find it and the sizing steps that follow.