Case Study: Whyte Ridge

Case Study: Whyte Ridge, Winnipeg, Manitoba

In the heart of Whyte Ridge, Winnipeg, Manitoba our clients presented us with a classic 1730 square foot, 4 level split home. Built in 1987 in one of Winnipeg’s most sought after communities, this 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with two large living spaces, consumed a lot of electricity. Our clients were spending on average $140/month (1680/annually) throughout the year on their hydro bill.

Our clients had a keen interest in renewable energy and were interested in reducing their carbon footprint without having to make major changes in their day to day lives. Through a quick search, they found the Greener homes grant, and applied to be a part of the program. Once they were approved, they booked a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation. Upon completion the energy advisor handed over a list of approved recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their home. Of all the recommendations, Solar felt like the most attractive option. Not only can they reduce their carbon footprint and overall greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), they could also reduce their monthly Hydro payments.

Vibes Energy installed a 7KW roof mounted grid tie system, in January 2022. Their Manitoba hydro bill has been recorded as follows:

Why 7Kw?

There are a few factors to consider: The availability of roof space free from shade, the direction of the roof and their current consumption.

This particular client submitted 24 months worth of consumption for his property, which is available through Manitoba Hydro, and Vibes Energy conducted a site visit to confirm the available roof space measurements, and any potential spots that had shading throughout the day. This property only had 1 spot of shading on their south-south west facing roof from the chimney (very minimal shading). Now taking all of this information and combining it with the available space in their existing electrical system…

Orange-and-Violet-Process-Flow-Timelines-Diagram

Expert Solar Tip:

The goal of residential solar is not to oversize your system for a payback, it’s to size your system with an optimal ROI.

We used our annual software production simulator to create the best system size and optimal placement on the clients property which gave us the magic number of 7KW.

Client testimony:

“With the expected annual price increase of hydro plus the carbon taxes. Reducing our future cost of Hydro felt imminent. Although a rebate would have been very attractive, the increased property value would compensate in the event of a sale of the residence. Thought it was an excellent decision to go with Solar on my home. The ease of integration into the present delivery system is definitely a positive and would certainly make the same decision again.”

Case Study: Whyte Ridge