Solar panels for apartment buildings

[DanieLL]

Hi everyone.


We all face the painful reality of escalating hydro cost in Ontario.


Did anybody consider installing panels as a way to mitigate hydro cost?


Would I be eligible for a FIT program for an apartment building if the tenants pay their own hydro?


Anyone with experience in `solar apartments` out there? returns? profits?



Thanks

 

[DanieLL]

It seems that nobody bothered installing panels on apartment buildings. Am I right?

 

[Alvaro Sanchez]

It's my understanding that landlords do not qualify for FIT program.

 

[invst4profit]

Solar can be used as a additional source of income but if tenants pay their own hydro the cost is not a landlords concern. Ideally landlords increased costs would be passed on to new tenants or through applications for above guide line rent increases.



Contact a solar supplier and you should be able to get all the numbers. There are many on the Internet providing cost figures as averages.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi there,



Sorry no idea about the hydro cost other wise i will definitely help you.

 

[therenoguy]

My wife and I lived in a mobile 15 years ago on solar. And we've looked at it twice since then. I've come to the conclusion that there are exactly two scenarios where it pays in the long term to go solar. 1) you are rural and more than $30,000 from the nearest access to the grid. 2) you sell the systems for a living and need a really great demo on your roof.

Sorry, but having looked at it, there is currently just no way to make it pay. And by the time the system has paid for itself it's time to replace it.

Keith

 

[Lucas]

[quote user=therenoguy]Sorry, but having looked at it, there is currently just no way to make it pay. And by the time the system has paid for itself it's time to replace it.
Keith


Nice answer...I agree with this. In Alberta, with the cost of buying and installing a system, there is little incentive to go solar. Its more of a romantic notion as far as I can tell...



Lucas

 

[Thomas Beyer]

[quote user=Lucas]In Alberta, with the cost of buying and installing a system, there is little incentive to go solar.
It makes sense ONLY in Ontario where they pay you 60 cents (down from 80 in the beginning).



No wonder the debt is so high in that fine province.



Comparison to California debt is interesting .. 50% bigger .. with 1/3 the population and GDP .. shocking really: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/01/31/ontarios-debt-worse-than-californias-fraser-report

 

[Lucas]

[quote user=ThomasBeyer]Comparison to California debt is interesting .. 50% bigger .. with 1/3 the population and GDP .. shocking really: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/01/31/ontarios-debt-worse-than-californias-fraser-report


Wow...Are the other provinces responsible for paying any of this debt back?



These numbers are ridiculous...how does a government expect its citizens to manage their households properly when they are so out of control?

 

[Thomas Beyer]

[quote user=Lucas]how does a government expect its citizens to manage their households properly when they are so out of control?
Government is its own business these days, as one can see from the huge growth in the number of public servants and their salaries . Maybe the new Ontario premier will be able to resist this temptation for "government fixes all" attitude. We shall see. But eventually, the pendulum will swing back, possibly as early as the next provincial election, if Ontarians are finally fed up and vote right, like they did on Toronto.



More on this solar subsidy non-sense here: