Frequently Asked Questions

The payback on a solar installation depends on a number of factors, particularly rebates and grant eligibility. The grant money you’re eligible for is seriously affected by whether the installation is residential, commercial, or for a First Nation government.

Converting from grid-power with the existing rebates, many residential solar systems pay for themselves in as little as 10 years, and most of our residential clients see a 6-10% annual return on their investment.

With the current rebates for commercial and First Nation government installations, payback can be as fast as 4 years or less with qualifying grants. And with the increase in property value, the total value is even higher!

The precise value depends on what kind of system you end up installing and your specific property and location. That potential value is one of the things that we can discuss with you if you’re interested in a free quote.

If you’re connected to BC Hydro, you don’t need batteries for day-to-day use. Any extra power your panels generate is stored in the electrical grid rather than in batteries. Since you’ll never need to maintain or replace your city’s electrical grid, it’s simple and affordable. You can think of BC Hydro as an extremely large battery system, as long as the grid is functioning.

If the grid ever goes down, for example in a power outage, and you don’t have batteries of your own, your solar system will shut off too. Batteries keep you powered through blackouts. At Gott, we use primarily Volthium -supplied battery systems: high-quality products, engineered and assembled in Eastern Canada.

If you have batteries, your excess power gets stored for you to use whenever the sun isn’t shining, like at night or when the weather is cloudy.

If you’re “on-grid”, meaning that you’re connected to BC Hydro, and you don’t have batteries of your own, then your solar power can essentially be stored in the electrical grid. Any excess power that you export to the grid becomes credits that can be used to get power back in the future.

Not at all. Your solar panels will be able to produce more power on sunny days, but in low-light conditions, your solar power panels can still produce power. Even on extremely cloudy days, you can get up to 20% of what you might get when the sky is clear.

On-grid means that you can receive power from your local electrical grid. If you get bills from BC Hydro and Fortis BC (or your province’s equivalent) then you are on-grid and may want to look into reducing that bill with solar power. We can help you determine by how much.

What about off-grid? Despite popular opinion, off-grid doesn’t necessarily mean that you live in a rural community. Off-grid just means that you aren’t getting power from the province’s electrical grid. If you’ve never received an energy bill, then you’re off-grid, and are likely already operating with solar or generator power. We can help you plan a system that will support your needs.

If you do not have batteries as part of your system and the power goes out, your solar will also shut down and will not provide backup power. This is a legal requirement that protects people who might be working on the grid, because your system is literally tied into the grid.

If you have batteries, then your system will continue to function while the power is out provided that your system has been properly sized and designed.

We do work with a financing partner that can help you pay for your alternative energy system, but if you can, we recommend applying for the Canada Greener Homes Loan, which is a $40,000 interest-free loan that can be paid back over 10 years.

If you’re still interested in our financing options, feel free to contact us about them.

In most cases you shouldn’t need to wash your panels often, if at all, because rain and snow will do the job for you. But some locations are more subject to dust, pollen collection, tree debris, etc. In those cases, you can typically get all the cleaning you need by simply spraying your solar panels with a garden hose.

If any debris requires more thorough cleaning, you can wash your panels with a mild soap, water, and a gentle cloth. Please never power wash your panels, use chemical cleaners, or abrasive materials. This can damage them.

We work with a network of trusted suppliers and manufacturers we’ve built relationships with over many years in the industry. Every choice we make balances quality, cost, availability, warranty coverage, and long-term product support.

We actively seek Canadian suppliers and value the strength of these partnerships. In fact, we actively seek them out because they deliver excellent quality as well as strengthen our local economy and reduce the environmental impact of long supply chains.