I bought a solar system today. Does that make me a space cadet?

[Corbin]

Our 21.6 KW system with AGM battery backup was easy to pay for while we are working. When we retire in 5-7 years there will be no heating, cooling, lighting or car charging bills. Electricity is only going to get more expensive. We expect to be 100% solar until we're pushing up daisies.

However, the new boat is going to go through lots of diesel.

 

[Max123]

I get the desire for solar - particularly the idea that electrical generation is something that we all need, and price fluctuation is potentially beyond our control. There is a strong argument to be made that private solar generation takes the power away from the big guy and brings it back to you.

The counter argument is that the average cost of power in BC is around $0.12 kw/hr (blend of step 1&2 residential rates). It is among the cheapest residential rates in all of north america (I believe the near term average price increase over the past 10-20 years is actually less than the rate of inflation, which is frankly astonishing). It is an incredibly stable price, not connected to the highs and lows of the oil market because its mainly generated from hydro and managed tightly by the Utility Commission.

I think its important to step back and think about how BC Hydro is a crown corporation - we literally own it. Our tax dollars, our parents tax dollars, and our grandparents tax dollars. In the lower mainland, we have generating station such as the powerhouse at Buntzen lake that are over 100 years old. The current price/stability of electricity in BC is the success story of a multi-generational investment of citizens that is paying off.

I'm not saying to scap your solar project, just realize that the guy on the radio saying 'prices only go up' and 'buy solar with free money' has his own motivations and may be playing more towards perceptions than reality. The BC energy market is not the Alberta energy market - Alberta went from about $0.07/kw in 2020 to $0.24/kw in 2023 and back down to $0.134 in 2024. Crazy price instability over the past 10 years. If I lived in Alberta, I'd have a forest of solar panels on my roof!

 

[kaelc]

BC Hydro is jacking prices 3.75% for each of the next two years and probably “can’t stop, won’t stop”. I bet @fish brain investment is looking pretty good.

How are solar projects looking right now for an ROI? Anyone run the numbers recently and pulled the trigger on the south or east island?

We have a 18.5 year old roof and no heat pump or ev yet, but a hot tub and a family of 6 living under one roof. I’ll need to add or upgrade our service if I add an EV or heat pump, my in laws live downstairs so adding a service and a separate bill might give us the tiered rate but complicate a solar install? I’m looking at a mortgage renewal next year and want to be conservative on any home “investments”.

 

[Irishwolf]

Just make sure you don’t live beside a ripe for development lot or don’t bother. Cities are blinded by density atm and as a result, planning of urban form no longer exists -- they do not care about you or your investments -- they just want units. Cities have planning "guidelines" that they say must be followed, but its a 'must be followed' until they don't.

In my case, a proposed 6-plex is set to be built next to my home in Victoria. It will tower over my house by a story and a half, blocking a significant portion of my afternoon sun, impacting both my backyard and my solar system. My solar provider estimates at least a 15% loss in energy production, but the city doesn't seem to understand or care that this directly contradicts both their planning policies and their stated climate goals.

And this isn't just a municipal issue. At the provincial level, the Ministry of Housing is aggressively accelerating infill under Bill 44, but there's been no coordination with the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions who promote solar roofs through taxpayers money to fund it's CleanBC program (I used this program). It's a policy failure from the top down.

The most frustrating part? The city's own development guidelines include solutions to prevent exactly this kind of impact, but they won't enforce them. I’ve been pushing back for weeks and have finally gotten the attention of the Mayor and my local councillor. Time will tell if that actually leads to anything.

Big Buyer Beware on this one!

 

[kaelc]

Just make sure you don’t live beside a ripe for development lot or don’t bother. Cities are blinded by density atm and as a result, planning of urban form no longer exists -- they do not care about you or your investments -- they just want units. Cities have planning "guidelines" that they say must be followed, but its a 'must be followed' until they don't.

In my case, a proposed 6-plex is set to be built next to my home in Victoria. It will tower over my house by a story and a half, blocking a significant portion of my afternoon sun, impacting both my backyard and my solar system. My solar provider estimates at least a 15% loss in energy production, but the city doesn't seem to understand or care that this directly contradicts both their planning policies and their stated climate goals.

