CRD Solar Water Heat Grants

[TenMile]

Anyone living in the CRD -- there is grant available to add solar water heating to your home. We had it done earlier in the year this year and our electric bill has dropped by about 20%. I live in a household of women, so as my 2 girls enter their teen years, I expect this investment will continue paying me...

2 flat plat solar thermal panels on the roof feed a heat exchanger in our basement using glycol. Installer put in a new 65gal tank. This new tank feeds our existing 50Gal electric tank. So essentially the old tank is always being fed pre-heated water. If the electric element needs to come on, it runs for a shorter time period if at all.

Hot water is made during daylight hours. It doesn't need to be a clear sunny day to generate hot water -- but the more sunlight there is the quicker the tank is heated. The 65Gal pre-heated tank provides more than we use in a day.

http://www.crd.bc.ca/education/campaigns/list-of-current-campaigns/solar-crd

 

[Klob]

What was the cost to retrofit net of rebate?

 

[Nimo]

Thanks for the link. Who did you use for the installer? Did you select from a few / get a number of quotes? We have both gas hotwater and hotwater-heating, looks worth researching for sure.

Thanks

 

[TenMile]

What was the cost to retrofit net of rebate?

The cost is outlined on the rebates/incentives page. I got the large system so the total cost (inclusive of all labour, rebates and tax) was $4,200.

 

[TenMile]

Thanks for the link. Who did you use for the installer? Did you select from a few / get a number of quotes? We have both gas hotwater and hotwater-heating, looks worth researching for sure.

Thanks

I ended up using one of their registered installers, Pacific Solar Smart. James Smyth is the owner/operator and he actually teaches the certification course at Camosun. Depending on the system you want, he has one that he has developed himself. We didn't use his system as he recommended a different one given the location of our home and water requirements. We went with the full glycol system which is basically zero maintenance.

 

[Fishin'Zinn]

We are way behind the US in terms of grants/tax rebates for solar (Both photovitalic and thermal). About time they started at least doing something (Although we will still get nowhere near the discount people in the US had/have been getting from the federal and state governments for grants!).


Yes, you want a glycol, pressurized system. You don't want the cost or maintenance of a drainback system. A good solar system can be simple, just make the right investment for a tank, collectors, lineset and controller!

 

[reb]

We went with the full glycol system which is basically zero maintenance.

Tenmile,
Good choice, keep in mind to have your glycol ph levels checked when you do the maintenance.

 

[Tsquared]

We've had one for 5 years and it's great. Our hydro bill for july/august was $75. Ours is not a glycol system--we have a tank on our roof preheated by solar tubes which then goes down and into our hot water tank. I'll be draining the roof tank in a week or two as there is not enough daily sunlight between now and mid February to make it worthwhile and then I'll turn it on again.
T2

 

[kaelc]

Thanks Tenmile. What do you guys think about heat pump hot water heaters with photovoltaic panels? Being a bachelor my electricity bill is cheap but I would like to bring it down long term.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/solar-thermal-dead

 

[Fish Assassin]

My hydro bills are $63 equil payments for a family of 3. Can't see spending $4200 to try and save more.

 

[TenMile]

My hydro bills are $63 equil payments for a family of 3. Can't see spending $4200 to try and save more.

Is that for all your heating and hot water? If so, that's amazing. Our house is 100% electric (Heat Pump, Water and lights) no gas. Our bill ranges from as low as about $70 in the summer to about $150 winter.

There are tons of energy saving techniques that are available. Cool one is a heat exchanger you put around the sewage pipe for water leaving your home. It captures the waste heat in the pipe and pre-heats your water.