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Jodi Lundmark, tbnewswatch.com
Dean Stamler installed solar panels on the roof of his Vickers Street home.
Through the solar panels installed on his home’s roof, Dean Stamler generates about 60 per cent more power than he uses.
He and his wife had plans to install solar panels on their house when they bought it and when they heard of the Ontario Power Authority’s microFIT program, it was a no-brainer.
“We make decent money off of it, that’s for sure,” he said Friday at this Vickers Street home. “It more than offsets the cost of our hydro bills.”
Stamler used to buy green power through Bullfrog Power, but now that he’s generating his own green power, there’s no need to buy it from somebody else anymore.
“It’s nice to know you have a certain amount of energy independence on your house,” he said.
Stamler’s house is one of 10 Thunder Bay homes and businesses on the Superior Renewable Energy Cooperative’s Renewable Energy Tour on Saturday, June 25.
“The tour is a way for anyone with an interest in renewable energy to actually see systems in operation, talk to the people who are living with them, people who helped install them and learn more about what options are available in renewable energy,” said Ellen Mortfield, executive director of EcoSuperior.
The tour includes roof and ground-mounted solar panels, geothermal and solar thermal water heating systems.
“If you look at the number of systems that are appearing all over town on homes and businesses, there are significant revenue opportunities there,” said Mortfield. “It’s a good time for people to do some exploring and ask us some questions.”
With many companies in town selling renewable energy technologies, Mortfield said the tour is a way to learn about renewable energy without getting a sales pitch. Instead, people can hear about them firsthand from someone who already went through the process of installing a system.
“We’re trying to make those connections through this tour,” she said.
Tour passports are $15 and available at EcoSuperior and Maier Hardware. The tour runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.