Solar-powered water heaters could soon be in thousands of Canadian households
Kathryn Young
Sun
Thousands of Canadians could soon have new solar-powered water heaters in their homes if their local gas or electrical utilities, homebuilders or municipalities take advantage of a federal pilot project.
Natural Resources Canada has $9 million to spend on major projects that promote solar-powered water heaters to Canadian homeowners, said Jeff Knapp, a spokesman for NRCan’s EcoEnergy for Renewable Heat program.
It is inviting proposals that would put solar-powered water heaters into at least 200 single-family townhouse or semi-detached homes.
“It’s going to be a revolution,” Knapp said.
“It’s going to change the dynamics of the water heating marketplace in Canada.”
Knapp predicted utilities will offer several options, including installing systems in homes for free but charging homeowners a monthly rental fee.
Utilities could also sell the entire systems to homeowners, set up a rent-to-own plan or create a system where residents pay just for the energy used to heat their water.
Solar hot-water systems use roof panels to collect the sun’s energy, which would heat enough water for normal household use.
A back-up heating system is typically needed for cloudy periods.
Solar systems can save homeowners 50 per cent of their hot-water bills and, at the same time, cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
A previous NRCan program, hampered by high costs, took nine years to get 400 solar water-heating systems into Canadian houses, Knapp said.
However, with the price of such systems declining and fossil fuel prices rising — along with public interest in environmental issues — he believes solar-powered hot water is poised to take off.
Elizabeth McDonald, executive director of the Canadian Solar Industries Association, said solar water systems will save significant amounts of energy and money for homeowners around the country.
“Once they see that it works, I think the adoption rates will increase rapidly,” McDonald said. “The utilities know the pressures of electricity … and so it’s also good for them to become involved in the renewable area.”
Spokesmen for Enmax Corp. in Calgary, Alta., and Union Gas in Ontario said they are examining NRCan’s proposal and considering various ways in which they can start promoting renewable energy technology to their customers.
“We’re definitely interested in solar hot water,” said Robert Falconer, Enmax’s director of distributed generation.
“It certainly looks like a good program,” said Jack Mantyla, an R-2000 coordinator for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association. “It’s an emerging technology we believe more and more builders are going to want to offer to their clients.”
The program targets large-production builders, but Mantyla said he hopes there will also be help for smaller builders, who tend to be the leaders with new technologies.
Spokesman Robert Ross said the Federation of Canadian Municipalities couldn’t comment on the project.
However, he noted that the group’s environmental policy supports renewable energy in Canada.
“Shifting toward more sustainable energy sources will be critical to improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” the federation policy said.
One developer in western Canada is interested in solar water heaters for 3,500 Canadian homes, while a major utility with a million customers is also considering starting up a project, Knapp said.
If only one per cent of those customers were interested, that would amount to 10,000 new systems, he said.
“I want to see solar water all across the country. We Canadians are ripe for it.”
The program is part of the $36-million EcoEnergy Renewable Initiative fund announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in January.
The deadline for proposals is Sept. 28 and decisions on the winning projects — which would make solar water available to the most customers for the lowest cost — are expected in November.
The pilot project will run for three years or until the money runs out, Knapp said.
“It really is the most exciting thing in solar in 20, 30 years,” Knapp said.
“We want to bring solar water heaters to the marketplace efficiently and effectively,” he said. “And that’s what the utilities want, too. We’re not at cross-purposes here.”
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
