Island Hop

The area that we would like to move to has just undergone some major By-law changes & Zoning, instigated by environmental impact / carbon footprint issues and future sustainability.

I've been keenly looking at MLS and property types for sale. The majority are run on solid fuel.

Does anyone know if the following systems are readily available for purchase?.

Geo Thermal (underground heat source pumps)
Heat Ventilation recovery units
Water Harvesting systems
Photo Voltaic panels
Domestic Hydro power (if there was a stream or river running through the property).

We have just finished building and installing our own Eco friendly home here in the UK.

Would our UK installation experience, qualifications & certs on the above be recognized in the Canadian market? I guess what I am asking: is there a demand for these types of installation in Canada?

Thank you.

dbd33

In Ontario:

Geo thermal systems are commonly available but for us the pay back period is somewhere between 60 years and infinity so we didn't bother with it. My ex intends to have one installed when she returns from summering in Europe so I may have some details then.

Photo voltaic panels are also common, I haven't heard of anyone using water power but windmills are in common use. Converting our house to these systems would make a net loss so we haven't bothered. Generally they're only viable if you can get completely off the grid as only a very small proportion of the electric bill relates to electricity consumption.

Not sure what the other systems are, I expect they're available but called something else.

I think there is considerable demand for these types of installations in certain markets, it has to be somewhere that people have a lot of money so as to tolerate the higher costs and a left-over-hippy eco vibe so as to make the systems fashionable. Try BC.

Island Hop

60 year payback what are your Installation Engineers charging... they must be on a good screw The pay back UK is roughly 10 years, we've saved over 1K a year from not having the usual solid fuel system.

"Left - Over- Hippy eco vibe" You've so made my day! Love the terminology. Glad to hear we will fit in with BC's idiosyncrasies

Slightly concerned now on Electricity billing.... how does the charging not equate to units used?

dbd33

We currently burn wood. If we bought all the wood then the payback would be 60 years. If we burn found wood then the payback period is infinite.

Most of the bill is fixed cost; "delivery charge", "debt retirement charge" "taxes". For us about 20% of the bill is metered usage so, even if we install a windmill and reduce our usage to around zero we'd still have 80% of the bill. A windmill system is about $100,000 so, a saving of $40/month (20% of the $200 bill) doesn't make it viable.

Island Hop

Gotcha. forgot we've got twigs and you've got forests


Jeez! "debt Retirement Charge"??? sounds like something that you pay before getting to adult Nappy / diaperhood!!

$100K for a domestic windmill!?! and no credit on bill for putting back into the grid....

Going back to your terminology ... perhaps our idea of utilising experience in Eco tech area's needs to be reduced to a pile on the floor, being merrily consumed by dung beatles

Surrey Expat

Domestic hydro in BC is likely a non starter, you need a government license to do this and Fisheries & Oceans get involved. Anywhere there might be a fish you're up the creek.

Bill_S

As dbd says, taxes, distribution + delivery charges, stranded costs, maintenance, etc.

dbd33

I think that's nearly all in the cost of the batteries. There is a possibility of putting power back into the grid but it's not commonly done, my understanding is that people go completely off grid instead. I'd guess this has to do with the financial arrangements with Ontario Hydro and Revenue Canada although there's also a consideration that people who want to be self-sufficient probably aren't people who want to deal with bureaucracy.

Island Hop

Thanks guy's! I'm just totally gob smacked at the cost of a domestic windturbine in comparison with UK (which has never been classified as a cheap country).

dbd33

How much is one there? If it's less than $50,000 perhaps importing them would work. Perhaps however there's some big compatibility snag.

Island Hop

A friend installed one for his new farmhouse with all the batteries for £35k then a £5k refund from a government grant. One that connects into the grid is £20k. Again, once installed a £5k refund grant.

I think the problem with shipping over, it would have to meet the Canadian Government standards approval seal. I know everything in the UK has to be officially recognised and stamped, would think the same goes for Canada?

Souvenir

UK ones wouldn't work here. They're designed for metric wind.

dbd33

Yes.

Also £35k is $70. Not massively far off my ball park $100,000. There are grants/tax incentives for geothermal systems here but I don't know about electric systems.

dbd33

Oh ****, we're not having no metri-volts in our house.

Island Hop

I'll take that as Hubby's methane emission contributions