My local utilities company, Horizon, knows this, so they tap into the Ontario government’s SaveONenergy program and its coupons. See here Horizon’s web page promoting the savings (a reskin of a page within SaveONEnergy’s site):

I’ve written about the power of coupons before in this blog – and will continue to bring you news of all the discounts and coupons and grants out there for Ontario homeowners to do the right (green) thing and save the green… the colour of money!

• A review of FIT rates to balance the interests of rate payers while at the same time encourage clean energy investment
• A review of new technologies for possible inclusion in the program
• Assessment of government’s processes; how they can better establish Ontario as a leader in the green economy
• A review of the Renewable Energy Approval process

What Does This Mean for You?

If you already have a MicroFIT contract, a conditional offer or applied on or before August 31st, 2011 then it means nothing for you. If you applied after August 31st or are applying now then you will be “subject to new rules and pricing”.

Get your Application in NOW

The announcement is clear that all applications being recieved now will be time stamped and processed after the two-year review is complete and changes are announced on December 14th, 2011.

Of course there is no way of telling what the new rules will be – but it is almost certain that the current rate of 80.2 cents for roof mount solar PV systems will be coming down. I suspect that after December 14th the government will announce that all applications that have been recieved will be honoured at the 80.2 cent rate but that all new applications after December 14th, 2011 will have a new lower rate.

Sooooo… you need to get you application in now and hold your spot. (Thank goodness my wife and I just did, whew!)

If I’m wrong and the OPA does not honour the old rate then you still have an application in the system and you can then decide whether or not to go ahead based on the new rate. Either way NOW is the time to put your application in to get your solar project started.

As I have said before I work with Solar Logix and we have helped thousands of people submit MicroFIT applications. If you want to submit your application now click here to send me an email.

Make Your Voice Heard!

There are several ways that you can make your opinion heard and find out more:

1. The OPA is holding a webinar with more information about the MicroFIT review tomorrow (Tuesday November 2nd at 10am). To register and participate in the webinar you must register here.

I am going to attend this webinar, and I’ll be blogging about it to keep you in the loop.

2. You can also complete a survey the OPA has set up for feedback on the FIT program by going to the website of the Ontario Ministry of Energy and clicking on the link “Click here to take the survey” (it is about half way down the page).

Stay informed to get the most of this awesome solar energy program in Ontario!

We the plunge and committed to the Canadian government’s ecoENERGY Retrofit homes program in a big way. As you can see from our previous posts in this blog, we had an eco audit and based on those recommendations we added more insulation, replaced windows and doors and upgraded to a high efficiency furnace and air conditioner.

By doing this we have accomplished what we set out to do:

1. Lower energy consumption (i.e. our September 2011 energy usage was 30% lower than 2010).

2. Increased the resale value of our home by having an EnergyStar rating of 79 (vs. 61 before we start renovated) which is very good for an older home we are told.

3. Maximized government rebates available (total rebates totaled more than $7,000).

The OPA solar program installs panels on your home's rooftop

Now we are moving on to a new eco-adventure in the form of solar power!!

Not only will we be installing solar panels on our roof but I have just started working for one of Ontario’s biggest and most experienced solar installation companies, SolarLogix.

SolarLogix designs, install and maintain roof top and ground mount solar arrays under the Ontario Power Authority’s MicroFIT program, which is:

• Establishing Ontario as the leader in green renewable energy in North America by encouraging individual property owners to install clean energy solutions that feed into the power grid and allowing them to earn 10% or more return on investment
• Is good for the environment
• Is good for the economy (creating tons of Ontario jobs, more on that in a later blog post)
• Is great for Ontario residents who choose to participate.

( Subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed (top right corner) so you don’t miss any updates.

So the direction of this blog will now change slightly. We will keep you up to date on our own solar panel installation as we go through the process, but we will also use this space to inform you about what’s happening in the green energy movement and what you can do to make a difference.

I look forward to your comments – both about solar energy for homeowners, but anything you read here about our own eco renovations!

Call me at 905-512-8500 or email Doug@ecorenovate.ca

Honeywell UtilityPRO Touchscreen Programmable Demand Control Thermostat

We recently signed up for a great program that our power company (Horizon Utilities) offers called PeakSaver. The program is a win-win-win.

WE WIN because Horizon installs a brand-new, high-end thermostat (see right) in our home for free (yes we own it – I checked) with zero installation costs! In fact, for participating in the program, we even get a $25 credit on our bill, so they actually pay us!

