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April 18, 2008
Inspired Powell River family gets Power Smart by going solar
Rob Klovance
Bchydro.com
Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" convinced Jeremy Mercer that it was time to act. The day the needle on the BC Hydro meter at his Powell River home started moving backward, he knew he was on his way.
Mercer is that rarest of British Columbians, a guy whose household actually exports electricity back to the BC Hydro grid. That contribution comes courtesy of a solar collection system he installed after he drew inspiration, and a sense of urgency, from the film that vaulted the almost-president and the issue of conservation into the limelight.
"Everything that was out there in the media seemed to indicate that [global warming] was a debated issue, that the science wasn't in and wasn't solid," says Mercer. "But I saw the Gore film, and he really portrayed it as there being no debate. It's political, it's concocted. I began to read about it and became convinced."
Mercer and wife Jennifer – both engineers with Powell River's Catalyst Paper – were so convinced that they forked out $35,000 to have a solar collection system installed, complete with panels on the roof of their Powell River home. The result is a 75% reduction in the amount of electricity they buy from BC Hydro, and on sunny days, the knowledge that BC Hydro is buying some of their power.
"I think by the end of Year One, if my projections turn out to be right, I think I will have generated around 5,000 kilowatt hours," says Jeremy.
A family of four goes solar
Mercer began his adventure by calling Victoria-based Carmanah Technologies, which specializes in solar power systems, solar-powered LED lighting and LED illuminated signage. Through Carmanah, Mercer contacted Nick Houser, owner of Powell River's Off Grid Services, which specializes in solar and small hydroelectric systems.
Much of Houser's work is with true off-the-grid clients in isolated areas, but in this case Houser would install a system that would keep the Mercers on the grid. That meant the installation would require an inverter that would convert the DC current generated by the solar panels to AC, and also convert it to the correct voltage for BC Hydro's system.
The work began in May and was completed in July. As soon as it was up and running, Jeremy took a look at his BC Hydro meter.
"When I was exporting power to the grid, the dial would turn backwards," he says, laughing. "It was kind of neat and I had to take a picture – never seen that before."
Because the existing meter could not measure the amount of power going back to the grid, BC Hydro installed a new bi-directional meter that records electricity going into and outside the Mercer home.
The Mercers' solar power system recently set a house record of 26 kilowatt hours generated in a single day, even more than the 24 that was the single-day high last summer. Mercer has learned that clear, cool days are actually best for the solar panels, which actually aren't as efficient on hot days.
He has also learned that having a meter around – actually two, there's one attached to the inverter as well – keeps his family on its energy-saving toes.
"We're very conscious of electricity usage," he says. "I monitor the meter readings every day, so I know how much power has come into the house and how much power I've sent back to the grid.
"I find myself making decisions through the day and week as to when we're going to turn on appliances or do the laundry. We try to do it during a sunny day so that we're not such a draw on the grid."
Everyone's getting into the act, including the Mercers' four-year-old son.
"Last night he left the light on in his room when he came out to the kitchen to play with his brother," says Jeremy. "I said, 'Mitchell, you left the light on in your room.' He jumped up and said 'Oh', and went to turn it off right away. So even at the age of four, it's ingrained in him that you can't waste power."
The outlook for personal solar in B.C.
Jeremy has nothing but good things to say about how, working with BC Hydro, he was able to quickly get the green light for his solar power initiative last summer. But he says B.C. has work to do if it wants thousands more residents to opt for solar power.
Based on the current rate BC Hydro is paying customers like the Mercers for their power – known as the net metering rate – Jeremy estimates a payback on his $35,000 costs for installing the solar power system at more than 60 years. He believes that B.C. needs to pay two or more times the current rate to start making a solar installation financially attractive.
"I also think the government is going to have to give capital cost rebates to people as well," says Jeremy, adding that solar technology improvements may also make the solar option more cost-effective.
 The good short-term news for Jeremy and the 40 or so other British Columbian residents selling power back to the grid is that BC Hydro is working on an application to file with the British Columbia Utilities Commission proposing to increase the current net metering rate and satisfy a key policy objective of the government's energy plan.
Another incentive is the prospect of changes to current residential rates, including the two-tiered Residential Inclining Block BC Hydro hopes to have in effect this fall. That rate, which would introduce a higher charge per kilowatt hour above a monthly consumption threshold, is designed to encourage electricity conservation efforts.
For the Mercers, conservation doesn't end – and certainly didn't start – with the addition of a solar power system. The family has replaced more than 20 incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, has learned to switch off computers and other electronics when not in use, and is now considering a dramatic move this spring.
"The last big one I hope to get this summer is to add a clothesline," he says, referring to a switch from drying clothes in the dryer to hanging them outside. "I live in a neighbourhood where clotheslines are prohibited, but I think I'm going to break the rules and go ahead anyway.
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Last Modified: Apr 18, 2008