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You might already have a budget or a payback period in mind. There are many types of systems you can choose from and the level of customization can be quite high. When designing a solar system for you we will take into account your priorities and find a custom solution that fits your financial needs.
Your priority might be to be off-grid or not have to rely on the grid so heavily if and when it goes down. In this case, we can focus on building a system that has battery storage or even generator backup. These systems might not be the most economical, but will give the off-grid reliability factor.
Your priority might be about having the most high-tech house on the block. From products to layout, we can design a system with special features such as all-matte black panels, stylising them with your roof lines, and panel-level production data that will up the modern-factor of your home.
Most of our clients after installation join the Solar Club, a way for you to reduce your payback period when going solar. Solar Club Website.
1. Design Stage: Our engineers use your consumption data, drone imagery and our modelling software to create a custom solar system that meets your objectives.
2. Planning Stage: We sign a service agreement that outlines what you can expect from us, after which we sort out permits needed for the installation as well as order all the components for your system!
3. Installation Stage! Our crew installs your system to the highest standards for quality and safety. All you need to provide is access to your garage, roof, attic and electrical panel.
4. Commissioning Stage: We coordinate an inspection from the wire provider and bi-directional meter installation after which your system is activated and begins its 25+ years of service!
You can have a solar systems without batteries, called grid-tied, which in Alberta, automatically buys and sells electricity to the grid depending on whether you’re producing excess or not. Or you can have an off-grid or hybrid systems, that offer partial or complete energy independence. That means that during a bad storm (or the end of the world) you’ll be the hero on the block that can charge your and all your neighbours' devices.
There are four main warranties included in all of our quotes: firstly, our 5-year Workmanship Warranty; secondly, the Inverter Warranty, which is 12 years for SolarEdge inverters, and 25 years for Enphase microinverters; thirdly, the panels' 25 to 30-year Linear Performance Warranty, guaranteeing panel efficiency for its lifetime and lastly, the panels' Manufacturing Warranty ranging from 12 - 25 years.
We work with premium products that have the best warranties on the market and are well known for their reliability throughout the system's lifetime. We work primarily with Enphase microinverters for most of our client's roofs, and with SolarEdge string inverter alongside power optimizers when better suited for our designs. Both these systems come with great Apps, where you can track real-time production of your system as well as power consumption of your home.
All our systems come included with animal guard, attic-run conduit when possible, black end rails and hidden clamps for a seamless aesthetic appearance, as well as double mechanical sealing in the roof. We highly value our quality standards &
From design to maintenance and weather, we tackle a few commonly asked questions. If your question isn't here, please contact us!
Solar panels are actually more efficient when they’re cold! They’re also inclined, super smooth and warm up quickly under sunlight so if we get a snow dump, they won’t be covered for long. Overall, snow will only reduce a system's output by around 5% per year, and we account for this in our designs & financial projections.
Modern panels are also tested for hail and shouldn't have problems surviving hail storms. They should however be added to home insurance in case of a freak hailstorm or other uncommon weather events.
A solar array requires almost no maintenance. Occasional rainfall keeps them clean and we always install a protective guard that keeps animals and leaves from getting under the panels. We offer inspections to check that the wires stay in place and the monitoring app will let you (and us!) know if anything isn't working like it should.
They can help extend the life of your roof through providing physical coverage. Solar systems last a long time, so if you have a roof that needs replacing within the next 10 years we suggest doing that before installing a solar system, otherwise you’ll have to pay to get it dismantled and re-installed. We don't usually recommend putting solar on wood shakes due to the potential fire hazard. We work with roofers who can advise as needed.
The Greener Homes Loan is an interest-free loan (up to $40,000) that can cover the remaining cost of the installation. There are additional incentives available depending on where you live. We walk all our clients through the application process.
An average family home in Calgary consumes around 6000 kWh of electricity per year, but this figure ranges from 4000kWh to 10,000kWh+. Going electrically net-zero (installing a system that produces the same amount of electricity per year that you consume in a year) usually requires between 14 and 25 450W panels for an average home.
However, you do not have to invest in a net-zero system to benefit from solar; if you have a perfect roof face that offsets 50% of your consumption, it might only cost 40% of what a full net zero system would cost for your home! We design a system to meet your objectives, need and roof geometry. We're happy to meet and talk about your needs and answer any questions you might have.
All inverters convert the electricity your solar panels produce into useful 110V AC electricity that you can use to power your home. String inverters group your panels into strings (like christmas lights) and combine all the electricity they produce before converting it. They are simple to install, very economical and perfect for large unshaded roofs. Conversely, microinverters convert the electricity of each panel individually making systems highly shade tolerant and efficient, but more expensive than string inverter systems. Microinverters are great for roofs with many faces or lots of shading. DC-Optimizer systems are a hybrid of the two and are useful in some specific cases.
Because solar costs have dropped over 80% in the past 10 years, payback periods are much better nowadays. Our clients see payback periods between 6 to 12 years, depending on what you are currently paying for electricity, and your roof geometry and orientation. Your solar system will produce electricity for 25+ years so after it has paid for itself, you’ll be making money. Our solar systems provide, on average, a rate of return on investment of 5 - 12% over their lifetimes, and sometimes even higher - often beating the market. We also have some extra strategies that we can take you through to accelerate your payback period once your system is installed.
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