Add More Joy to Sunny Days Solar Energy can be used in a variety of different applications throughout your residence. Please explore this page to find out how you can put these applications to work to save you money, and help the environment, all while having the help of the Guelph Solar team to keep your systems working like new.
There are many great reasons why homeowners consider generating their own electricity with solar.
Any size system will provide these benefits. The right size for you depends on how much you want to maximize the benefits of solar to meet your own personal goals.
The amount of electricity a system can generate depends on a few factors including where you live, how much sun you get throughout the year as well as the size, orientation, and shading of your solar panels.
Net metering allows you to take full financial advantage of all your generated power as long as the generation is equal to, or less than, your annual electricity use. In general, the larger the size, the quicker the payback from savings on your hydro bills. Here are a few potential business case summaries of net metering systems located in southern Ontario with average sunlight conditions. Many factors affect installation costs and payback periods so these are only very general estimates.
Net metering can save homeowners hundreds of dollars on their utility bills every year, so it’s a good reason to make the money-saving choice and go solar sooner rather than later.
Net Metering
We all want lower utility bills. With Net Metering you can reduce your hydro bill substantially.
Net Metering is a utility billing mechanism available in Ontario that offers a credit to residential and business customers, who are making excess electricity with their solar panel systems and sending it back to the grid. This results in lower hydro bills year-round.
When you have a rooftop solar system, the electricity it produces is used right in your own home as it is being generated. Your solar can often generate more electricity than you consume during daylight hours. This excess can be sent to the grid in exchange for a credit on your bill. In the evenings you will purchase it back from the grid.
With net metering, the homeowner is only billed for the “net” energy used each month, that is, the difference between the energy produced by the solar power system and the energy consumed by the house over the monthly billing period.
In the summer, you will produce more electricity than you will use. The excess will be sent to the grid, resulting in a credit balance on your hydro account. You can use this credit in the winter when you will be using more electricity from the grid because of shorter daylight hours.
Guelph Solar is a Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer. We offer a customized solar-plus-battery solution that enables you to access and store the free, abundant power of the sun reducing your reliance on fossil fuels.
Powerwall is a rechargeable home battery system that lets you store solar energy generated during the day and use it at night, which allows you to self-power your home and reduce your reliance on the utility grid. Powerwall also protects your home from a power outage with seamless and reliable backup power. Through the Tesla mobile app, you will have full visibility and control over your self-powered Home.
See Canada's largest residential Powerwall installation here.
Learn more about Tesla Powerwall here, take a look at their Brochure for more information.
Solar PV PanelsUse clean energy from the sun to generate your own clean electricity with Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels. Reduce or even eliminate your reliance on Hydro.
Save up to 90% off your Hydro bill with Net Metering, by sending your excess energy to the grid in return for credits on your Hydro bill.
Solar PV panels reduce the impact electric vehicles and appliances can have on your energy bills.
Contact us to learn about your solar options!
Premium Solar Roof SolutionLooking for a new roof? It is a perfect time to install solar when you are reroofing your home or business. Why not install a roofing and solar solution that lowers your electricity bills and helps the environment at the same time?
Guelph Solar’s innovative Premium Solar Roof is a roofing and solar solution that pays for itself!
What is a Premium Solar Roof? Simply put it is a Premium Metal Roof combined with a solar panel system that creates a beautiful money saving machine. Guelph Solar will install a long-lasting metal roof under your solar panels along with a lower profile racking design that will result in a beautiful, low profile, installation.
What are the benefits of a Premium Solar Roof?
Maintenance / ServiceWe provide maintenance services for all solar applications: FIT, MicroFIT, Net Metering, Battery Back-up, Solar Thermal, Solar Pool Heating and Solar Trackers.
Maintenance services include:
We will always provide you with clear feedback, outlining key issues, a report on performed work and recommendations for moving forward.
If you have a maintenance job please contact us to discuss or fill out our Maintenance Intake Form.
Guelph Solar designs and installs custom off-grid systems with battery backup. Off-grid systems are ideal for cottages or remote properties that have no access to power or where power would be too expensive to install.
We also install zero export solar panel systems with or without batteries. Zero export systems stay connected to the grid, however, the solar energy produced is consumed in the moment, or stored in a battery. A zero export meter is installed to ensure no power is ever exported to the grid. A zero export system is ideal for properties that consume high amounts of energy during the day. Producing your own solar energy is the cheaper and environmentally friendly option.
Sense Solar Home Energy Monitor
We believe you don’t need to have a smart home to have an intelligent home. Sense is a simple box installed in an electric panel that provides real-time remote monitoring of home energy use and solar production through an intuitive smartphone app. It can also help homeowners understand their energy use by showing them what devices are on and how much power each one is using.
