Solar energy in Canada: incentives available

Solar Energy in Canada: Incentives Available

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Solar Energy In Canada: Incentives Available

Many Canadian homeowners are installing solar modules. The reasons for this are numerous: solar panels can slash energy bills, or even provide all the energy necessary to run your home. DIY solar kits make choosing and installing the right system for you easy and convenient. Solar components continue to drop in price, and experts are predicting that grid parity will be achieved in the near future.

If you are considering installing a solar electricity system, you may want to investigate programs that offer you discounts, contracts, or rebates for homeowners who make their homes more energy efficient. Some programs address solar electrical systems directly, and others merely help to cut your base energy costs by improving your home's use of energy. With a two-pronged approach -- ensuring that your home uses energy wisely, and installing renewable solar electricity – you will be cutting your own costs, and helping the planet!

National Programs

The federal government's ecoENERGY Retrofit–Homes program provides grants of up to $5,000 to help homeowners make their homes more energy-efficient and reduce the burden of high energy costs. A pre- and post-installation inspection helps to ascertain the amount of the grant. Information about the program can be found on the Natural Resources Canada website.

As well, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's "Green Home” financing can help make energy efficiency more affordable to new homeowners and owners planning to renovate.

Provincial Programs

Most provinces have programs that offer incentives for making your home more energy efficient; several also have programs that target small business. (Some cities also offer programs; it's worth checking your municipal government websites to see if you might be eligible.)

Some examples of provincial programs include:

Ontario. Through the Ontario Ministry of Energy, the Ontario Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program allows homeowners, business owners and private developers to generate renewable energy and sell it to the province at a guaranteed price for a fixed contract term. Solar photovoltaic power is one of the main contributors to this program. Administered by the Ontario Power Authority, FIT is the first comprehensive feed-in tariff program in North America. Most solar-equipped homeowners would be eligible to participate under the microFIT stream, which deals with renewable energy projects of 10 kW or less.
Saskatchewan. This prairie province receives more sunshine per year than any other province: Estevan, SK clocks a whopping 2,500 hours of sunlight per year, making it the sunniest Canadian city. SaskEnergy programs that promote renewable energy include a system of rebates for new homebuyers who purchase an energy efficient home or build a home incorporating renewable energy components, and a program that will help you to assess your house's energy efficiency in order to find ways to improve it. Most other provinces have equivalent programs designed to help homeowners cut their energy use.
British Columbia. In addition to the more common types of energy-efficiency programs, the Solar BC organization can help facilitate certain kinds of solar projects, including financial incentives for installing solar hot water plants.

As the cost-effectiveness of solar electrical systems grows, exciting new partnerships with government will be developed. Join the growing number of Canadian homeowners who have discovered the power of solar energy!

SashaSkye

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Date: October 31, 2012 4:55 PM

Solar Energy Incentives Paid for Your Extra Space

Outside of the cities of Canada, many of our rural neighbours are blessed with an abundance of land on encompassed in their property. Growing up in a small town myself, we had two acres, which everyone had, and that was not something that came with any type of wealth but simply because hardly anyone lived there and land was cheap. Many rural homes would benefit greatly from installing solar panels and producing solar energy. A lot of land goes unused which could be filled with many panels, all producing renewable energy that costs you nothing to create, but which can be sold back to the government at an attractive rate. In addition to improving the environment, why not make yourself an additional profit utilizing empty space?

Wooligan

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Date: September 7, 2012 2:32 PM

Solar power continues to grow as energy source

Solar panel manufacturer SunPower recently announced that it will build a 100 MW solar panel farm in the California central valley area of Kings County. SunPower plans to sell the power from the project to a utility company. This farm, which will be called "The Henrietta Solar Project," could provide enough solar power for 36,000 homes.

The company buying the power is PG&E, an investor-owned utility. California has a state mandate that requires its investor-owned utilities to have 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The Henrietta plant is expected to be up and running by 2016.

Individuals, governments, and businesses are all recognizing the the benefits of solar power. Look for more and more clean energy projects in the future.

ValTOGal

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Date: August 22, 2012 3:17 PM

Government Incentives Make Solar Energy Even More Practical

It is great to see governments want to get involved in encouraging residents to be more responsible when it comes to energy consumption. Maintaining a green home is the first step in reducing your environmental footprint. Provinces that are implementing FIT programs such as Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia are seeing an increase in residents who are making the switch to solar energy. Not only will your impact on the environment be minimized, you will also see a significant reduction in your energy costs. In addition, most homes with solar panels are worth more than those that are not, making them a wise investment.