And this isn't just a municipal issue. At the provincial level, the Ministry of Housing is aggressively accelerating infill under Bill 44, but there's been no coordination with the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions who promote solar roofs through taxpayers money to fund it's CleanBC program (I used this program). It's a policy failure from the top down.

The most frustrating part? The city's own development guidelines include solutions to prevent exactly this kind of impact, but they won't enforce them. I’ve been pushing back for weeks and have finally gotten the attention of the Mayor and my local councillor. Time will tell if that actually leads to anything.

Big Buyer Beware on this one!

Yikes! We have a double lot and my neighbour is a realtor and has mentioned the big D word. Our lots and homes are likely too expensive to be worth it right now, but the ones across the street and above us in our small hill are ripe for development, older houses on lots that are smaller more affordable. I’ll have to take that risk into account. Home the city does something for you.

 

[Irishwolf]

Yikes! We have a double lot and my neighbour is a realtor and has mentioned the big D word. Our lots and homes are likely too expensive to be worth it right now, but the ones across the street and above us in our small hill are ripe for development, older houses on lots that are smaller more affordable. I’ll have to take that risk into account. Home the city does something for you.

Thanks. When you do your quoting, ask the solar provider to model input based on a 50ft house on either side of you- or which ever side would give you the most sun. Most companies will do this.

 

[kaelc]

Thanks. When you do your quoting, ask the solar provider to model input based on a 50ft house on either side of you- or which ever side would give you the most sun. Most companies will do this.

Will do, my other neighbour is close to going into assisted living and the home isn’t updated, so will likely be bulldozed.

The most recent sale on our street had a nice drive way to the back yard which is rare in a city so was snapped up to be lived in for way to much money, and they immediately did a heat pump and aren’t developing it yet but it’s ripe for a garden suite.

The houses at the end of our street on a busy road are now approved for 25-30 townhouses at a million a pop but none have sold as far as I know, and the developer isn’t rushing to knock them down but has put up some improved “marketing fence”. Maybe they will go bankrupt like other developers, if they borrowed the 4mill for the lots the interest payments are adding up. A few townhomes have sold close to that price near pacific Christian school on a quiet street, except when the Christian parents are speeding to get their kids to school on time.

The house beside us that will go first to bulldozer heaven and is west of me but still, will effect afternoon sun. Had planned for this to be my for ever home but my C-Dory and Truck Camper might be my forever home the way my wife is talking. Might be good to keep the discussion going with my realtor neighbour about a land assembly! But if the condo crash in van and Toronto spread, there will be no land assembly or 6 plexes, or even solar beyond my camper and boat in my future.

 

[Rain City]

This is one of my clients houses in Point Grey. This is her yard and the house has multislide doors across the entire back. This infill house is part of a multi-plex development being built next door. She just happened to send me these the other day. Her house was probably worth 6m? at the peak. Who's going to buy it now if she decides to sell. Lot value for tear downs would be around 3.5, so no developer would touch her house. I can't imagine having to knock down that garage .

 

[kaelc]

Looks like a good place to plant fast growing trees. Dam do you think it has an elevator? One thing I love about our place is you can slide a full cooler into the garage and then walk right from the kitchen into the garage to grab a fish.

 

[sly_karma]

I had an assessment done for possible solar array on my home last week. They were able to fit more panels than I would have thought, a 13 kW system could be installed. That would provide about 95% of our annual consumption, including the EV. Waiting for quotes now, but $2.50/W is still rule of thumb. So about $32-35K. Payout through savings, at the existing electricity rate, would be ~19 years. Future rate increases would shorten the payout period.

This is more than I though we could generate with this roof layout, does have me thinking. Especially as we want to replace the old central air unit with a heat pump before it fails altogether - 38 years old now, it can't last forever. The extra electricity used in winter wouldn't be fully covered by solar in summer, but better than paying for all of it..

