Solar Cladding and and the use of solar energy are two ways that buildings (commercial, institutional and residential) could be made more energy efficient.
Solar hot water is an inexpensive, easy-to-install and proven technology, with a payoff period of five to seven years.
Solar B.C. (www.solarbc.ca) has a goal of 100,000 solar roofs in the province by 2020. Which begs the question "why not here?" It is being done in Kelowna, Dawson Creek and North Vancouver. The City of Dawson Creek made public commitments to reduce the natural gas the city uses by installing solar hot water systems wherever possible to demonstrate leadership, provide energy security and provide visibility to solar hot water technology within their community. Why not here? At the very least we should ensure that all new houses are constructed solar ready. At a cost of $300-500 the necessary wiring and plumbing can be done at the time of construction enabling homeowners to add solar panels at a later date without having to do expensive retrofitting.
For those interested there is a grant of up to $1,625 in provincial funds available for homeowneres who want to install solar hot-water systems.
Two interesting websites are: http://www.solarbc.ca and the City of Dawson Creek's http://planningforpeople.ca
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