Nola McConnanEast York, Toronto, Ontario
RISE
| When was your system installed? | June 2006 |
| What size is your system? | It is a basic 1 Kw system, without storage. |
| Where were they installed? | They are installed close to the peak of the south facing sloped roof of a typical two bedroom East York bungalow built in 1948. There is a new two story house to the south that will partially shade the roof but not the panels in winter. |
| What was the rough cost of your system? | The cost of the system installed taxes in +/- $10,000.00 |
| Highest daily output? | The highest daily output has been 6 Kw. (We are low users. I think we're netting +1.5 Kw per day) |
| Why did you decided to install solar panels on your roof? | purchased the house in 1984. Major considerations, the roof orientation, clear sight lines to the sun, bungalow neighbourhood. It was just a matter of time and money before the panels went on. I have been a solar supporter since the late '50s with the launch of the first weather and communication satellites with their tiny photo voltaic cells. |
| What was your most exciting ‘solar moment’? | The most exciting moment, watching the meter come to a halt and start going backwards of course! |
| What tips would you have for someone considering purchasing such a system for their home? | Buy and or build with the installation of solar panels in mind. Do solar hot water too. Make the angulation optimal for energy output, not aesthetics. |
| Take a shot a trying to convince others why they should also purchase a solar system for their home. | Do it Now! This is a utility. Unlike cell phone charges or gas bills, this one is not a black hole of cost. Solar gives back in the same way that compound interest does. I've paid for this power and will watch as my energy cost flat-lines in the summer and rises way more slowly than that of my energy hog neighbours in winter. This is a silent partner that can employ a vast army of Canadians locally for installation, construction and maintainance, nationally for manufacture. It eliminates or at least reduces the need for environmentally and agriculturally unfriendly transmission corridors. |