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The Power of the Sun: 2023 Residential solar panel update
As we flip the calendars over to 2024, maybe you’re considering some sustainability goals for the coming year. As stated in the recent UN Climate Change activities, we are at the “beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era”. If you’ve ever thought about a transition to solar energy as a clean and renewable energy solution for your home – this might be the year! My family made the move to solar panels a couple of years ago and have been very happy with the experience. I’ve shared about the reasons we chose to do it, process of installation and set up, and other updates in past posts here.…
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Residential solar panels: 2022 year in review
Why solar panels? In study after study, it has been found that our planet is warming. And a significant part of the emissions that are causing this change in climate can be traced to the energy used to warm and cool our homes. Many people think climate change mainly means warmer temperatures. But temperature rise is only the beginning of the story. Because the Earth is a system, where everything is connected, changes in one area can influence changes in all others. The consequences of climate change now include, among others, intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and declining biodiversity. UN.org…
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Summer 2022 Solar Update
It’s been some time since my last solar update, so thought it was due! I find it endlessly fascinating to analyze the data from our panels and so wanted to share some of the 2022 metrics with you. Year over year, month to month it’s amazing to see how even our generation can be. I had expected more variation, but we really have come in at a fairly regular annual production. This year, with several additional panels brought online around April, we had expected to see a lot more energy production. But as you can see on the graph above, it wasn’t until late June/early July that we saw a…
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Canada Greener Homes Grant: 5 Steps to a More Sustainable Home
Introduction to the Canada Greener Homes Grant If you’ve ever felt that you might like to make your home more sustainable but that the cost was out of reach, the Canada Greener Homes Grant program might be for you! This program was initiated in May 2021 and, generally speaking, if you own a home and live in it as your primary residence, then you’re eligible to enroll (check the website for specific requirements)! The Canada Greener Homes grant allows for reimbursements of portions of renovations to decrease energy usage and reduce the carbon footprint of our homes – the maximum grant value from all renovations completed in the scope of…
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Residential Solar Project: Solar Panel Update 2021
Why Solar Panels? In the past months we have been sharing ways we can reduce our carbon footprint in light of the reports released this year indicating that our planet is well on the way to at least 1.5C warming. At COP26, it seemed that what needs to be done to keep warming to 1.5C is in progress, but not guaranteed to occur. One of the main issues was the use of coal for power generation with several key nations unwilling to commit to eliminating the use of coal from their energy generation processes. So, in light of these impactful decisions of nations, what can we as individuals do in…
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How Your Energy Choices Help the Planet: Solar Panels
|PR|This is a collaborative post with sponsored content. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclaimers Page. After being overwhelmed by the IPCC Report on climate change, Alison and I wanted to spend some time focusing on personal actions that could help the planet. So far we have looked at: There will be simple actions we can make in all areas of our lives to lessen our impact on the planet and energy choices in our homes are just such an example! How often have you walked around the house and turned out lights before leaving the house – or because your kids have gone through and turned every…