Whole-home energy monitoring from anywhere in the world
Remote access to high-resolution power monitoring on any web browser, iOS or Android device through the free Sense apps. Track watts like you track footsteps.
Track solar production and energy use side-by-side
Monitor which appliances use the most energy and identify patterns over time. Identify ways to maximize your solar investment. View in watts, kWh, or dollars and cents.
Check in on your home
Use Sense to check in on your home while you’re away. Did you remember to shut off the oven? Is the sump pump running during a rain storm? When did the kids get home?
Start monitoring your home today!
ECRA/ESA 7013540
Guelph Solar is a Licensed Electrical Contractor, and we abide by all Canadian and Provincial Electrical codes and practices. Our in-house electricians provide outstanding customer service for all electrical projects.
Electric Vehicle Chargers
Whole Home Electrical service
Smart Home Specialization
Whole Home Surge Protection
New Service and Service Upgrades
Audio/Video/Low voltage wiring
Appliance hook-ups
FAQHere are some common questions and answers. Please get in touch if you have other questions which are not covered here.
Replacing your shingles right before a solar install is a fantastic time to do it because the shingles will last many years longer with panels protecting them. That said, if your shingles are in good condition, you will not need to replace them, as the panels will keep them protected and in good condition for many years.
Yes. We can arrange financing, however, we recommend you first attempt to arrange financing from your preferred financial institution - your mortgage provider, typically - as they will already have a credit profile for you, and you will likely get the best possible interest rate.
Yes. The panels and solar optimizers come with a 25-year warranty, while the inverter has a 12 year, extendible warranty.
Yes an older home can support solar. Before installing we perform a structural assessment and determine if any work is needed.
We call Guelph home but do service in the surrounding region including Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Burlington, Oakville, Puslinch, Milton, and rural areas. We do also service outside of the Guelph region including Toronto, Owen Sound, Meaford and southern Ontario.
Typical payback for a net metered solar system is 12 -16 years. Variables include if you tend to consume more energy during the day when electricity costs are higher, as well as roof orientation and shading.
Many reviews are showing that the value of a property with solar is increased. In the United States, the value of the home is increased by $4 per watt of installed solar power (New York Times, Feb, 2016). More research is needed in Canada, but the trend is here too!
Maximum production occurs when the sun is highest. On a daily basis, production starts at sunrise, reaches its peak around noon, then declines until it reaches zero at sunset. During the year the sun provides the most energy around the summer solstice (June 20) and the least around the winter solstice (December 20). Weather, snow, shading and other factors will impact production. After we conduct an assessment of your roof, we will show you our predicted month by month energy production for your system.
In the event of a power outage without a battery the inverter will shut down due to anti-islanding regulations needed to protect line workers. Furthermore, in order to output power this grid-tied inverter needs to see 240 volts - which is typically in the form of the grid. However, the good news is if you have a battery such as the Tesla Powerwall, then the inverter will be able to talk with it instead of the grid and you will be able to power your home in the event of an outage. Please contact us in regards to adding batteries or a zero export meter to your system!
There are a few factors that determine how great a roof will be for solar, whether you are interested in NetMetering, pool or a battery system. Roof surfaces which face south do best, but we often install on other surfaces as well, and the systems do very well. We use a solar Pathfinder to examine how much shade falls on your roof in different areas throughout the year. We then use this information to determine how much electricity your array will produce each year. Get in touch with us and we can do a free assessment of your roof online.
Yes, we carry liability insurance and have WSIB coverage. We also adhere to the latest Ministry of Labour Working at Heights guidelines. All of our installation staff have Working at Heights training. Certificates available upon request.
Squirrels can cause damage by gnawing on wires. Pigeons or other birds can make a mess by building nests among the wires. Guelph Solar can help protect your solar panels. We also repair damage that has already been done.
15% of your annual revenue for a solar MicroFIT system is made from January to March, it could be more than $700 per year if there was no snow on your panels at all. A portion of your snow clearing cost can be written off as a business expense under your solar contract. For net metering systems, clearing snow will help you save money by reducing your electricity bills.
$500 (base cost) for the season: This would include a clearing of your driveway every time there is a snow event with at least 6 cm. This also includes having your panels cleared after a snow fall when several days of sun is predicted (about twice a season).
$40 (base cost) per driveway clearing.
$75 (base cost) per solar panel clearing.
Please see this blog for more information!
We encourage our customers to consider heating their pools with air-source heat pumps and to use their roofs to power their heat pumps and homes all year round. Using your roof to heat your pool for just a few months a year would be a missed opportunity when we have high-quality solar electric solutions with great business cases. Solar electric power for your home can heat your pool, power your lights and refrigerator, and charge your car.
