Case Study: Solar Water Heating
A rebate to help equip your home with solar water heating, and save money off your energy bill.
Resident:
Lisa Cramm, Halifax
Problem:
Lisa wanted an affordable way to reduce her dependence on electricity and be environmentally friendly.
Solution:
After getting pre-approval, Lisa had 12 months to buy and install her solar water system.
Blair Keeling, of Citadel Energy Solutions (from the Efficiency Partner Network), installed a 70-gallon tank in her basement and two roof top solar panels. The project netted her a $1,250 rebate, and is projected to cut her domestic water heating costs by 40-60%
Circulating in a closed-loop system, glycol is piped to the solar panels in the roof. Once heated, the glycol transfers its warmth through a heat exchanger to the water in the solar tank. The heated water feeds into the electric-heated water tank and is piped from there to the home’s hot water taps.
Efficiency Nova Scotia’s rebate helped Lisa acquire a solar-heated hot water system big enough to meet the hot water needs of a family of four, most of the year.
Reaction:
According to Lisa, the service is:
“Awesome.”
“I was looking for ways to save money and be environmentally friendly.”
“The program is like, ‘fill out a form and get a cheque for $1,250!’ That’s the best program ever! I want more programs like that!”
“They look like skylights, basically. It produces most of my hot water. I haven’t had a cold shower since.”