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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
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: How our food choices help the planet How our gardens can help the planet 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 light in every room…
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Residential Solar Project: Review of the First Year
We’ve officially been generating solar power for one year at our British Columbia home! There has been a lot to learn through this process. As we reflect on what it has been like to have solar panels on our house, I’m taking a look at the stats for how much energy we have been creating. The Year in Numbers Our solar panel installation was completed August 1, 2019 so I’m using the period of August to July each year for comparison purposes. See below for a summary of our results. I really like numbers and spreadsheets so feel free to skip past if you don’t! The ‘Reduction in usage’ line…
