Archives for February 26, 2018

Financial savings, carbon footprint reduction are just some of the reasons people install renewable systems

For homeowners looking to break free from the grips of Nova Scotia Power and its occasional outages, there are options.

To truly cut the cord, a homeowner would have to install an off-grid power system that would use renewable energy forms like wind, solar or hydro to provide power, as well as a battery backup system.

A solar system, which is most common, could cost between $10,000 and $50,000, experts told CBC News.

However, an off-grid system on its own won’t be able to meet all of a typical homeowner’s energy needs.

“Any type of electric heating is simply not sensible.… I don’t care how big it is, so, electric clothes dryers, electric stoves, electric water heating, that stuff’s out the window,” said Rob Sedgwick, the president and co-owner of Sage Energy, a Nova Scotia company that does off-grid and grid-tied installations.

How an off-grid system usually works

Under an off-grid power system, the common approach is to have the system provide electricity and lighting for the home, but things like heating, stoves, dryers and water heaters would be powered by propane or natural gas.

“Propane is attractive because it doesn’t go bad. A lot of things run on propane,” said Brian Rose, the president of Appleseed Energy, a solar and wind energy installation company.

Natural gas is more appealing because it’s cheaper, but you have to live in a place where gas lines are in place to provide a steady supply of it. The places where it’s available in Nova Scotia only represent a fraction of homes in the province.

Heritage Gas is the natural gas distributor in the province. If all of the homes were converted to natural gas where lines are currently available, the company would have about 11,000 residential customers, said spokesperson Alice McCarron. The company has just over 3,800 customers.

Sedgwick said even if somebody has deep pockets, building an off-grid system that could handle a home’s heating and electricity needs just isn’t feasible.

“It would just be absolutely cost-prohibitive,” he said.

The ideal power consumption for an off-grid home is up to 10 kilowatt hours per day, which works out to 3,650 kilowatt hours a year, Sedgwick said.

According to Nova Scotia Power, the average residential customer uses about 10,000 kilowatts of energy a year.

Because of the demanding energy needs most people have, going off-grid is probably not an option for them.

How net metering works

Another option is to enrol in Nova Scotia Power’s net-metering program (also known as being grid-tied), but with some modifications.

Under net metering, a homeowner uses renewable energy to meet their own electricity needs. If they produce more than they need, the extra energy is put on Nova Scotia Power’s grid and the homeowner is credited for that. If they use more energy than they produce, they are billed for the additional energy.

There are about 450 Nova Scotia Power customers who use net metering, and more than 80 per cent use a solar-power setup, documents filed with the Utility and Review Board show.

Homeowners must apply and sign a legal agreement with Nova Scotia Power, although one lawyer cautions that the agreement is “unreasonable” and “one-sided” in favour of the company.

Experts say a net-metered solar system will cost somewhere between $12,000 and $40,000, and will depend on factors like how many solar panels are installed and how much energy the system can produce.

“It’s actually probably less expensive than it was six years ago,” said Rose.

He said the payback period is around 11 years for a net-metered system.

Financial incentives?

Programs are available to provide financial incentives. Halifax offers a program called Solar City that provides property owners with a loan to pay for the project. The money is repaid over 10 years and comes with a fixed interest rate of 4.75 per cent.

Once his home is built, Gordie Weddleton will be using a net-metered system — and he’s using Solar City to pay for the solar installation. The Musquodoboit Harbour man is building a net-zero home, meaning it will produce as much energy as it consumes. The home is ultra energy-efficient, with triple-glazed windows, upgraded insulation and passive solar design.

Weddleton said he feels he has a duty to produce power and not just take it from the grid.

“I’ve got the sun above me, I’ve got all Mother Nature has to offer. Why shouldn’t I be a little bit more responsible for generating a little bit of power?” he said.

With net metering, if there’s an outage, a homeowner will lose power unless their system has “special transfer and isolating capabilities installed,” says Nova Scotia Power’s website.

Company spokesperson Tiffany Chase said it’s not known how many customers have a setup like this.

Battery backup system

However, a battery backup system could be installed to kick in once there’s an outage. Depending on the size of the system, it could provide power for up to a couple of days. It would likely cost between $10,000 and $30,000.

Rose said this approach would be preferable to using a generator.

“You don’t have the fuel costs and the noise and the maintenance of a generator,” he said.

Sedgwick said some people simply refuse to use a generator.

“They just don’t want any tie to a hydrocarbon fuel or they want complete autonomy,” he said.

Nova Scotia Power is expecting big growth in its net-metering program, with another 150 customers expected to sign up for it this year.

Market featured more than a dozen vendors selling art, jewellery, vintage clothes and books

An Island art enthusiast transformed her Charlottetown apartment into a pop-up art market and thrift shop this Sunday to give local vendors a free space to showcase their work.

Doing the ‘side hustle’: Islanders tap into their creative sides
Danielle Doucette said she came up with the idea after she and several friends noticed a lack of free spaces for artists to meet and network on the Island.

“Usually you have to pay for a table or there’s places where you have to pay to get in,” Doucette said.

Doucette said while there are plenty of pop-up events and markets on the Island, vendors and customers usually have to pay a fee to enter, which can be difficult for new artists or small business owners to afford.

“I figured it would be cool to just open up a space where people could just gather and hang out,” she added, “not feel pressure to buy anything or pay to get in or have to pay for a table.”

Less pressure to make sales

There were 13 Island-based vendors who set up shop in Doucette’s living room selling art, jewellery, books and records.

