The City of Kingston's building department's policy on rooftop PV solar systems, is a building permit is only required if the individual solar panel size being installed is larger than 5 square meters. This is good news and bad news.

The good news is there is less red tape to process before your system can be installed and operating.

The bad news is, the onus to decide if what your salesperson/installer is using is your responsibility. If you didn't read my blog yesterday about what to consider in rooftop mounts, you probably should.

As I have said before, use your best judgment. Read everything you can on the subject and don't be swayed by salespeople telling you to buy what everyone else is getting. This is a new industry, and many people that blindly trust the "experts" will be sorry down the road.

I have been shocked to find out the kind of mounting that solar panel installers and racking manufacturers are providing to home owners.

I imagine that most homeowners are relying on the solar panel sales people and installers to use a solution that will give them a long-term reliable system of attaching the panels to their roof. This is not the case, and I urge every potential solar panel owner to not take this for granted, but get very definite answers that you are comfortable with.

Your solar contract with the OPA is for 20 years, and you are looking at your system producing for this time and longer. How your system is mounted to your roof, affects the seucrity of the system and your roof. You do not want leaks or a rotting rafters, attic or ceiling, so take the time to ask these questions and feel confident in the answers you get. Don't accept the standards "This is what everyone uses" or "These are the made by the biggest company in the industry", etc. Just because everyone is getting them, or they have never had any complaints about their system (many have not been installing long enough to encounter time related issue), of the manufacturer is the biggest, doesn't mean its good for you.

Ask these questions before you sign:

1. How is the system attached to the roof? If the company is lag bolting the racking to your rafters, if the point of penetration is not properly sealed, then there is possibility that the bolts will conduct moisture into the rafters with time, causing the area surrounding the bolt to rot and weaken. After 4-8 years, if rot has set in, a good wind could rip the lag bolts out of the rafter.
2. How is the bolt entry point protected from the weather. If the answer is with caulking between the mounting hardware and the roof, then caulked over the exposed bolt head, this can be problematic. With time caulking will loose its adhesion, dry out, crack and break off. This can leave the penetration point exposed. It may take 5 - 10 years for this to happen, or could happen in 2 - 3. Caulking alone is not an effective way to keep the elements out.
3. How easy is it to remove the system to re-roof? Sometime over your 20 year contract, your roof will probably need to be redone. While more roofers will probably be able to do this themselves (to keep current with trends in rooftop changes), you still need to know upfront what the impact to you will be. If you need to have your roof redone, will the company remove the system and reinstall it so you can re-roof? Are any components not reusable? What will it cost to replace any disposable parts?

You are investing a fair bit of money into your rooftop solar system, so don't get pressured into committing to a project until you are completely satisfied with the answers you get. The size of the name in the business doesn't ensure the quality of the job you get. Rain runs down, snow piles up, use your head to think about the answers, and get what you think is the best system, not what someone tells you is.

It's what I do.

When considering adding a solar system, like the ones mentioned on this website, to your home don't think of it as just another home renovation. Unlike home renovations that increase your enjoyment of your home, you typically will not see any financial reward from the reno until you sell your home. (This assumes that the reno adds more value than cost to your home.)

Adding a solar system is like adding a money tree to your property. Using our OPVPower3600 example, for a total investment of less than $3,000 your "money tree" will provide an annual crop of about $3,200+ to you. This will continue for at least 20 years, and longer.

So for the 20 year contract period, your money tree will provide you with over $50,000 in income. 

I have yet to find a better source of money, for my investment dollar. If you know of one, please let me know.

Ed

I have purchased a Solar Pathfinder, which will allow me to produce more accurate reports that takes into account obstruction shading at a proposed site. This will allow me to provide more detailed calculations for a proposed solar system, thereby helping new customers to make more informed decisions.

I expect the system will be here in early January, and I will only take new site bookings until then. I will not resume site evaluations until after I get the equipment and have had a chance to master it's use. I expect this to be later January - early February 2010.

Remember to email me if you have any questions, and register yourself on the site to have you evaluation done.

The competition will undoubtedly question the quality of the business providing my solar systems, the quality of the products, the service and the ongoing support you as a potential customer will get. As they really have no other way of supporting their own high costs, this it to be expected.

OPVP is an owner operated business, which means I take part in every sale, installation and service I provide. As a result, my overheads are far less than other solar installation companies. Work that I do very rarely requires after installation repairs, because I do it right the first time. I hire people I need for a job, when I need them. I pay well and I get good people. If someone doesn't work well, I don't get them back.

The products I sell and install, all produce well and have good warranties. As I warranty my work and the products I install, I don't want to have to return to replace them. This costs me time and money, and as customer satisfaction is number one on my priority list, I want to ensure I am installing quality products the first time.

I don't have a store front, flashy salespeople and I don't have a fancy car or boat habit. I am just a hardworking, very smart guy. You can always reach me by phone or email, so I remain accessible. I don't try and make the most off of every customer I sell as system to, I focus on earning a living. These things all add up and this allows me to offer quality systems. installed for a fair price, that will operate trouble free for many years.

