Solar Panels for Aircon in the Philippines: How Many Do You Need?

How Many Solar Panels Do You Need for an Aircon?

This table matches a month of aircon use with a month of solar production. It assumes 8 hours a day and 30 days, using Midea Philippines' published usage figures and our package finder's conservative planning formula, about 51 kWh a month from one 620 W panel.

Usage figures come from a manufacturer's table and are averages, not a measurement of your unit. One Philippine installer's guide assumes much higher use for a 1.5 HP unit, about 1.2 to 1.5 kWh an hour, which would mean about 6 to 8 panels at the same hours. Hot rooms, low thermostat settings and older units push use higher, so check against your own bill. Electricity value uses the October 2026 Meralco overall rate of ₱15.0615 per kWh, rounded to ₱10. Meralco's rate changes monthly, so use the one on your bill. These are planning figures, not a savings promise.

Solar panel for a 1 HP aircon

A 1 HP inverter unit at 8 hours a day is the smallest load on the table, at about 113 kWh a month or about 3 panels. A non-inverter 1 HP unit uses about 180 kWh, which is about 4 panels. Window-type units are often in this group, so check whether yours is inverter or not before using these numbers.

Solar panel for a 1.5 HP aircon

At about 3 panels for an inverter unit, 1.5 HP sits close to the 1 HP count only because of rounding: 150 kWh is just under what 3 panels make on our formula. Hours matter more than the rounding. Run the same unit 12 hours a day and it uses about 225 kWh, or about 5 panels.

Solar panel for 2 HP and 2.5 HP aircons

A 2 HP inverter unit needs about 5 panels and a 2.5 HP inverter unit about 6. Non-inverter units of these sizes reach about 8 and 10 panels. At this level, roof space becomes part of the decision, so a site assessment is worth doing early.

Work It Out for Your Own Aircon

Horsepower is not the same as electricity use. Two 1.5 HP units can use very different amounts of power depending on their technology, the room and the thermostat setting. To get closer to your real number:

1. Find the power inputLook for the input watts on the energy label or spec sheet. An inverter unit usually runs below this figure once the room is cool, so treat it as an upper limit.
2. Estimate your hoursCount hours per day for each unit, and note how many fall between morning and late afternoon.
3. Calculate monthly kWhInput watts ÷ 1,000 × hours a day × 30 days. A non-inverter unit is close to this. An inverter unit often uses much less, so a figure from your own bill is better.
4. Divide by panel outputDivide by about 51 kWh per 620 W panel and round up. Actual output depends on your roof, shading and the weather.

When comparing units, the energy label's CSPF rating helps: a higher CSPF means more cooling for the same electricity. Our package finder can also turn your whole monthly bill into a starting size, and the solar cost and sizing guide explains the other factors.

Daytime vs. Night: When You Use the Aircon Changes the Setup

Matching monthly kWh does not mean the panels power the aircon whenever it is on. This is the question most panel-count guides skip.

Using a battery for night-time aircon

A 1.5 HP inverter unit at 8 hours a night uses about 5 kWh per night on these figures, an average of roughly 0.6 kW. At 51.2 V, a 100 Ah battery holds about 5.1 kWh and a 314 Ah battery about 16 kWh. So one night of aircon would use nearly all of a 100 Ah battery, but about a third of a 314 Ah one. Usable capacity is lower than these nominal figures, and your other evening loads share the same battery, so ask for usable kWh in writing. See solar battery storage for how backup is planned.

Using Net Metering instead

Net Metering lets excess daytime solar earn bill credits, which you can then use against what you buy at night. It is usually less valuable per kWh than using solar directly: Meralco says credits are based on its monthly blended generation cost rather than the full retail rate. Unused credits are banked and carried forward. Compare your options in Net Metering vs. zero export.

Can Solar Run Your Aircon During a Brownout?

It depends on the system, and many people assume wrongly here.

• Grid-tied, no battery: No. Meralco notes that a grid-connected system must stop energizing its lines during an outage, so a standard grid-tied system shuts down even when the sun is out.
• Hybrid with battery: Only if the aircon is on a backed-up circuit and the inverter and battery are sized for it. Most homes back up lights, Wi-Fi, refrigeration and fans, and leave aircons on grid-only circuits because they drain a battery quickly.
• Off-grid: Yes, if designed for it, but aircon greatly increases the panel and battery capacity needed. See off-grid solar systems.

If backup cooling matters, say so at the start. Tell your installer which room, which unit and how long you want it to run. A non-inverter unit is harder to back up, because its compressor draws a brief surge each time it starts, and the inverter must handle that. Hybrid solar systems explains how essential-load circuits work.

Solar Panels for Aircon and Refrigerator

Add each appliance's monthly kWh and divide by panel output. These examples use a refrigerator at 40 kWh a month, which is only an illustration. Use the figure from your own unit's energy label or spec sheet.

For most homes, the better starting point is the whole bill rather than a list of appliances. A ₱10,000 bill at the October 2026 rate is about 664 kWh, so a single 1.5 HP inverter unit at 150 kWh would be under a quarter of it. Your aircon may be the biggest single load without being most of the bill.

Can You Install Solar for the Aircon Only?

Not in the way most people picture it. A grid-connected solar system feeds your home's main electrical panel, so its power goes to whatever is running. You can size the system around your aircon use, but you cannot reserve it for one appliance.

A truly separate setup, with its own panels, inverter and battery wired only to the aircon, is an off-grid system. It works without touching your other circuits, but it must carry the whole aircon load by itself, and its output goes unused when the aircon is off. For most homes on the grid, one system serving the whole house makes better use of the panels.

How Much Does Solar for an Aircon Cost?

These are the smallest listed hybrid packages that meet each panel count. Prices include installation labor, standard materials, 12% VAT and a battery, and are as listed on November 6, 2026. They cover the aircon's energy only, not the rest of your home.

A larger size can have a lower starting price because the battery differs. The lowest listed 6 kW package has a Dyness DL5.0F 100 Ah (IP20) battery, while our listed 5 kW packages have larger ones. Final prices follow a site assessment.

The hybrid solar price list shows every size and option. Selected packages also have a 36-month, 0% interest option from ₱7,500.00 a month, subject to financing approval; the installment guide explains how that compares with your bill. For payback, see the solar ROI guide. Grid-tied systems without a battery are quoted after assessment.

Should You Upgrade the Aircon Before Going Solar?

If you still run an old non-inverter unit, compare this before sizing. In Midea's table, a 1.5 HP non-inverter unit uses about 240 kWh a month and a standard inverter about 150 kWh. That 90 kWh gap is worth about ₱1,360 a month at the October 2026 rate and about 2 fewer panels on our formula.

A Meralco Power Lab test reported in 2023 found up to 42% lower electricity cost on a 1.0 HP window-type inverter unit, at 25°C and high fan. Your result depends on your unit and habits, and a newer aircon has its own cost, so price both options. An aircon that is already inverter and working well usually stays.

Your Next Step: Get a Size Based on Your Home

Have these ready when you talk to any installer. They turn a rough panel count into a real design:

Bright Horizon Solar (JPMC Engineering Services) is based in Binangonan, Rizal, and has installed 300+ solar systems for homes and businesses across Rizal, Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and the wider CALABARZON area. You can see completed projects, such as this 6.20 kWp hybrid solar installation in Caloocan City, Metro Manila, and our Google Maps listing and reviews.