Solar hot water
Living Off the Grid in Eastern Ontario
Mother Earth News / William Kemp / October/November 2011
Twenty years ago, when my wife, Lorraine, and I decided to move off the grid, our motivation was simple. Lorraine wanted to move closer to her family, preferably to a piece of land large enough to offer some privacy and plenty of room to support her “addiction” to animals. A lot at the back of her family’s farm fit the bill (and the wallet). There was only one downside: It would have cost tens of thousands of dollars to connect the property to the nearest electric lines. The solution was obvious: Don’t connect to the grid and instead plan to run our house entirely with renewable energy. We put our plan into action, and have been enjoying off the grid living ever since. Here’s how we run our rural Ontario home using an absolute minimum of fossil fuel energy.
Leeds-Grenville candidates debate green energy future
Your Ottawa Region / J.P. Antonacci / 22 September 2011
The Oct. 6 provincial election is shaping up to be a referendum of sorts on the Liberal Party’s vision to turn Ontario into a global green energy centre.
At stake is the future of the Green Energy Act, which the Liberals contend reduces carbon emissions while creating jobs in the province’s lagging manufacturing industry, and the Conservatives claim drives up consumer hydro prices.
If elected, Conservative leader Tim Hudak has pledged to end the feed-in-tariff programs – FIT and microFIT – the Liberals created to spur investment in solar and wind energy projects by paying higher than market prices for electricity generated from renewable resources.
Kingston: Seniors' complex more energy efficient
Kingston Whig-Standard / Samantha Butler / 08 August 2011
The Royal Canadian Legion Villa, a social housing complex on Princess Street for seniors, is making leaps and bounds in en-e rgy efficiency, according to Kingston Hydro Conservation Officer Steve Sottile.
"They've done an amazing job, on a shoe-string budget as they go," Sottile said.
Sottile helped the building administrator, Darlene Lightfoot, file an application for an Ontario program called Save On Energy at the end of June, after surveying the property earlier in the month.
London: Group to offer free workshops on installing solar water heaters
The Londoner / Joshua Freeman / 16 April 2011
More people are looking at energy alternatives with a mind to reducing costs.
With that in mind, Post Carbon London — a group focused on helping Londoners act on issues surrounding peak oil and global warming — is offering a series of free work shops to provide the public with information about installing solar water heating.
"In Ontario, you could get about 68 per cent of all your hot water needs for the year from the sun," says Shane ONeill, one of the group's founders. "In China, most of the hot water they obtain is from solar power. In Israel it's almost 100 per cent, (and) California is moving up as well."
Ottawa Solar Power Fair
Like the Beatles’ sang: “It’s been a long cold, lonely winter .... here comes the Sun”. Come learn about solar power options for your home, business, school, church or community organization at the first OTTAWA SOLAR POWER FAIR.
The fair is free and open to the public. Activities have been developed for kids so you can bring them as well!
Solar Display
Meet with Solar Power Suppliers and Installers and test out their products and services. Get information from booths about the How To’s of Solar Power. Get connected with resource to help you.
Website: Build It Solar
Plans, tools and information to do renewable energy and conservation projects.
Hundreds of projects -- from changing a light bulb to building a solar home.
Design information and tools for building renewable energy projects.
An Experimental section for backyard inventors.
Nothing For Sale here -- just free ideas, plans, and information.
Livin' the Dream, Off the Grid and Thriving
Mother Earth News / Cam Mather / 04 August 2010
Twenty years ago my wife Michelle and I had a dream to get out of the city and move to the country. We wanted to live more sustainably and have space around us. Almost 14 years ago we found our little piece of paradise on 150 acres in Eastern Ontario. The nearest utility pole is 3 miles to the east and 4 miles to the west and we power the house entirely with the sun and wind. It truly is a dream come true.
