Solar costs too much upfront

With the federal Greener Homes 10-year - 0% loan, solar can be less than your electrical bill per month. In addition, you’ll be protected from energy price increases when you’re enrolled in the Net Metering program. What’s even better is that after the loan is paid, you basically have free electricity. Also, keep in mind the current government rebates of up to $3,000, which can reduce the price of your system, helping you have a faster return on investment.

Myths and Misconceptions

Installing solar damages your roof

When we design your solar system, our professional engineers make all the calculations regarding the wind and snow loading and the added weight of the panels. They will recommend if extra support would be needed for your trusses or rafters. Also, we use highly reputable solutions to mount the solar system on your roof. These solutions have been tried and tested over several years and have proven to be robust and leak-proof. As an added bonus, having solar on your roof protects your shingles from the UV rays which can damage most of the south-facing roofs prematurely.

Insurance won’t cover my house if I install solar on my roof

Most major insurance providers have no problems insuring your home with solar on the roof. This might have been in the past when the technology was still relatively new and installations were uncommon, and insurance companies were not sure what exactly they were dealing with.

Solar is not effective in Canada because it doesn’t generate anything in winter

Most of your solar energy production occurs in the summertime, and thanks to the Net Metering program, the excess energy you produce in summer is sent to the electrical grid and is stored for you in the form of credits to be used later in the winter when you need it the most. In addition to that, you still generate a decent amount in the other seasons, including winter, although less, but you can still generate around 50% of your summer production in winter. Keeping all that in mind, we design your system to offset 100% of your energy consumption year-round when possible.

FAQs

What does Net Metering mean?

Net Metering programs are offered by utility companies such as NB Power to property owners who install renewable energy systems. And it uses a utility meter that works in both directions. So, for example, in the summer, when you are overproducing electricity than you need, the excess gets fed into the utility grid to help power other homes using your renewable energy source, and in exchange, the utility company gives you credits equivalent to the energy you feed into the grid.

For example, on a sunny day in June, you produce 100 kWh of energy through your solar system, and your house only uses 20 kWh of that, so you get credits for the extra 80 kWh you produced. Then, later in the winter when your house is using more than you produce per day, you consume those credits instead of paying money.

In essence, if your system is sized properly, you will only be paying the fees for being connected to the grid and, of course, taxes on the kWh you use, but not the actual kWh price.

Are some roofs more suited for solar than others?

Yes, South facing roofs have better exposure to solar radiation all year round, which means then have better potential for solar production, but that doesn’t mean that other directions are no good, while the north side might get the least exposure, east and west still get a decent amount of sunlight making them a good candidate for solar installation.

What happens if I need to replace my roof after I install solar panels?

Solar Systems have a long lifetime of 30+ years, so if your roof might need replacing soon, you should certainly get it done before installing solar panels, because otherwise all the system components will have to be removed and reinstalled after the roof is replaced, which is of course not recommended and adds unnecessary cost.