 

[Irishwolf]

I had an assessment done for possible solar array on my home last week. They were able to fit more panels than I would have thought, a 13 kW system could be installed. That would provide about 95% of our annual consumption, including the EV. Waiting for quotes now, but $2.50/W is still rule of thumb. So about $32-35K. Payout through savings, at the existing electricity rate, would be ~19 years. Future rate increases would shorten the payout period.

This is more than I thought we could generate with this roof layout, does have me thinking. Especially as we want to replace the old central air unit with a heat pump before it fails altogether - 38 years old now, it can't last forever. The extra electricity used in winter wouldn't be fully covered by solar in summer, but better than paying for all of it..

A 38 year old central air unit must be guzzling the power! Time to send it back to 1980!

 

[sly_karma]

And it sounds like a helicopter taking off!

We will keep the fairly new condensing gas furnace as a backup for cold days when heat pump efficiency starts to drop off. That means not needing a more expensive cold climate series heat pump.

 

[cuttlefish]

Kaelc, Have you considered a solar hot water system? https://hydrosolar.ca/

 

[sly_karma]

Simpler and cheaper to go all PV and use the electricity generated to heat water in a conventional immersion hot water tank.

 

[baddogg]

BC Hydro is jacking prices 3.75% for each of the next two years and probably “can’t stop, won’t stop”. I bet @fish brain investment is looking pretty good.

How are solar projects looking right now for an ROI? Anyone run the numbers recently and pulled the trigger on the south or east island?

We have a 18.5 year old roof and no heat pump or ev yet, but a hot tub and a family of 6 living under one roof. I’ll need to add or upgrade our service if I add an EV or heat pump, my in laws live downstairs so adding a service and a separate bill might give us the tiered rate but complicate a solar install? I’m looking at a mortgage renewal next year and want to be conservative on any home “investments”.

I am having a system installed. Our quote by Shift Energy was $28,000 for a 25 panel 12 kw system. There is a $5,000 rebate available at the moment so it drops to $23,000. They provided 3 different quotes and we chose the middle one as it best suited our needs. There is also an interest free loan of up to $40,000 available payable over 10 years. A few hoops to jump through but it is an option.

We are not installing a battery bank for storage as we have a stand by generator already. Extra power generated will go back to the grid as a credit to be used in darker times. I have two buddies that have it already and love it. I should have done it earlier..............

 

[Irishwolf]

I am having a system installed. Our quote by Shift Energy was $28,000 for a 25 panel 12 kw system. There is a $5,000 rebate available at the moment so it drops to $23,000. They provided 3 different quotes and we chose the middle one as it best suited our needs. There is also an interest free loan of up to $40,000 available payable over 10 years. A few hoops to jump through but it is an option.

We are not installing a battery bank for storage as we have a stand by generator already. Extra power generated will go back to the grid as a credit to be used in darker times. I have two buddies that have it already and love it. I should have done it earlier..............

I used Shift. Did a fab job. I got a few bad panels (not their fault) and each time one failed they were out in a flash to replace. Very happy with them. They also guarantee their input assuming of course no one builds a high rise beside you! 🫩

 

[wildmanyeah]

Payout through savings, at the existing electricity rate, would be ~19 years

I know it does not apply to BC, but most of the people that are doing it in the US are seeing way faster paybacks as rates have gone up way more than predicted.

 

[Cookie's Cutter]

Have you ever considered drying clothes outside on a clothes line?

 

[kaelc]

Kaelc, Have you considered a solar hot water system? https://hydrosolar.ca/

Cool they have combined solar hot water and electric. Last time I looked at it a Heatpump Hot Water tank was more efficient but I haven't seen them take off here. We have on demand gas hot water, just spent a bundle on a new re-circ pump. Probably stick with gas until it fails and assess them, we have a very small mechanical room for 6 people so the on-demand works well.

 

[Irishwolf]

Have you ever considered drying clothes outside on a clothes line?

Maybe that’s how I could get back at the developer beside me. Just hang my dirty gatchies over the fense 24/7.

“Sorry I have no choice, your blocking my power!”