It’s hard to believe in the middle of rainy January, but Victoria has an annual average sunshine of 2,233 hours (I looked it up!).
Here’s another bit of trivia: Usedom Island in Germany boasts of 1,906 hours, the highest amount of annual sunshine in that country.
The reason I mention these ’stats’ is because Germany has taken up the use of solar as a source of water heating in a big way. According to research done by the Institute for Sustainable Technologies in Austria, ‘Germany has 8,804,000 square metres of solar panels installed over 1,171,043 systems saving over 457 million litres of oil and 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide’. 1
If solar works in Germany, it stands to reason it should work here in Victoria!
The BC Sustainable Energy Association certainly believes that’s the case. Through its SolarBC program introduced in mid 2008 it will facilitate the installation of 2,000 solar hot water systems in homes throughout BC by the end of 2010. While that is significant of itself, this program is said to be part of a much larger program aimed at seeing 100,000 solar roofs installed in BC by 2020. (As an aside, if you’re looking for a career or business opportunity, this area would seem to offer a lot of promise).
SolarBC estimates the cost of a solar installation will be between $4,500 and $7,000, depending in part on the configuration of the installation and in part on the location in the Province. What do you gain for that?
Estimates are that the solar installation will reduce the hot water bill for an average family of four by about one-half. Energy-wise, hot water heating is the second biggest energy consumer in the typical home, second only to household heating. Reducing your hot water energy bill by 50% could be significant. As the costs of energy (inevitably, in my humble opinion) become increasingly expensive, the dollar savings will increase.
There are incentives under the SolarBC program of up to $1,625. Of that, $1,000 is a cost reduction at the point of sale to the cost of equipment, underwritten by the BC government. The remaining $625 is payable upon completion of the installation by a certified contractor, and following the confirmatory energy audit (two energy audits or assessments are needed, at $150 per). The $625 is underwritten in part by the Province under ‘Live Smart BC’ and in part by the feds under its ‘ecoEnergy Retrofit’.
An alternate arrangement is available under which low-cost financing is provided, although the $1,000 cost subsidy is reduced to $300. Full program details are available at SolarBC’ s website.
A final thought. These systems are commonly installed on the roof. If your roof is due for a replacement soon, and if you have the choice, it seems to me it would make sense to coordinate the two projects.
Bye for now,
...Victoria's blogging real estate professional.
