The Benefits of Solar Net Metering in B.C. 

While powering a home or business is a one-way equation for most, an increasing number of British Columbians are discovering that they can put their building to work for them by generating their own electricity. They’re turning their homes and businesses into power generators by installing solar panels and participating in BC Hydro’s Net Metering Program.

There are many advantages to installing solar panels in your home or business, one of the more lucrative reasons to do it is BC Hydro’s Net Metering program. The program allows you to sell any excess energy you produce back into the grid, offsetting the cost of your energy use.

The program, which launched in 2004, now has hundreds of participants around the province who effectively sell their power into the grid. And contrary to popular belief, BC’s climate is perfect for generating solar power (Vancouver produces more kWh in solar power than Berlin, for example, one of the world leaders in solar panel installs).

How Net Metering Works

When you install solar panels on your home or business, your installation provider will hook you up to BC Hydro’s power meter. The meter tracks how much power you draw from the grid, as well as any power you send back into it.

When you generate more power than you need, as is often the case in the summer months, when sunshine is abundant and energy use typically decreases, your system will automatically send the excess power generated by your solar panels back to the grid. BC Hydro will issue a credit to be used against future energy bills. But if you still have the credit a year later, BC Hydro will then pay you for the electricity at a rate of 9.99 cent per kilowatt hour (kWh).

Is Your Home or Business a Good Candidate for Net Metering?

According to BC Hydro, these are some criteria you can use to assess whether your home or business is a good candidate for the net metering program:

• Do you have a south-facing roof in good repair?
• Is your roof big enough for the most common size solar installation (240 square feet)?
• Is your roof free from shade?
• Or, do you have another appropriate space to install solar panels?

If your answer is yes to most of these questions, then Net Metering may be a good fit for your home or business.

Want to Learn More about Solar?

Go to BC Hydro to learn more about who’s eligible, how to apply, rate schedules, and to read about those who have done it successfully.

You can also contact us anytime at Stardust Solar Technologies to talk about how a solar panel installation could work for you or your customers home or business.

Written by: Lisa Manfield

Email: info@stardustsolar.com