Regular subscribers will remember that we had a solar array installed at our home last December. (If that’s news to you, read more about the planning and installation here, and about how net metering works here.)
So how is it working out? In short, pretty good:
· Over the past seven months, the array has produced about 80 per cent of the power we’ve used in our home and to charge our electric vehicle
· The best months for solar production were March, June and August; August was the first month the array actually generated more power than we used, with the surplus being sent into the grid as a credit we can use later.
· The biggest single power load in our household is charging our electric vehicle – but that’s a trade-off we don’t mind as we no longer need to buy gas.
Below is a chart most New Brunswickers would recognize: it’s the graphic that appears on our power bills each month – and this shows what’s happened to our consumption since the array came on line last December.
Solar power makes sense on so many levels: emission reduction, energy self-sufficiency, local jobs, fewer local dollars sent away to import fossil fuels, payback and more. So why not make it part of your long-term plan to decarbonize your lifestyle?
Note: be sure to consult a qualified solar installer before you start; and remember that solar rebates are available in many jurisdictions. Here’s an excellent resource to learn more about solar potential in NB and across Canada.
In the news
A new World Bank report warns that climate change could displace more than 200 million people from their homes by 2050.
Late-night talk show hosts to join forces for first ever ‘Climate Night’ – tonight!
High demand leads Ford to double its planned production of the new electric F-150 Lightning.
Quotable
“We have allowed capitalism to trump everything: work, life, hope — even good governance.”
– Tim Jackson, Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), University of Surrey, July 20, 2021