Cut Your Electricity Bills in Half or More

Columbia Basin Trust Grant Applications Due By Jan 7th, 2019

November 22, 2018

I haven't heard too much public information and wonder if this information is getting out.
The Columbia Basin is a large area encompassing the East Kootenays and hopefully the
Nelson area will be able to take advantage of some of this available grant money.

1. Get your application in as soon as possible
2. I am sure the RDCK director for Area E , who was instrumental in getting the Balfour solar projects installed can assist.
3. The manager of Nelson Hydro should be able to assist as well.  They are an award winning example of renewable energy.

CBT HAS $900,000 FOR COMMUNITY ALTERNATE ENERGY SYSTEMS

What projects are eligible:

This program will support projects that create opportunities for alternative & renewable energy generation at Community Purpose Buildings.
To be selected for funding, projects must demonstrate a positive return on investment .



Click here for Application Information


Balfour has Solar power systems on their Golf ClubHouse, Community Hall and Seniors Centre

Your public buildings too can save on their electric bills.

Above aerial view of the Balfour Golf clubhouse with 40kW of solar panels

The Nelson hydro bylaw limits one to a maximum of 25kW per installation.

The Balfour clubhouse has 40 kW installed, because they have two meters.  Depending on how many meters you have you should qualify for 25kW of solar per meter.

The Pembina Institute did the application for the Balfour systems, I understand their director lives in Nelson.
The Pembina Institute is a non profit group who can assist anyone with renewable energy.

The example below shows the Pembina Institutes information regarding the Balfour seniors centre and how much they will save.

The system would save the community group approximately $1,133/year. Since the system produces more electricity than the building consumes, although in winter not enough electricity would be produced to satisfy the buildings’ demand and hence the community group will have a utility bill, summer months will see excess electricity production and they will build up a credit. Of the $1,133/year, they will see $658/year in savings in utility bills and $475/year in revenue from selling electricity to the grid.

Although every building is different the above is for a small 9.1kW system.
If one could install a 25kW system which is 2.75 x larger.
One might achieve an annual savings as above  $1133/yr x 2.75 = $3112/yr

Imagine what your community groups can do with these kinds of savings on your electric bills.



The Nelson Community Solar Garden

          Above the Nelson community solar garden, an AWARD WINNINGl PROJECT

Another example of a community project installing renewable solar energy in Nelson.

A city project where one could buy a 25 year contract for the power made from a solar panel.

I would suggest the manager of Nelson hydro could assist you in your application for CBT grant funding to install your community buildings solar system.


There are multiple publications showing that solar garden would pay for itself in 12- 15 years.

This article for example says panels generate clean, pollution-free electricity each month, customers receive "solar credits" that are deducted from their electricity bill. 

Kootenay Biz mag says    Nelson Hydro is projecting a return on investment in 12 to 15 years

There are numerous other public articles some saying return in as little as 10 years.

That doesn't apply for a CBT grant, the grant will supply up to 75% of the project costs.
I am sure creative financing could occur so  the return is IMMEDIATE.  By looking at how the Pembina Institute helped Balfour I would suspect they are very proficient at techniques to achieve full funding.

ex Nelson Mayor Kozak holding UBCM award for the Nelson Community Solar garden

left to right Alex Love, manager of Nelson hydro, Carmen Proctor contractor for the solar garden now Nelson hydro manager,  Mayor Kozak and Trish Dehnel, Community Energy Association

You may want to contact the Community Energy Association for assistance in your application

RDCK director Ramona Faust received her application information showing a  positive payback for investment
from the Pembina Institute  You can read it here 

The city of Nelson Hydro manager P Eng also has a consultants report showing a payback you might contact him for some assistance for your application.

Study Says Schools Will Save Money With Solar

Private Solar power system cuts electricity Bills in Half

                                              Cut Your Electricity Bills in Half

Lets take a look at the economics of Mr. Shadrack's solar power system.


You can find a link to his article "How to Cut Your Electricity Bills In Half - A Kaslo Story" .

Left pictured in front of their system.
The info suggests they use less than 40% of the electricity of the average home.

As a Fortis customer and present rates that would cost him a little over $100/mo.

He states his 2.4kW system cost $21,600.

Using a decade or more of local solar data his system conservativly would earn about 2400kWh annually almost all of it in about 4 months in summer, virtually none in winter when he consumes the most.

Mr. Shadrack says Fortis's basic fee has gone from 23.5% to 39% of his bimonthly bills.

That math says Mr. Shadrack bills once $130, are now down to about $84 bimonthly.

