Airdrie Solar Case Study
The Daw family moved into their two-story Airdrie home and loved the big prairie skies and long, sunny summer days. What they didn't love were electricity bills creeping up every year. Here's how they now pay just 0/month.
Airdrie Family Realizes Immediate Savings After Paying 92/month
Before solar, the Daws were averaging roughly 90-00 per month in total electric costs (energy + distribution). Post-solar, their modeled net bill averages about 5-0 per month across the year, with some summer months dropping into credit. That's a monthly reduction of about 35, or approximately ,630 in annual savings.
Over a 25-year lifecycle, that pencils out to 0,000+ in lifetime savings before you even factor in utility price inflation. With conservative escalation, that long-term benefit only grows. Their modeled break-even year lands around Year 12-14.
| Key Results, Airdrie AB | Result |
|---|---|
| Average Monthly Bill Before Solar | 92.00 |
| Average Monthly Bill After Solar | 6.00 |
| Annual Savings | ,630 (Year 1) |
| Lifetime Savings (25 yrs) | 0,000+ |
| Break-Even Year | Year 14 |
These numbers are estimates and may vary depending on your usage, location, and incentive eligibility.
Their Electric Bill with Solar
This bill shows how solar wipes out most charges. From Jun 2-19, the home used 269 kWh. Charges were Energy 0.70, Transmission and Distribution 8.51, plus Municipal .78 and Retailer .85, totaling 33.84.
Because the system exported more than it imported, the Microgen credit was -83.25, which more than offset those costs. After GST -.47, the statement ended at Total Due -1.88, a credit that rolls forward to future bills.
These recurring summer credits help cover higher winter usage, accelerate ROI, and bring break-even sooner, compounding to 0k+ in lifetime savings over 25-30 years.
Three Levers That Maximized ROI
Net Billing (Micro-Generation)
Alberta's net-billing framework lets the family earn credits for the extra energy their system exports, especially in those long, bright summer months. Those credits then help offset winter bills when the sun is lower. Net billing is the backbone of the ROI, letting summer do the heavy lifting for the year.
Alberta Solar Club (Optimized Retail Rates)
The family enrolled with an electricity retailer offering an Alberta Solar Club-style program, which tweaks buy/sell rates to better match solar-home realities. Better export terms in high-production months and smart import pricing when they need to pull from the grid. This optimization smooths cash flow and can shave months (sometimes years) off payback.
Alberta CEIP Loan (No Upfront Cost)
The Daws chose CEIP financing, putting the project on the property tax bill at a competitive rate, spread over a comfortable term. It's tied to the property, not the people. If they ever sell, the remaining obligation and energy savings can transfer to the next owner. For the Daws, CEIP meant /bin/sh upfront, with most of the payment offset by the bill reduction from day one.
Solar Club seasonal rates (left) and CEIP loan program (right) both contributed to the Daw family's strong Airdrie solar ROI.
Monthly Production vs Consumption
This chart shows the home's monthly solar panel energy production vs how much energy the home used. The summer months' excess helps power the home throughout the year thanks to net billing. Below is the inverter data showing how much MWh the panels produced.
The Day-to-Day Experience
The family wanted simplicity: set it, forget it, and check in when curious. Their system came with a mobile monitoring app that shows real-time and historical production. They can see exactly how many kWh their roof harvested today, last week, and month-to-date, plus how that stacks up against their typical use. It's oddly addictive, and it turns the kids into mini energy detectives.
Why They Chose Orizon Energy
They chose Orizon Energy as their installer for three reasons:
- *Experience and design: Orizon sized the array to align with the family's actual usage profile and roof geometry, prioritizing production without cluttering the roofline.
- *Permitting and paperwork: From the interconnection to the CEIP application support and retailer switch, Orizon handled the admin cleanly and kept the family in the loop.
- *Clean, on-time install and follow-through: The crew showed up when promised, left the site spotless, and walked the Daws through the monitoring app and seasonal production expectations.
Power your home the right way
No matter what, you are likely to spend around 0,000 on electricity over the next 10 years. The difference is where that money goes.
Your home without solar energy
- 50 average monthly electricity bill
- 10-Year Cost: 0,000 (assuming no rate increases)
- Continued dependence on utility companies
- No long-term savings or added home value
Your home with net billing solar energy
- No Upfront Cost 4.5% solar loan
- Ownership of your power generation system
- 20+ years of low cost electricity after loan payoff
- Protection against future rate hikes
- Energy independence and savings
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- Save upwards 5,000 in lifetime electricity costs
- Protect your monthly finances from energy price increases
- Offset up to 100% of energy usage with solar
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