The Garden Bee Solar Update – August 2018

Here is another solar update on the progress of our panels. The panels have been installed and generating for 9 months now. The overall output has improved and we are hitting forecast results. We are pleased!

Conservation Efforts

We are tracking our generation and usage on a daily basis. Being more mindful has enabled us to reduce our consumption significantly. Below are some of the ways we have been able to save energy.

• Reducing energy consumption can be as simple as being mindful of lights being left on. If they serve a purpose leave them on, if not, turn them off.
• Upgrading all light to LEDs. We had already gone to CFLs so the improvement was incremental.
• Put timers on lights that need to be on so they will shut off when they don’t. A timer on our sign, yard and parking area lights make sure we don’t forget to turn them on and off.
• Without the B&B our electrical consumption went down as we aren’t doing multiple loads of laundry and the need for hot water for showers evaporated.
• Our commercial wax melters are still in use and they take 24 hours to heat to temperature so a little planning goes a long way to keeping consumption to a minimum. The plan is to do multiple days of production when required to get the most value out of turning them on.
• Our kitchen appliances have been updgraded to the highest EnerGuide rating to keep our overall foot print to a minimum.

Heat/Humidity Wave

This past 4 weeks have been very humid and we have had the air conditioners on for the whole 4 weeks. The solar array still managed to push a significant amount on to the grid for our neighbours to use during this period. As it was explained to me, electricity flows like water via the path of least resistance. What that means here is that those nearest neighbours are using our extra power. It is so cool to know that we offset (at times) as much as 1 or 2 house holds of electricity so Nova Scotia Power doesn’t have to produce it with fossil fuels.

Production

To date our panels have produced more than 9 MW (9,000 Kw). Check out our solar update in our FAQ on our production history below:

What is your Solar Production?