Produce More Power Than You Use:
A sunny month like we had in September 2014 produced a nice pay day for homeowners with roof-top solar panels. A Hayter Group customer in Cambridge, Ontario produced 40% more power than they consumed with their 7.5 kW system.
The home consumed a total of 617kWh during the month. The solar panels on the roof produced 853kWh over the same period. On average the solar panels produced 40% more energy than the house consumed. On some days towards the end of the month, the panels produced twice as much power as the house used.
The home has a time of use smart meter. That means the homeowner pays 7.5¢ per kWh in off-peak periods, 11.2¢ mid-peak and 13.5¢ on-peak.
The chart that follows shows energy consumption for each day of the month. The 3 colours on the bar show the breakdown between off-peak, mid-peak and on-peak consumption.
The energy produced by the home’s solar panels are shown in the chart below:
The power produced by the solar panels is sold back to the grid under the Ontario Government’s microFIT program. At the 2014 contract rate, the rate paid for power produced is 39.6¢ per kWh. In September, this homeowner will be receiving a cheque for over $300.00. Substantially more than they are paying for their power. In addition, they have lowered their carbon footprint by producing 40% more green energy than they consumed.
To learn more about solar panels and the microFIT program, click here.