Not exactly half as his title suggests.  This also suggests he once used about 450kWh monthly and
has cut this to about 250kWh from Fortis the other 200kWh monthly from solar.  Although most of this power is starting in spring runoff through summer when we don't need it.  Those reading this living in Mr. Shadracks part of the country are likely familiar with the Duncan Dam.  It makes no power, why?  Its a flood control spring runoff reservoir.  Those tens of thousands of cubic feet of water spilling off that kickbucket making that fantastic fan of water are worthless.  Nobody needs or will buy power at this time of year.  You can't give power away.  We need power in winter when water flows are lowest and solar power is non existant.
Yes he might be using half the power but he hasn't saved the Fortis basic fee which is now up to $32.09.

Money has a cost, either you pay interest or you are lucky enough to collect it.
His $23,000 borrowed is about $266 bimonthly plus he still has about 450kWh from Fortis
for another $77 to Fortis.  Total bimonthly with solar $343.  Had he done nothing
that power from Fortis would cost $$246 bimonthly.  Now the solar argument is power costs are going up.  Yes and solar panels make less power every year with age and might last 20 years.

The solar inverters typically need replacing in 10 to 12 years, about $2400 today, how much in 10 years? unknown.  Solar panels will fail, commonly water ingress, 5 year warranties for workmanship.
Those 25 year warranties that say they will still make 80% of their original power, worthless.  Mr. Shadracks biggest problem.  Toxic batteries.  If he can expect 3000 charge discharge cycles, tops 10 years, call it a bonus.  I have no idea how much his batteries cost.  I do know they are hazardous waste just like his solar panels.

His other statement "some around him with solar panels are making a modest income"...Bull@##$%.

And to think this is helping the planet, its the opposite.  Cradle to grave, all the non renewables in mining transportation and nasty chemicals and recycling costs, they increase the carbon footprint in BC.  BC is all clean green waterpower, nothing is cleaner.  For solar power to even begin to be green it must avoid the burning of non renewables such as coal in a conventional power plant somewhere.  That cannot happen in BC.
So Mr. Shadrack has dirty power increasing our carbon footprint(his) and pays more for the misery of trying to live in the dark as much as possible to pretend his solar fantasy works.

Hope this helps someone understand the value of solar in BC, enough money is wasted, its time to end it!!  Education will do this.

Metchosin Man Solar Video

                       Metchosin man's solar system global news story   click for the video.

This pinned my BS meter.

Look at his claims. 

1.  Enough power for 10 homes
2. Cost around $60,000
3. winter electric bills of $1200, $1400, and $1600 consecutively
4. showing bills for july  and sept of $12.98 and a credit in November for $687.92.
5. Tours for around 100 people from Metchosin and Saanich.



Lets do the math.

His system might make 48,000kWh annually.  Using BC Hydro stat, 11,000kWh per home annually, thats power for 4 homes, not 10.

If he sold all his annual power to BC Hydro they pay 9.9c/kWh he would receive $4750 on the anniversary data of installation, presuming everything works perfectly.


He claims it cost $60,000 to install, thats $1.35/watt.  Nobody can do that.  The recent Kelowna project denied by the BCUC because it was of no benefit to anyone claimed $4/watt.  If he could do it for half that price its still $96,000.  Business case borrowed for 25 years at 3.5% is $6000 annual payments for 25 years. 

Inverters last about 10 years they are about 10% of the cost so $16,000 bill coming in a decade.

To have a $1600 bimonthly bill he would have to consume about 12,888kWh

Most of his solar only avoids his consumption billed at .08c/kWh for the first 1350kWh.

If he has excess its credited at 9.9c.


It gets more complicated, but my BS meter is still pinned by this man's claims.


One must presume his $1600 bill came from Dec and Jan.  This is also the time of least solar energy made because of low sun angle, short days and weak sunlight.  Victoria data shows optimistically 20% of annual solar power earned in these months.


In Victoria for dec jan solar system data shows they  might make about 20% of annual power.

I could go on with the complicated math but let him show his.

Its unlikely his solar system annual power is worth anymore than $6000 annually.

Real system cost closer to $10,000 annually for 25 years.
Inverters will fail, life expectancy 10 years.  His material and workmanship panel warranties 5 years, there will be underperforming, failing panel risks.  Inverters alone will cost about $10,000 to replace so add another $1000.
Solar costs easily $10300 and they make less power every year as they age, so his $4700 best case earned for solar will never go up, but the down side is huge.

He will end up paying at least double for his solar power, and in BC grid tied PV solar is NOT green power.  Nothing competes with our own clean green waterpower.  Unless you can avoid the burning of some non renewable like coal to make power, nothing is greener than our waterpower.

Lets analyze his bills, to bad he didn't offer to show more of his bills a little too selective for me.
How about showing us the entire bills Mr. Gilbert, all of them.

we see July 12.98 then sept. 12.98, followed in November by a credit of $687.92.

And bottom line, solar in BC is dirty power adding to the province's carbon footprint.