Watts Up Solar Is Turning Sun Friendly Energy Into Money Saving Efficiency
WILMOT, N.S. – Watts Up Solar Ltd.‘s PV systems allow customers to produce clean energy in their homes and decrease their energy bills. It is a practice becoming more popular the world over, including at home in Nova Scotia.
Jason Rideout reached out to Watts Up in 2018 about installing one of its solar systems soon after he and his family moved into their Dartmouth home.
“I had a good friend who had worked with them for his install and then I did a pile of research about the local companies and who was reputable, and they kept coming out on top,” says Rideout.
Watts Up Solar Co-Founding Director, Tom Rendle says over the course of two-to-three years, Wattsup Solar put up nearly 25 solar systems around Rideout’s neighbourhood.
“There’s a lot of people out there who get very excited about this kind of stuff and Jason’s definitely one of them,” says Rendle. “He felt as though he wanted to share it with everybody.”
After his solar system was installed, many of Rideout’s neighbours began asking him about the new addition to his home.
“At the end of the day power rates are getting higher,” Rideout said. “For a lot of families having stability, knowing what you need to pay every month and knowing that your solar system makes up that difference is a huge plus.”
“By the time Jason’s system was all set up and running, he had convinced about five or six other people, all in the immediate vicinity, to take the leap as well,” said Rendle, who adds there is a growing argument for solar power as an environmentally friendly energy source but points out it is also a good investment.
Rideout does not owe on his monthly bill to Nova Scotia Power during the summer, with his solar system able to generate 140 percent of his family’s power use throughout the season.
Enhanced Net Metering offered by the utility allows customers like Rideout to store surplus energy in the grid. Energy can be accessed later when the solar system cannot keep up with the energy demands of the home. Any excess energy generated can be sold to Nova Scotia Power with the utility giving Rideout credits which can be used in exchange to pay for power during the winter.
Efficiency Nova Scotia offers a rebate of 60 cents per watt up to $6,000, along with a recently announced federal rebate on energy-efficient upgrades to the home at $1 per watt up to $5,000.
With a cluster of Watts Up Solar’s PV systems popping up in Rideout’s neighbourhood, it has become potentially one of the densest solar areas in Atlantic Canada, which Rendle believes is expected to become more common, thanks to money-saving stories like Jason’s and what is already available in the form of rebates and incentives.
“I think in the future, you wouldn’t even remark on it – it would be like having a heat pump, everyone’s got one,” said Rendle.
This story was sponsored by Watts Up Solar.