“How much solar for a 5 marla house?” is probably the most common question we get. The honest answer is that it depends on the family, not the plot size. But a worked example helps, so here’s a realistic one based on the kind of homes we see every week.
- Hybrid inverter around 4 to 6kW.
- Roughly 8 to 10 panels in the 550 to 600W range.
- One 5kWh lithium battery for evenings and load shedding.
- One inverter AC on solar during the day is realistic.
The family and their appliances
A family of five in a single-storey 5 marla house with:
- 5 ceiling fans, 10 LED lights
- 1 refrigerator, 1 washing machine
- 1 water motor (1 HP)
- 1 LED TV, WiFi router, phone charging
- 1 inverter AC, 1.5 ton, used mostly in summer afternoons and nights
- Iron and microwave used occasionally
Their summer bills show around 500 to 700 units a month, and winter around 200 to 300.
Inverter
The biggest daytime moment is the AC running while the motor starts and someone irons. A 3kW inverter would trip often. A 4kW to 6kW hybrid handles it comfortably. If they want room to add a second AC later, 6kW is the safer choice. The Prism 4kW and Empire 6kW are typical fits.
Panels
For a 6kW inverter, around 10 panels of about 580W gives roughly 5.8kW of panel power. On a 5 marla roof, after the stair room and water tank, this usually fits on a raised structure or in one or two neat rows. Our roof space guide explains the maths.
Battery
For evenings and normal night load shedding (fans, lights, fridge, router), roughly 4 to 5kWh is needed. One 5kWh lithium battery covers that. Running the AC all night on battery would need two or three more, which most families skip and leave the AC on grid at night.
What this setup does
- Daytime: fans, fridge, motor, washing, and the AC in the afternoon run on solar.
- Evening: battery runs lights, fans and TV through the costly evening hours.
- Load shedding: house keeps running, except heavy AC use at night.
- Winter: solar covers most of the much smaller winter load.
How to adjust it for your home
No AC? A 3 to 4kW inverter with 6 to 8 panels may be enough.
Two ACs? Lean toward 6kW or more, with 10 to 12 panels if the roof allows.
Long night load shedding? Add a second battery.
Double-storey with more people? Check the bill, you may be closer to a 10 marla setup.
Get your own number
This example is a starting point, not a quote. Put your own appliances into the load calculator, and check your last 12 bills. If the numbers look different from this example, trust your numbers.
Have a 5 marla house?
Send us your appliance list and a recent bill. We’ll tell you how close this example is to what you need.