FAQs

Solar Energy systems appear to be costly, but they are designed to last a long time. Usually they will last long enough so that they pay for themselves - twice. There are few long term maintenance costs to consider. Some systems could last 20 years without any need of repair. Annual inspections are a good idea and can be performed by the owner.

A properly installed and maintained Solar Energy system can benefit both buyers and sellers of homes. The buyer can offer a home that has a lower cost for heating and or electricity, thus getting a better price and attracting "Green" buyers. The buyer is getting a house with low energy costs without the fuss of installing the equipment.

Solar Energy systems are effective at saving money on energy costs. There's no doubt that Solar energy systems work well in the summer; it is just logical. But, even when the days are short and cold the sun has plenty of energyto make hot water or air. Surprise, Solar PV works best in the cold!

Heat pumps are a great complement to Solar power systems. They heat and cool efficiently, and since they use electricity, you can offset their operating cost with a Solar power system that is Grid tied. In floor heating systems can work well with larger Solar HW systems. Solar systems can do most of the work, supplemented by electricity, oil or wood.

The return on investment for Solar energy system is long term. Typical payback is 8-14 years depending on the type of system and cost of the fuel displaced. Given the long life span of the equipment, there is no reason for concern about getting your money's worth.

Like everything else that is man-made, Solar Energy systems can break down. It is not a common problem and it varies with the type of system. It is directly related to the complexity of the system. In a grid connected Solar PV system without batteries, the odds of a failure are extremely low. Systems with batteries, pumps or fans may have issues, but these usually occur when age is a factor or the system has been neglected or abused.

We try to sell as many Canadian made products as possible. Sometimes, there just aren't any local manufactures. Therefore, so we do have to sell a fair amount of products from outside Canada. All of the equipment is approved for use in Canada and at the jurisdictions level tool.

For every 1000 KWH of electricity used in Nova Scotia, 0.9 tonnes of CO2 is produced. So, if you install a Solar PV system that generates 5000 KWH per it will save 4.5 Tonnes of CO2, every year. Even a small Solar HW system can save 2 tonnes per year.

There has been talk that Solar Energy systems, particularly PV panels have a high energy debt. This means it take as much or more energy to manufacture the panel than it will produce in its life time. This may have been true years ago, but not now. With advanced manufacturing techniques most PV panels can pay back their energy debt within one year. There are even recycling facilities for end of life PV panels so they don't end up as garbage in a landfill.

Here in Nova Scotia we have a Net Metering program that allows people to sell power to the utility, Nova Scotia Power Inc. Net metering is a service to an "electric consumer" under which electric energy generated by that electric consumer (from an eligible on-site generating facility) can be delivered to local distribution facilities. The surplus energy delivered to the utility can be sold or used to offset electric energy provided by the electric utility to the electric consumer during the applicable billing period.

Nova Scotia allows net metering for up to 1000 kilowatts (kW). If your generating unit produces more energy than you use at any one time, the extra electricity will flow onto the local grid for others to use. On the other hand, if your generator isn’t producing as much as you need, you can still draw from the grid to make up the difference. When you become a net metering customer, your utility company can install a bi-directional electricity meter to monitor and record the flow of electricity to and from your home or business. If at the end of billing period you’ve produced more energy than you’ve used, you would receive a credit on your next bill. If at the end of a year you’ve still produced more electricity than you’ve used, your utility provider will give you a cash payment for the surplus energy that has not already been applied to your power bill at a rate equal to the cost of energy from the grid.

In the unlikely event of a ZA, those of us with solar power systems that have batteries will be in fine shape. As long as it is sunny every other day we will have most of the creature comforts. Just make sure the zombies don't get at your panels.