When people ask Shelly and Lorne Hornby about their unique skylight the answer comes as a surprise. Positioned sleek against the couple’s south facing roof isn’t a skylight but a solar hot water collector.
“Unless you talk to people about it, I don’t think it registers you can have one and that you can benefit from it,” says Shelly, of her system that was installed in 2010 by Terratek Energy. “If people looked into it they’d be surprised. Yes, you may have to make an initial large investment, but it comes back to you.”
The couple’s single collector system is one of the most affordable renewable energy options for a home of under three people. Even still, it’s a hard figure for many homeowners to swallow. But while they didn’t flinch at the cost, Shelly says she and her husband also knew what they wanted: to cut down on their hydro bill. She’s happy to confirm that two years later they’ve done just that – and changed their habits along the way.
“We’ve seen savings,” she says. “It took us a while to adjust to the system so that we were using our hot water at peak times to capitalize on the renewable energy. We’re retired so that was easy for us to do.”
She is referring to the fact that on sunny days the system will be generating the most free energy from the sun, whereas on day with heavy cloud cover and no ambient light the water usage will generally be coming from the regular water tank, which acts as a back-up to the solar hot water tank. “I am very in tune to it now,” says Shelly. “I use the dishwasher and run baths when the system is coming on so we’re making the best use of it.”
Shelly says her favourite aspect of having a solar hot water system is the fact that is so compact, as well as the savings they’ve seen and the feeling they get in helping, rather than taking from, the ecological landscape. “I don’t know why we’re not trying out these systems more. Even in Canada – they’re leaps and bounds ahead of us with solar hot water in Nova Scotia. I don’t know why BC is lagging behind.”
Shelly is especially disappointed by the lack of interest in her own back yard, where the City of Nanaimo recently decided against a solar hot water installation on a municipal building. She says it was disheartening to read that the council voiced questions that were not thoroughly researched or properly addressed. “Their misunderstanding of the process can scare others off,” she explains.
While Shelly wishes her local government would take a more pro-active role in renewable energy she has become much more interested in it herself through her own decision to incorporate solar hot water on her home. “To be honest, I didn’t know a whole heck of a lot in the beginning, and I wouldn’t say I’m an expert now by any means. But we’re more aware and knowledgeable about what’s available, and interested in other options available to us.”
She recommends solar hot water to any homeowners considering a system, and especially to those who are building. “It’s important to think about what we can build with from the start,” she says. “And once you have it, and learn about the system and live with it – you’ll see more benefits than you did before.”