“We actually have a really diverse group,” Doucette said. “We have a lot of different art, paintings and illustrations and crafts, woodworking, embroidery— a lot of different stuff.”

Doucette also opened a space next to her kitchen for people to sell vintage clothing and shoes.

Karen Younker, co-owner of DK Original, was one of the vendors at the living room market, selling handcrafted woodwork and jewellery.

She said she and her partner have set up booths at the Charlottetown Farmer’s Market and at the Charlottetown Farm Centre in the past, but that pop-up events are a good way to promote their business during the off-season and quieter winter months.

“We definitely can use a lot more of them,” Younker said.

She said the opportunity to showcase work at a market without having to pay a $40 dollar vendor’s fee takes off the pressure to make sales.

“When you do come in and there’s no fee, it makes you feel like, okay I can do this. I don’t have to worry if I don’t make a sale or not,” she added. “When you make a sale it’s even better.”

Hopes to host again

Doucette said more than 70 people came through her pop-up market and she was excited to see how quickly her home was transformed into a busy space full of art and creative people.

“I have the space and it’s the perfect size,” Doucette said.

“It’s nice to get together and just talk about your art and swap and just have the freedom of not feeling like you’re going shopping but you’re just coming to hang out.”

“Seeing how popular this one has been and seeing how it goes I hope to have more in the future, for sure.”

City collaborates with MLSE Foundation to give kids ‘taste’ of hockey

Dozens of children were given an opportunity on Saturday to play hockey with the likes of Toronto Maple Leafs alumni Nik Antropov, as the City of Toronto partnered with MLSE Foundation to host a celebration day for the Hockey in the Neighbourhood program.

Funded by MLSE Foundation, Tim Hortons and the Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni Association, Hockey in the Neighbourhood aims to encourage participation in hockey through hands-on training.

Antropov said it was a delight being a part of Saturday’s program at the Malvern Recreation Centre in Scarborough.

“It’s a great thing to do [to] help out the kids [and] make sure they do a lot of sports no matter what it is,” he told CBC Toronto.

Antropov emphasized the importance of the program, noting that most families can’t afford to get their children into hockey.

Coach Ahsan Ahmad agrees and adds no child with an interest in the sport should be left behind because they cannot afford it.

“Hockey is a big thing in Canada. Anywhere you go you see people talking about hockey,” Ahmad told CBC Toronto.

He said the program is for kids who are beginning hockey and involves simple drills to get them into the game.

“It’s for kids that want to get into the sport that Canada plays but they don’t really have the financial aid. It’s to give them a little jump start.”

Ahmad, who said he got his first taste of the sport when he was 10 in the Hockey in the Neighbourhood Program, now runs two rinks with 40 and 60 kids respectively.

He explained that while it might not seem like a lot, it is important that the rinks are not too packed, so kids could get “one-on-one help.”

Meanwhile, Jess Vella, a forward for the Toronto Furies who also participated in Saturday’s program, pointed to the importance of giving back to the community and demonstrating the importance of hockey.

“It’s a great opportunity for children to come out here, learn what it’s like to play hockey,” she told CBC Toronto. “It’s a great character builder, and I think they have a lot of fun out here.”

Vella said the program also gives kids the opportunity to try hockey to see if they like it.

“I think hockey is one of those sports that everyone really enjoys and would like the opportunity to play,” she added. “There is support from a lot of different organisations and people to give them the opportunity to play.”

Introduced in 1999, the Hockey in the Neighbourhood program has used hockey as a tool of engagement for more than 5,000 children and youth.

‘If you’re not accessible, you’re losing that market,’ says Hansen

Making workplaces and communities accessible to those with disabilities will have a positive impact on Canada’s economy.

That’s the finding of a report released Friday by the Rick Hansen Foundation in partnership with the Conference Board of Canada.

B.C. paralympian Rick Hansen said there isn’t enough emphasis on the economic benefits of increased accessibility.

His foundation teamed up with the conference board to conduct research into the issue.

“No one speaks to the opportunity,” said Hansen during CBC Radio One’s The Early Edition.

Living with disability

The report showed that 2.9 million Canadians live with a physical disability that impairs either their vision, mobility or hearing and that the number will increase by 1.8 per cent annually over the next 13 years.

The report stated that in 2017, Canadians with disabilities contributed to the country’s economy by spending $165 billion dollars as a whole.

The conference board obtained data for the report by surveying Canadians with disabilities and and assessing how they interact with their communities.

The report showed that since the number of Canadians with disabilities is expected to increase annually, total real spending of this group will rise to $316 billion by 2030, increasing from 14 per cent to 21 per cent of the total consumer market.

Accessibility affordability

To tap into that population growth, Hansen said investments in workplace accessibility need to be made, so Canadians with disabilities can participate more fully in the workforce.

“If we made the workplace more accessible we would have a massive gross in GDP,” said Hansen.

Hansen said the cost of any government investments toward workplace accessibility would be a drop in the bucket compared to the report’s finding of a GDP increase of $16.8 billion by 2030.

“About a half a million people …have a potential to work longer and obviously become employed, it has a huge net gain to our country,” said Hansen.

“It’s time governments and the private sector really accelerate their attention to this because who would want to leave that on the table?”

Hansen called the growing population of Canadians with a disabilities a pool of untapped potential.

Hansen says as more people with a disabilities are able to work, the more they will give back to local economies.

“They want to go out and be part of a restaurant experience, they want to go to retail stores, they want to travel just like anyone else,” said Hansen.

“But if you’re not accessible you’re losing that market, and they’re going other places or they’re not going at all.”