Homeowners considering solar power have a new digital tool to help make the decision.
The City of Calgary has launched
. City environmental specialist Lewis Percy said it’s a simple way for people to determine the cost benefit of installing panels.
"The whole process is extremely quick," Lewis said. "You log on, you input your address, and select the size of your home and within a number of seconds, that calculator will give you your solar potential, and also the cost and the benefit from a financial perspective."
Percy added that the city’s calculator is not a replacement for a site survey, which can produce more specific results, but is a good starting point to explore solar options.
“You can very quickly get an idea of ‘is my house actually, you know, pretty well positioned for solar, or might I need to talk to someone to understand why it's not showing the results I'm expecting?" he said.
SOLAR PAYS FOR ITSELF
Zeno Renewables specializes in residential solar installations. Co-CEO Kai Fahrion said while a federal grant of up to $5000 for installing energy efficient upgrades to homes has boosted solar uptake, even without the government support solar pays for itself.
“Financially, it makes sense. You're seeing paybacks in seven-to-nine-year period, if not quicker. So yeah, it makes sense. Day and night. It makes sense.”
In explaining how it makes sense both day and night – since there’s no sunshine at night – Fahrion pointed to Alberta’s microgeneration agreements which allow homeowners to feed excess power back into the grid through bidirectional power meters.
“So that in those times when it's not sunny you can take that power back, and you're getting in a one to one ratio. So, you're not really missing out," he said. "Where it comes into play here is that you have about eight months of really sunny days here (in Calgary), where you're often over-producing, you can use those credits for ... winter months.”
SUBSTANTIAL INITIAL INVESTMENT
An average home installation can run between $10,000 to $20,000, so for most homeowners it’s a substantial investment.
Calgarian Boyd Stewart crunched the numbers before shelling out for an 11.16 kilowatt solar installation for his Coventry home. Stewart expects his system to pay for itself and start pumping out profit in as few as seven years.
"Obviously, with the long days in the summertime, and there's only two of us in the house we're not utilizing a whole lot of energy," Stewart said. "In the end, we're going to be probably using half of the power that we will be producing."
Despite that, Stewart said the financial payoff wasn’t his prime motivation in installing the panels on his roof.
"I just wanted to do my part," he said. "I've been looking into the environment part of it. Even though I am in oil and gas, I still want to do my part."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.