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Q1. I live in a standard 1500 sq ft home and would like to know how much it would cost
for me to get all my electricity from solar panels and/or wind turbines, and disconnect from the local electrical utility?
A1. The size of the home is irrelevant to determining the cost of going off-grid. Only the
electrical requirement is of importance. The best way to determine your electrical requirement is to fill out a spreadsheet that lists all of the electrical appliances to be used with the
daily/monthly usage rates. This is also an excellent approach to
determine which appliances are essential and which are only desirable, and which can or should be upgraded with newer, energy-efficient ones. We would be happy to e-mail a copy of our spreadsheet for you to fill out.
A faster way is to look at your consumption on your current electrical bill. According to the electrical
utility, an average home uses 750 KW of power each
month or 25 KW each day. This would require a solar array of at least 12.5 KW to compensate for the 2 hours of sunshine on an average winter day (worst case). The cost of this array alone can be as much as $125,000 and is generally not a feasible option.
For those that are interested in being off-grid and cannot afford to install such a system at once, there is the option of doing it gradually.
Q2. What government incentives are in place to support the installation of renewable energy systems?
A2. There are several incentives in place to help offset the capital cost of a renewable energy system as follows:
PST Rebate. The Government of Ontario will reimburse owners for the PST paid on any installed
solar or wind electrical generating system.
Introduced in the fall of 2009 by the Government of Ontario, the MicroFIT program will pay 80.2 cents per
kW that is generated by renewable energy.
Tax deduction. For
those systems that are selling power back to the electrical grid, the owners will be allowed to depreciate their assets on their personal income taxes. If the system is generating more
than 3KW then the deduction can be as high as 33% per year.
Q3. I have been trying to find information on renewable energy use that is applicable
to Canada and more specifically Ottawa. Where can I get this information?
A3. NRCan and CMHC are two organizations that conduct renewable energy research that is
applicable to Canada. The Renewable Energy portion of the NRCan web site is http://www2.nrcan.gc.ca/es/erb/erb/english. CMHC does
most of its research in Ottawa. It is best to surf their web site (www.cmhc.gc.ca) for detailed information pamphlets that are applicable to your interests.
In addition, Quallium retails The Renewable Energy Handbook by Bill Kemp that discusses living off grid in the Ottawa region. The information it contains is useful even if you are planning a grid-tie application.
Q5. I am very concerned about power outages. What can I do with solar or wind to have an emergency back-up power supply?
A5. The first aspect to consider for an emergency back-up system is to determine what
electrical appliances are critical; for example, sump pumps, medical equipment, furnace motors, refrigerators, hallway lighting et cetera. Once that has been evaluated it is possible to
determine if solar panels or wind turbines can be used with a battery bank to power these circuits. If you live in a city then wind may not be an option due to buildings regulations.
For a solar powered back-up system all that is needed is access to direct sunlight and sufficient space to store a battery bank.
Q6. What is the payback period for a renewable energy system?
A6. The payback period for a renewable energy system is highly dependent on several
factors. If you wish to install solar power in a house that is already connected to the grid then the system would have a payback of between 10 years or more, depending on the system.
If you are looking to offset the cost of bringing hydro to a rural home then the payback can be instantaneous due to
the huge fees charged by the utility company to bring power to your house.
Q7. I cannot afford to put in a system to replace all of my power needs at once
and I still want to use renewable energy. What options are available?
A7. Our systems can be designed with the ability to be upgraded. Certain parts can be
easily upgraded and others may need to be
replaced if they have not been sized to handle your ultimate electrical requirements upfront. The most important aspect is to size the inverter powerboard to handle the ultimate electrical requirement. This component is the limiting factor in determining how far a system can be upgraded.
Q8. What financing options are available to me to support the installation of a renewable energy system?
A8. Financing options are available through your local bank. These include rolling the
system upgrades into an existing or new mortgage, taking out a secured line of credit against your home, using an unsecured line of credit, or taking out a standard demand loan.
Q9. What is involved in getting a quotation on a renewable energy system?
A9. In order for us to be able to provide a reliable quote we must know your electrical
requirements. The best way to determine these requirements is to complete our electrical spreadsheet.
Q10. I’m thinking of buying a system. Can you come to my house to discuss my options?
A10. There is no need, in the early stages, for us to visit your site. A site visit is only
required once an estimate has been provided to you and you have agreed to commit. There is a $250 fee for the site visit, payable at the time of the visit. This fee is fully deductible from
the price of the renewable energy system you purchase.
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