by Lynn Lefevre
In the February 2023 edition of the BANAR (blackburnhamlet.ca/green), I wrote about the upgrades made to my home in order to reduce my impact on the environment. My plan for 2024 was to add Solar panels to my roof and, if possible, some form of battery backup. I am happy to report that this was successfully completed, although it took a lot longer and had more challenges than I had anticipated.
After taking time to learn about solar and battery systems and the associated products, I had a good idea of what my ideal system would include. I had also researched the local solar providers and had narrowed the list down to four who had very good reviews from members of various Electric Vehicle and Net Zero forums.
The quest began in March 2024 when I sent out request for quotes to the four companies. Three responded promptly saying they would provide a quote before the end of the month. The fourth never responded even after I made additional attempts to contact them. By the end of the month, I had received two quotes with no further communications received from company number 3.
Even though I only had 2 quotes, the winner was clear as the costs were similar but there was a major difference in the quality and brand of products used. In addition, the winning quote was based on an integrated ecosystem from major brands with really good warrantees on all of the components.
In my initial research, I had been advised to check with my home insurance provider before signing any solar contracts as some insurance companies will not cover homes with solar installations. Soon after contacting my insurance broker, I received the bad news – I would not be covered by my current provider. The worse news is my broker spent almost two months searching for an insurance provider who would cover my home and was having little luck finding one who met all of my needs.
At this point, my chosen solar provider suggested I contact a bank who had provided coverage to their other clients. In the span of a two weeks, not only did I have insurance coverage for my home that included solar and battery backup, the annual cost was almost half of what I had been paying through my insurance broker!
A final agreement for a 10kW DC solar system and 15kWh of backup batteries was reached with the solar provider in early June. This consisted of 28 Silfab 420W panels paired with Enhpase IQ8Plus micro inverters along with 3 Enphase 5P batteries and a system controller, a combiner and an EV charger from Enphase. The provider submitted the request to Hydro Ottawa and within a week, we had received approval to proceed.
All of this was now contingent on the results of a structural assessment of my roof, which was arranged by the solar provider and conducted in mid-June. Bad news again. Some of the roof truss members had twisted and one was actually missing a piece! The good news, however, was my solar provider would be able to make the necessary repairs as part of the installation for only a small surcharge.
The work began in the third week of June and, by the end of August, all of the work had been completed and was ready to be inspected by the Electrical Safety Authority of Ontario.
The inspection was conducted in early September, but the inspector was not familiar with backup battery systems and sent the file to be reviewed at the office. After a frustrating 6-week delay, approval was finally granted in mid-November. Within a week Hydro Ottawa was on-site to change out the electric meter to a bidirectional meter that can measure how much power I draw from the grid and how much I send to the grid. On November 19, 2024 my system was fully operational, nearly 8 months after I sent out the initial request for quotes.
The system has been working flawlessly. I have set it up to maximize savings, which means during peak rates any solar generated is sent to the grid and the house runs off of the batteries. If there isn’t enough sun to recharge the batteries during the day, they are recharged at night during the off-peak period. The switch from grid to solar to battery power is seamless – we didn’t even notice when Hydro Ottawa cut power to the house to change the meter!
The final energy audit was conducted at the end of November and I am now waiting for the rebate to be processed.
Of course, I’m still not finished. In the next few years, I plan to upgrade my attic insulation from R-30 to R-50 and I will be replacing my gas furnace and air conditioner with a cold climate heat pump. I also plan to install more rain barrels to help keep my gardens watered.
While my installation hit many unusual and unexpected bumps along the road, I can only imagine how difficult it would have been without a service provider who was willing and able to help me overcome each challenge. Doing my research in advance on both the technology and the service providers helped me make the choices that lead to the best system I could possibly dream of. If you have questions about my experiences with any of my upgrades, feel free to reach out to me at secretary@blackburnhamlet.ca.
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