I know that I will loose many sales to people that feel uncomfortable not paying the most for the "best" system. I could site figures and stats that would question the validity that anyone else's system is "better" than mine, but it won't convince these people anyway.

In the end I loose potential customers but gain a few long time friends. 

While solar sales and installations are new for me, construction and hard work are not. I enjoy doing the things that make people stop and stare in amazement. Check out my photo gallery.

A friend of mine who introduced me to the solar business some time ago said Ed, you want to drive down the cost of the solar system to the lowest you can get, to maximize the amount of money you can make over the life of your contract.

I didn't really appreciate this simple, straightforward logic until I began pricing systems and trying to get the numbers and financing in place for my own home system. 

I found that the banks and leasing companies were not interested in financing solar systems for longer than 5 years. While I could get the numbers to work using a 10 or 20 year financing plan, 5 years was just too short to be affordable. Sure I could prove on paper that I could make money, but if no one would lend me the money, then it was just smoke in the wind. I realized that I had been plugging into the current Solar System business model, and that was the issue. At $7 - $12 /watt, you needed a 7 - 10 year payback time-frame, and this used up a pile of the revenue that the system generated.

I realized that I needed go back to the wise words of my friend, and redesign the business model to fit my needs. If I could make it work for me then it would work for others.

Over the next few days, I will share with you, through this blog, how I have brought solar panels down to $2.25/watt and installed systems to $4.376/watt.

You can pay more...

The RST (provincial tax) rebate and HRTC (Home Renovation Tax Credit) are coming to an end by January 2010. To be eligible to get these refunds and credits, your solar system needs to be purchased and installed before February.

Both the Canadian and Ontario Governments are willing to pay you thousands of dollars to add a solar system to your home, that will also pay you thousands of dollars in guaranteed revenue for the next 20 years. You do not have to spend any money out of pocket as many financial institutions will finance the system 100%.

You can begin earning money right away, and benefit for the refunds and tax savings, but you need to act quickly. Call or contact us today to discuss exactly how much you will save and earn.

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PST Information Notice, May 2003

As announced in the 2007 Ontario Budget, the rebate has been extended for qualifying alternative energy systems that are purchased and installed in residential premises, including multi-residential buildings, before January 1, 2010. Please see RST Information Notice, Highlights from the 2007 Ontario Budget - Retail Sales Tax Act for further details.

About this Notice

This Notice explains how you can receive a rebate of Retail Sales Tax (RST) paid on the purchase of a new solar energy system installed into a residential premises, including a multi-residential building, or on any expansion or upgrade to an existing solar energy system.

Background

As part of the Electricity Pricing, Conservation and Supply Act, 2002, the Ontario government introduced the rebate for RST paid on the purchase of a new solar energy system installed into a residential premises, including a multi-residential building, or on any expansion or upgrade to an existing solar energy system.

Qualifying Criteria

For purposes of the rebate, a solar energy system includes:

• a solar photovoltaic system that converts solar energy into electricity, or
• a solar thermal system that converts energy into heat.

A solar photovoltaic system includes:

• the solar photovoltaic collector panels, wiring, controllers and devices that convert direct current into alternate current, and
• the first battery used to store the energy produced by the system.

A solar thermal system includes:

• the solar thermal collector panels, wiring, pumps, tubing, heat exchangers and insulated energy storage tanks.

In addition, any components purchased to expand or upgrade an existing solar photovoltaic or solar thermal system qualify for the rebate.

A solar energy system or the components to expand or upgrade an existing solar energy system must be purchased and incorporated into a residential premises or multi-residential building on or after November 26, 2002 and on or before November 25, 2007.

Who can Claim the Rebate?

The rebate may be claimed by the owner of a residential premises or a multi-residential building (owner) who purchases and installs a new solar energy system, or expands or upgrades an existing system.

Source:

Ontario Ministry of Revenue

Only available for the 2009 tax year.

The Home Renovation Tax Credit is a non-refundable tax credit  based on eligible expenses for improvements to your house, condo or cottage. It can be claimed on your 2009 income tax return. It applies to work performed or goods acquired after January 27, 2009, and before February 1, 2010 under an agreement entered into after January 27, 2009.

Important Notice:  Eligible expenses  for goods acquired during this period, even if they are installed after January 2010, will still qualify. If an eligible expense involves work performed by a contractor or a third party, and the work is not completed by the end of the eligible period, only the portion that is completed before February 1, 2010 will qualify even if a payment has been made.

The HRTC applies to eligible expenses of more than $1,000, but not more than $10,000, resulting in a maximum non-refundable tax credit of $1,350 [($10,000 - $1,000) × 15%].

Examples of Eligible Expenses

• Solar panels and solar panel trackers

Sources:

Canada Revenue Agency