Thanks to everyone to attended the Kawartha Home and Cottage Show this past weekend. Flanagan and Sun Inc was the only renewable energy company at the show!
I spoke to a great number of people who are interested in renewable energy. The common theme seemed to be that people are frustrated with the cost of electricity and wanted to look at alternatives. Many people were hoping that going off-grid would be a solution; sadly, that is not a great option for the vast majority of people (we do lots of off-grid installations but it is usually only appropriate for people in remote locations where the cost of bringing the electrical grid to them is prohibitively expensive).
The two remaining potential options for renewables for homeowners are microFIT and net metering. Since the net metering program is under review, I am advising people to wait on pursuing that option until the details are made known. microFIT, while not as lucrative as it once was, can still be a good investment for the right situation (south facing roof with about 1000 sq ft and no shading … the south facing roof should be rectangular in shape without dormers, chimneys, or other appurtenances).