Residents share solar panel installation experiences

Sunshine belt of Nova Scotia holds big potential for solar energy

The Yarmouth and surrounding area has a rich resource of solar energy that few residents are utilizing.

Close to a decade ago, Chris Atwood, executive director of CBDC Blue Water in Porters Lake, was a proponent of a seven-year climate study of southwest Nova Scotia.

“What we saw during our collection on climate data of the area was that Yarmouth and, generally speaking, the South Shore was the Sunshine Belt of Nova Scotia compared to other areas,” he says.

Unknown costs and installation mechanics for solar systems are stumbling blocks for most residents, but two Town of Yarmouth homeowners who made the leap have no regrets.

Don Deveau decided to supplement his two-bedroom, 70-year-old home with solar energy in November 2019, after seeing an online ad from the company Polaron Solartech.

“We’d been thinking about how we could make better use of green technology while saving money,” he says.

The company’s offer described a reduction in electricity bills, substantial rebates and zero per cent financing. It also offered a way to measurably lower carbon footprints.

It was determined that the best place for Deveau’s 14 panels would be on the east and south facing roofs to catch the most available sun. The goal was to have enough photo-voltaic cells to provide a substantial portion of household needs.

Deveau says that although there were processes that could have presented challenges — such as permits, inspections and rebate applications — the company handled the details and made it easy.

The main challenge was getting the project completed in a timely matter during COVID restrictions. The project took a little over a year to complete, twice as long as usual.

NS Power is involved in the installation process by providing inspections. After the company’s final inspection, the existing meter is replaced with one that acts as a reversing meter.

As soon as work is completed, the switch can be thrown to connect the system to the grid. At that point the power generated from the panels goes to the house’s electrical panel and contributes to powering the house. During peak times, such as the middle of a sunny day, excess power produced goes back to the grid through the reversing meter. The system is a practical way to avoid the expense and maintenance of an array of storage batteries.

A typical light bill from NSP (along with showing significantly less usage of electricity supplied by them) will show a credit for the number of kilowatts sent back to the grid.

Deveau says a solar panel project seems very expensive. “But when you weigh the potential benefits against the initial cost, savings can be quite substantial. I think it’s important to view it as a long-term investment.”

He makes affordable monthly payments (which are offset by their monthly power generation). Once the system is paid for, what they generate becomes “pure savings.” The family was also able to take advantage of both provincial and company rebates. Based upon the size of the system, they saved about $4,500 of the initial cost.

Another long-term financial benefit is the stabilization of electricity cost. If the cost rises, so does the price of their generated power. Research indicates solar panels also increase the value of your home. Deveau says drawbacks include the possible need to replace shingles, if necessary, before solar panels are installed, as it would be challenging afterward.

The panels are made of durable, tempered glass with no moving parts, meaning no maintenance. A system monitoring app issues an alert when required. There is a 25-year performance warranty on the panels.

Deveau recommends solar panels as a way of saving money long-term and making an immediate environmental impact.

“We have an app that monitors our system. It lets us know things like how many kilograms of carbon dioxide we are preventing from going into the atmosphere, based on the number of kilowatts we’re generating from the sun. It’s a good feeling. As a word of caution, I would also recommend using a reputable company to install your system. This is not a DIY weekend project.”

Less than three blocks away, Caroline Robertson and her family had solar panels added to their 2,600-square-foot home when the provincial government began offering a rebate program. They chose Solar

X as the company for the solar panel process. The company applied for the grant, designed the system, offered financing options and dealt with the installer. A deal was struck whereby they would provide a warranty for 20 years and remove and reinstall the panels if/when roofing work was required.

“It was more expensive to go through this company then doing it all ourselves, but we didn’t have to do anything,” says Robertson. “They designed our system and handled all the contacts with NS Power, etc.”

Their system is designed to 80 per cent of their consumption rate. Typically, systems are designed for an even higher percentage of the consumption rate. However to do this they would have had to upgrade their electrical panel, which would have been a significant cost.

RBC offered a solar mortgage rate to add the panel cost to their existing mortgage.

“With this addition the panels cost approximately as much as we were paying for a power bill, but the difference is this is an investment in our home and system versus paying out to NS Power,” says Robertson. “All this made the decision really simple for us. It didn’t change anything for us financially and we got to have a more efficient energy system.”

The biggest challenge was that their home used to be two units with separate meters. In the end, the system was set up for the downstairs unit as their family lives upstairs.

“We pay the upstairs bill and receive a credit for downstairs. It took about a year for this to work out and credit us properly. Now our bills are very small in the winter months and nothing in the summer/spring.”

As Yarmouth is a warmer part of the province and their roof has a large south-facing portion, most of the electrical is generated with no problem.

“It’s a great investment in our home. I’m proud we were able to move forward with the option.”