This Saturday, EOS Eco Energy is inviting home or business owners to come learn the ins and outs of solar panels, and of EOS’s solar bulk purchase program, which is in its fifth iteration this year.
CHMA spoke with Janie Brooks, climate change projects coordinator at EOS Eco-Energy, about the falling costs of solar, programs available to help with those costs, and why she hopes people will come learn in person about what’s possible for their household, from TruSun Solar’s Alex Lissandro.
TruSun is the provider for this year’s EOS solar bulk purchase program, which can offer up to 10% in savings of solar arrays. Since 2015, EOS has coordinated four bulk purchases through TruSun and Funds Solar, and facilitated the installation of 644 solar panels on a total of 28 buildings.
“We’re really just trying to help people navigate the difficult process that is participating in the energy transition,” says Brooks. This Saturday’s session (at the Sackville Commons on Lorne Street, from 1pm to 3pm) is a chance to “talk to a solar expert who is happy to assist people in understanding what options are out there.”
Brooks is a fan of solar panels, but she’s also a fan of the energy pyramid, the base of which is energy conservation, or using less by doing less. The next step up the pyramid is energy efficiency, using less by wasting less. And then at the top of the pyramid is where you’ll find solar panels and other sources of renewable energy, says Brooks.
While solar isn’t a recommended first step for homeowners new to the pyramid, it is an eventual piece of the puzzle, says Brooks, and one she’s hoping to make more clear to those ready for it.
“People think of solar as being really expensive,” says Brooks, “which makes sense, because for a long time, it really was.”
But the upfront costs have been steadily decreasing, she says. “Solar technology and solar panels actually cost a third of what they did 10 years ago,” says Brooks, a trend she expects to continue for at least the next two years.
And then there’s the payback period. “I think it’s helpful to compare what you would be paying for solar versus what you would be paying anyway,” says Brooks. “Energy prices, especially in New Brunswick and the Atlantic provinces, are just going up and up, and it’s looking kind of bleak.”
In addition to the savings from the bulk purchase program, Brooks says there are programs to help home or business owners to invest solar systems upfront, and then pay themselves back over time.
Unfortunately, says Brooks, the popular Canada Greener Homes Grant is still on pause, but a federal loan program is available to help homeowners meet their upfront costs. The Canada Greener Homes Loan program provides from $5000 to $40,000 in loans with an interest-free 10-year repayment term, says Brooks.
New Brunswick’s provincial incentives are more focussed around energy efficiency says Brooks, but there is up to $3,000 in rebates for solar arrays available through the Total Home Energy Savings Program.
Another avenue for a loan is through the Beausejour Renewable Energy Co-op,a community-owned and managed co-op which provides loans for homeowners or business owners to install renewable energy systems such as solar panels on their properties.
EOS Eco-Energy’s Solar Bulk Purchase information session is happening Saturday, October 26, 1pm to 3pm at the Sackville Commons on Lorne Street.
