Frequently Asked Questions
No, batteries are not required to produce solar. Batteries are used to have your home operate if there is a power outage and do not require solar to operate. A good cost estimate for battery backup is about the cost of your solar system installation.
This is hard to say however studies have shown that solar increases the value of your property of about $3.00 per kW installed.
You'll first want to check that your roof has room for panels and can bear their weight. Talk to your management company — find out if the roof has an additional 6.5 lbs/sq ft load capacity for a ballasted solar system, and at least X sq ft of space where panels could be mounted.
You’ll also want to think about how (through which meter) the panels will connect to the grid.
Condos present a challenge here because each unit generally has its own meter, plus there is a shared meter for common areas (hallway lights, elevator, parking outlets, etc.) that is paid out of each unit’s condo fees.
In most cases, rather than running wires from the roof to various condo unit meters, the simplest option is usually to connect all of the panels to the metered power for the common areas, so the power generated would offset the shared costs covered by condo fees.
How you go about raising the upfront funds for an installation is also a tricky consideration.
Because it can be difficult to persuade every single condo owner in a building to buy-in equally, or proportionally to their unit size, the simplest option for raising the funds for such a project would be to set up a share structure, where interested condo owners would pool their funds, each contributing what they’re able with the understanding that they would each be compensated for the savings generated by the panels proportionally to the share of the total cost each contributed. Each share could be tied to the corresponding unit so it would be transferred to the next owner if the condo were sold.
For example: Abe, Betty, Carl, Dorothy and Ernie, all condo owners in Sunny Gables, each decide to contribute $5,000 to the cost of a $25,000 installation. Fred, also a condo owner in the building, chooses not to participate. Once the panels are installed, Abe, Betty, Carl, Dorothy, and Ernie would each receive an equal rebate on their condo fees that would be paid out annually by the condo association based on the money saved on the condo’s power bill. Fred would receive no rebate.
Another funding option: if your building has a healthy reserve fund, the condo association could choose to invest that fund in the cost of a solar installation with the understanding that the panels would reduce the building's power bill liabilities going forward, to the benefit of all residents.
Solar power is a green energy source which is relatively easy to integrate into existing energy systems. Going solar pays for itself over time, reduces your energy costs, and helps fuel the green energy economy!
Net Billing allows solar power generation owners to sell any excess energy they generate back to the SaskPower grid at 7.5 cents per kWh. Both consumption (power coming into your property) and generation (power going onto the grid) are recorded and billed separately. As a result, customers get charged their full retail rate per kWh when they use energy from the grid, and receive a credit of 7.5 cents per kWh by SaskPowerwhen power is provided to the grid.
There is no expiration date for solar panels, but their efficiency will degrade over time. On average, you can expect your panel's efficiency to degrade by about 10% over 20 years. Solar has no moving parts and can last a very long time. The one component that could fail over time is the inverter which has the potential to be replaced in the future.
This primarily depends on the amount of power you want to produce and the available space for your solar system. You will work closely with our team to determine the best fit for you and your home.
Your roof's suitability for solar panels is determined by many factors, including but not limited to: the size of your roof, the amount of sunlight it receives, and the material it's made of.
After you purchase a solar installation through our group buy program, the solar system is yours. If you sell your house you can either remove the system or include it in your properties value. Generally, you sell your home with the tailored solar system similarly to how you would probably leave your furnace.
Generally no upkeep or maintenance is required.
Almost all inverters come with their own monitoring software that can be used to track power production historically and real time.
Unless your project is very small, we suggest a SolarEdge inverter paired with a SolarEdge optimizers. Although the risk is low, the inverter(s) has the highest chance of failure in your solar system. Using micro inverters increases the odds of having issues with your solar system in the future by increasing the potential points of failure. In addition, micro inverters are placed outdoors exposed to the weather which can increase the wear on equipment.
There are two sizes of solar modules. Depending on the sizing and available space for the solar system, modules will be selected to appropriately fill the area where they’re being placed.
You'll first want to check that your roof has room for panels and can bear their weight. Talk to your management company — find out if the roof has an additional 6.5 lbs/sq ft load capacity for a ballasted solar system, and at least X sq ft of space where panels could be mounted.
You’ll also want to think about how (through which meter) the panels will connect to the grid.
Condos present a challenge here because each unit generally has its own meter, plus there is a shared meter for common areas (hallway lights, elevator, parking outlets, etc.) that is paid out of each unit’s condo fees.
In most cases, rather than running wires from the roof to various condo unit meters, the simplest option is usually to connect all of the panels to the metered power for the common areas, so the power generated would offset the shared costs covered by condo fees.
How you go about raising the upfront funds for an installation is also a tricky consideration.
Because it can be difficult to persuade every single condo owner in a building to buy-in equally, or proportionally to their unit size, the simplest option for raising the funds for such a project would be to set up a share structure, where interested condo owners would pool their funds, each contributing what they’re able with the understanding that they would each be compensated for the savings generated by the panels proportionally to the share of the total cost each contributed. Each share could be tied to the corresponding unit so it would be transferred to the next owner if the condo were sold.
For example: Abe, Betty, Carl, Dorothy and Ernie, all condo owners in Sunny Gables, each decide to contribute $5,000 to the cost of a $25,000 installation. Fred, also a condo owner in the building, chooses not to participate. Once the panels are installed, Abe, Betty, Carl, Dorothy, and Ernie would each receive an equal rebate on their condo fees that would be paid out annually by the condo association based on the money saved on the condo’s power bill. Fred would receive no rebate.
Another funding option: if your building has a healthy reserve fund, the condo association could choose to invest that fund in the cost of a solar installation with the understanding that the panels would reduce the building's power bill liabilities going forward, to the benefit of all residents.
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Oct
14
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Solar Grant for Member's of the Métis NationMétis individuals can access up to $15,000 in grant money for Solar Installations through the Home Efficiency Initiative Program. 14-Oct-2024 |
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Aug
26
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Investment Project 2 announcementOwners of Class C shares will be making Solar happen for this incredible community organization. 26-Aug-2024 |