He had a solar-powered home built and pays Hydro just $90 a month, a bill he says is twice as low as the same home built to regular standards.
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“I wanted to save energy [avoir] a house that has less impact on society,” explains Serge Rivard, owner of a residence with very low energy consumption.
The retiree from the city of Montreal settled in the heart of the Laurentian nature in 2019 after three years of preparation.
In 2016, he developed his own plans to combine ecology and profitability using ERA Solution training.
“To achieve zero consumption we really had to invest a lot of money and make a lot of concessions in our consumption,” explains Mr. Rivard.
His house will not be completely energy self-sufficient, but it will be very economical.
Passive solar house
To do this, he installs a few solar panels on the roof, but above all he follows the principles of the passive solar house.
In Quebec, around 50% of electricity needs are related to heating. The passive solar house is not only very well insulated, but also maximizes solar radiation in the house. This means that the temperature is very pleasant and energy consumption is low.
The couple found happiness in Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs and bought a property there in 2018. But finding a contractor proved to be quite a challenge.
“I was told, ‘Your plans, no, that’s not possible, that’s not in the standard,'” Mr. Rivard explains. Or if it was OK, the price went up because it was new to them.”
In the end he found a prefabricated house from the company ILAND Solaire.
“It already corresponded very well to the recommendations I received during my training,” explains the owner. I brought him in and hired someone to help me. It was a cost-effective option.”
Looking back, Mr. Rivard is very happy with the design of his house.
Thanks to the south-facing windows, the heating in the house is switched off completely on a sunny winter day. And in summer the parasols provide shade.
As for the installation of solar panels on his roof, the investment was not very profitable, estimates Mr Rivard, he only installed 1500 watts “for fun”.
Building his better insulated and more ecological house was certainly a little more expensive. But the pensioner calculates that the bill is balanced out by the electricity savings.
Emmanuel Cosgrove, CEO of Écohabitation, confirms it: With an optimized passive solar home, you can heat, light and even charge an electric vehicle for just $60 per month.
Emmanuel Cosgrove CEO Éco-Habitat Energy saving and solar panels Photo Louis-Dominique Lamarche Louis-Dominique Lamarche
His recommendation: work on “slimming” his apartment’s energy consumption and then try to achieve “net zero” by producing solar power himself.
The leader wants to warn those affected: complete energy autonomy is neither profitable nor ecological, it requires batteries and a generator. You must stay in touch with Hydro-Québec whenever possible.