THEY WIN (the utility company) because the new thermostat allows them to remotely control our heating/cooling system so that – during the warmest summer days when the power grid is overloaded – they can cycle our air conditioner off for short periods. We were told that we’ll hardly notice any change, and the power grid will be more stable as a result.

THE ENVIRONMENT WINS because by putting less strain on the power grid, the utility company can use less “dirty” power sources (such as coal) – which means a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and a positive effect on climate change issues.

Step 1: Removing the old thermostat

We booked an appointment with our utility company and just by accident, it turned out our install was scheduled for Earth Day, April 22, 2010! Matt showed up at the scheduled time to install our new thermostat. He works for Honeywell (the manufacturer of the thermostat) so we know it was correctly installed.

The Whole Thing Done in 40 Minutes

Step 1: Matt removed our old thermostat, which he recommended we keep close to the furnace just in case we ever need an emergency backup. The new thermostat needs power that he learned our existing wiring doesn’t have (only 4 wires, not 5). So…

Step 2: Matt had to install a small device in the furnace to use one of our four wires for power.

Step 2: Installing thermostat module in our furnace

Step 3: Applying Insulation Tape

Step 3: Matt pointed out that it is good to apply a piece of insulation tape over the hole the wires go into. Cold air can circulate in the walls, and if that cold air is coming out through the hole in the wall, your thermostat will think it is cooler than it really is and the furnace will be running when it doesn’t need to.

Step 4: Then he hooked up the wiring to the new thermostat, and attached it to the wall in our main floor hallway.

Matt then gave a quick tour of the features and functions of the thermostat and showed me how to program it. He left me with a Honeywell operating manual for our model – the Honeywell UtilityPRO Series touchscreen programmable demand control thermostat.

Step 4: Rewiring for the New Thermostat

Remote Access

Matt of Honeywell next to our new Peaksaver thermostat

And how 21st Century is this!!… Now that we have the Peaksaver thermostat set up in our home, we can turn our house thermostat on/off from anywhere via our computers, Blackberries, any computer (or we can phone our utility company to ask them to switch heat or cooling up/down, on/off for us when we are away from home.)

We now have a brand-new, high-end thermostat that didn’t cost us anything… how sweet is that!  Thanks to Matt (right) and his employer, Honeywell, and to our local power company, Horizon Utilities, for making this possible!

Have you signed up for the Peaksaver program yet? If so, what do you think of it? If not, what is holding you up?

Recently, I’ve been hearing more and more about phantom power…[that] your TV, computer and other appliances use when they are turned off… If you plug your appliances into a power bar with timer you can time the power to be cut from these appliances at a certain time each day/night. Smart bars are a little more expensive but… they will sense when it’s not in use and then eliminate all power to them.

This is the second time in one week that Phantom Power has come up in my life… ooooh that’s eerie!

A few days ago, I was observing a workshop for Brock University’s teachers-in-training, where the students learned how to teach elementary school kids to do hands-on energy conservation experiments. It was observed that the 20-somethings taking the workshop didn’t seem to know anything about ‘phantom power’ – but hey, neither did I.

Apparently even when my laptop is turned off, it’s still sucking up power unnecessarily. I did not know this. I don’t have any ’smart’ power bars, or ones with a timer, but I’m going to go get them… using my about-to-expire OPA coupon, of course.

Much as I love scary things (here are just 2 examples of what’s in front of my house tonight for Halloween tonight!) I don’t want Phantom Power lurking around my home.

(Full disclosure: I have recently been contracted by Horizon Utilities to assist with a project.)

To make that work, our utility has installed a Smart Meter at the front of our home, next to the garage, where the old “dumb” meter used to sit. (This is a photo of our own smart meter.)

Our smart meter (i.e. digital) records our total electricity consumption hour by hour, and sends that information to Horizon Utilities through a wireless connection. How cool is that?!

Our former “dumb” meter – an electromechanical device – required a meter reader to come to our home and read the dials to capture our energy usage information. Now it’s automated (though I feel badly for the meter reader who lost his/her job.)

Once Time of Use billing kicks in – Jan. 2010 – this is how we’ll pay:

• More money for electricity used during peak hours
• Less money for off-hour use (9 p.m. to 7 a.m.)

We are an early adopter of the smart meter (not by choice, it was our utility’s decision) but by the end of 2010, EVERY home and business in Ontario will have a smart meter, as mandated by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.

Smart idea – now we just have to hope that consumers – including us! – will check their TOU billing to adjust their electricity use accordingly for savings. (And, in the process, help reduce the pressure on the energy grid to use ‘dirty’ sources of energy.)