After one year of the SolarBC program, we have asked customers to provide us with their install experiences and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Here are a few insights from homeowners around BC who've installed solar hot water systems.
There was one day in August when the outside temperature was 22C in the shade. It was a sunny day with a slight haze. The water from the tank was 52.5C. My hot water tank is set at 49C. So I wasn't using electricity that afternoon! My solar hot water system is on the Green Skyline Tour on Sept 27. ----Julia Roberts, Nelson
Our choice to go Solar for preheating our hot water was one way of helping reduce carbon emissions and ozone layer depletion by harnessing free, non-environmentally damaging solar energy. We are both retired but went ahead through TerraTek regardless of whether or not we would be around long enough to recover installation costs. The Government grants and general assistance of Solar B.C. were also a big incentive. The Installation process was a good experience in that the TerraTek Guys who did the job were most personable, obliging and informative. Inconvenience during installation was minimal: just a few minutes with just a trickle from our taps. The single panel on our garage roof goes almost unnoticed - in fact I wouldn’t mind it being more noticeable to tell the world we’ve gone solar!!! And the extra tank and related bits and pieces sit alongside our original tank, taking very little space while doubling our available hot water supply, reducing our future electricity bills and most importantly helping our planet for the future good of our children and grandchildren. Many thanks for the opportunity to "spread the word."
- Peter and Heather Lord, Duncan
The installation went very well and I am very satisfied with the quality of workmanship and the system performance. We now have plenty of solar-heated hot water and are pleased to be doing our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
-Shawn Brown, Penticton
I wanted to go solar somehow. But when I first considered getting a solar hot water system, I was concerned about the aesthetics. My house is brand new so the last thing I wanted was some big contraption on the roof that would devalue the house. But thanks to the deligence of Jennifer with Jenergy Technologies and Jay McKimm, my builder, all went well and they installed it seamlessly into the look of the house. I'm glad to say the unit's in place, working well, and looking good. If anything, it has increased the value of the house. Needless to say it feels great to have joined the solar revolution and I'm looking forward to all those solar hot showers.
-Rob D'Eon, Nelson
We spent our summer vacation on Salt Spring with up to ten teenagers, so you can imagine how thankful we were to have lots of hot water, every bit of it heated solely by the sunshine. The electrical hot water heating backup was never needed or turned on.
-Gillian Arsenault MD, Salt Spring Island
We have now been in the house for a full year and have never regretted the decision to include an integrated system (solar hot water system and heat pump). Summer, in particular, is a time of extremely low energy costs, despite consistent use of an air conditioner, which is also integrated into the system.
-Kathy Lüscher, Kaleden
The install went very well and we were left with good information as to maintaining the system. The Swiss Solar Tech crew left all the areas very clean and were a delight to have in our home.
-Marilyn and Lou Bliss, Oliver
It’s a new install but it’s clearly providing hot water. The installation went very well and it was a positive experience working with Jennifer (Jenergy Technologies).
-Greg Utzig, Nelson
We encourage all SolarBC customers to contact us and fill out our customer satisfaction survey, as well as send us photos of your installs. Email info@solarbc.ca
