by Herm Stolte
Back in September of 2021, I had a solar system installed on my garage roof that powers both my garage and my house. I worked with Solar YYC, a local supplier, and my total costs were about $11,000. The Greener Homes Grant from the Federal Government paid out about $5,000, leaving about $6,000 as a net cost. My system is not huge, but it covers my normal electrical usage. My meter was exchanged for a two-way meter which measures how much I use from the grid, as well as how much surplus I put onto the grid for my neighbours to buy. The panels themselves have a 25-year guarantee. Two years in, I’d like to comment on how well they are working.
After everything was installed, I switched providers from Enmax to Foothills Cooperative. They allow solar users to join their Solar Club, which allows us to choose between two rates – a low rate of 8.1 cents per KWH or a high rate of 30 cents per KWH. The thinking is that one chooses the low rate during the winter when buying much of their power, then switches to the high rate during the summer when generating more than is being used. All providers must buy the surplus power at the same rate as they sell it for. I have been switching in mid-April and again in mid-October.
Since April of 2022, I have not paid a penny towards my power usage. My surplus generation has paid for all the power I’ve had to buy, as well as all the transmission, administration, GST, and other fees that have been charged. Moreover, I have been paid several hundred dollars to pay out the credit balance that accumulated over the summer during both years. At this rate, I figure that these panels will have paid for themselves within five or six years. I am extremely pleased that I got the system installed when I did. I highly recommend it.
Interested in Solar? I’d be happy to talk further about what was involved. Contact me at [email protected].
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