By: Deanna McArthur
In order to spread the word about the benefits of investing in residential renewable energy and sustainability technologies, dozens of Albertans will be opening their doors virtually to the public in June at the 2021 Eco-Solar Home Tour.
If you have been thinking about adding a solar system to your home, investing in energy efficiency technologies like geothermal heating, or are considering retrofitting your home to be net-zero, then this is the perfect event to attend.
“Our homes and buildings represent 40% of the greenhouse gases that we produce, so building better homes, or upgrading the ones we have, is a very effective way for us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Andrew Mills, President of the Eco Solar Home Tour. “During the pandemic, people have been flocking to home improvement projects. A tour like ours helps show which home improvements can have the best effect on energy efficiency by letting people connect with homeowners who have already completed them. It’s ok to want to add solar to your home, but to be able to ask questions of homeowners who have installed a system already helps a lot.”
Like most events that have taken place recently, this year’s tour will look a little different. In order to follow the COVID-19 restrictions in place in Alberta and to keep all participants safe, the tour will be held virtually via Zoom.
“The biggest challenge was trying to estimate when we could get back to an in-person tour. We prepared for four different tour scenarios from an in-person tour with masks, to a virtual-only tour,” said Mills. “It turns out that this year’s tour will need to be online, but as part of our tour preparation, we’ve been working on videos and video interviews with our homeowners, so we have online content.”
Having to transition the tour online shouldn’t be viewed as a negative, in fact, it comes with its own unique benefits according to Mills.
“During our normal in-person tours we have found that most people only get to see two homes (on average),” said Mills. “It’s tough to get to more than five or six homes in a four and a half hour tour day as you have travel between homes. With an online tour, the travel time is going to be eliminated. That means that our visitors should be able to see more homes on a tour day. It also means that attendees can visit the homes in other cities without travelling.”
“This year, anyone, anywhere, can come and see our tour homes without having to travel to Alberta. We are hopeful that we can get more people to visit more homes this year and that some of the interesting homes in remote locations will get more visitors.”
The tour consists of 32 homes in three cities, Edmonton (June 5 and 6), Calgary (June 12 and 13), and Lethbridge (June 19). Each home will be featured in a 40-minute presentation on their tour day which will include a short presentation using video and pictures which will highlight the home’s unique energy savings features, followed by Q&As with the homeowners.
Attendees can visit the Eco Solar Home Tour website now to browse the homes that will be participating in the tour and choose which ones they would like to visit on tour day. Visitors can then join the Zoom presentation during the scheduled times to get the guided tour and talk with the homeowners.
The best part? All of the tours are free to attend!
Solar Club Helps Albertans Reach Net-Zero Status
Alberta has a wealth of imaginative and environmentally sensitive people. The continued growth and popularity of events like the Eco-Solar Home Tour and the rise in the number of solar systems installed in the province are proof of that.
At UTILITYnet and Green Alberta Energy, we have been proud to support solar micro-generators in Alberta through the implementation of unique electricity retailing programs for almost a decade. Most recently, we introduced our most beneficial program yet, the Solar Club.
Alberta’s Micro-Generation Regulation allows Albertans to meet their own electricity needs by generating electricity from renewable or alternative energy sources. Under the regulation, micro-generators receive credits for the electricity they produce but do not consume. Small micro-generators are credited for the electricity sent back to the grid at their monthly retail rates.
The Solar Club was designed to pay micro-generators a reasonable price for the surplus electricity they produce and ship back to the grid. Members of the club have access to exclusive electricity rates and receive 5% cash-back on all electricity imported from the grid, annually. Additionally, Members will have 50% of the electricity they import from the grid offset by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), free.
Since its inception in 2019 over 1,000 micro-generators have joined the club and are reaping the benefits.
One such micro-generator is Lorraine and Ben Soucy, whose Net Zero Energy (NZE) home is being presented on Sunday, June 6 in the Edmonton Eco-Solar Home Tour. The Soucy’s have 52 solar panels installed on their home. The system produces enough electricity to run the home and since there is no gas line, the system’s generation fulfills its requirements for heating and electricity.
The Soucy’s have been electricity customers of Spot Power since 2017 and members of the Solar Club since its inception over two years ago.
“Initially, we were looking for an electricity provider that works with micro-generators such as ourselves,” said Lorraine. “We were drawn to Spot Power because of their great rates for generated electricity from solar and because they are a local, Alberta company.”
The key to the Solar Club’s popularity has been the ability to switch between a high export rate of 25.85 ¢/kWh and a low export rate of 7.10 ¢/kWh, with no penalties, depending on the time of year and how much electricity they are importing and exporting.
Simply put, when solar generation is highest, and a micro-generator is exporting more electricity than it is importing, they can choose to be on the 25.85 ¢/kWh rate. When the seasons begin to change, and they begin importing more electricity than they export, they can switch to the 7.10 ¢/kWh rate.
“Spot Power provides great flexibility in changing rates between the high generating months in the summer and the lower rates for the winter months,” said Lorraine. “Being able to switch between these rates and the uniquely high rates provided to us for electricity exported to the grid has meant we have been able to achieve Net Zero Energy on most years. This is a big goal achieved, allowing us to save money and live with a smaller footprint.”
“We would highly recommend Spot Power’s Solar Club to all micro-generators and have in fact recommended it to some friends who recently added solar panels to their house and became an NZE home. Our home is currently for sale and once it sells, our plan is to build another NZE home using the Solar Club as our partner.”
The Soucy’s home is a 1938 s.f. Bungalow located on 1.7 acres close to Edmonton. It includes a number of energy-efficient upgrades including:
- Enermax system through the home to ensure the building envelope is highly insulated.
- 52 solar panels and a passive solar heating design.
- Electric Solar Blinds mounted on the outside of the windows.
- 3,800 gallon underground cement cistern which collects rainwater for outdoor and some indoor water requirements.
- Low flow toilets and faucets.
- LED lighting.
- Copper Drain Water Heat Recovery System which preheats the incoming cold water with outgoing hot water.
- Two small electric furnaces to heat the home.
- A high efficient dual-core Lifebreath heat recovery ventilator that cleans the air as well as pre-warms incoming air with outgoing warm house air.
“We were first inspired to build this way during tours of other Eco-Solar Homes in the Edmonton area,” said Lorraine. “A growing awareness of the perils of climate change provided more motivation and we wanted to be part of the solution towards a cleaner future. Realizing that these were proven technologies and that we could afford the additional costs cemented our decision.”
Learn more about the Soucy’s NZE home and many others across the province at the Eco-Solar Home Tour June 5, 6, 12, 13, and 19.