Peggy Revell
Encouraging local production of renewable energy is the goal of new programs coming down the pipeline from the Fort Frances Power Corp.
“The new programs that we’re working on are called microFIT and FIT programs,” explained Lori Cain, cost and regulatory analyst for the FFPC, although she noted a date for when these will be in place has yet to be set.
FIT—which stands for “Feed-in Tariff”—is a program meant to encourage residents to install renewable energy technology in their homes, which then is connected back into the local power grid.
“The difference between the micro-FIT is the real small stuff, less than 10 kilowatts, and the FIT is anything above that,” noted Cain.
“But it’s all for renewable energy, which would be bioenergy technology, solar, water power, and wind,” she said, adding the price people would get for producing this type of energy would be “worth their while.”
“For, say, a rooftop-mounted solar collector, the proposed price at this point is around 80 cents a kWh, which is huge. It’s almost eight times what our Town of Fort Frances hydro bill would be,” Cain remarked.
“So even though you put a large capital investment in, there would be a definite payback.
“And even though you would be feeding it into the system, you might not be feeding the grid, but just lessening the amount that you would be consuming off the grid,” she explained.
The FFPC is in the process of meeting with the Ontario Power Authority and Ontario Energy Board to set the programs up and establish regulations before they can be implemented, Cain said.
“We do have our ‘smart’ metres now. They’re smart, but they’re not that smart to be able to keep track of two energy prices in and out, and that sort of deal,” she noted, referring to one of the things they are working to sort out at the moment.
But it’s a type of program that some local residents already have been inquiring about, Cain added.
“So this is the next step to basically get in Ontario to the next point where, yes, we want your small generation, we want people to start looking at wind and solar,” she said. “Probably I can see on this end of the country lots of solar panels on certain types of homes and that.
“I think it’s a great step,” she enthused.
Meanwhile, the FFPC still is promoting the ongoing “Great Refrigerator Round-Up” as another energy-saving program sponsored by the Ontario Power Authority.
The “round-up” allows residents to have an old energy-inefficient refrigerator taken away and recycled for free by making an appointment either online at everykilowattcounts.ca or by calling 1-877-797-9473.
While the program has been running for a few years, there are a few changes to the requirements this year, Cain noted.
Previously, the refrigerator had to be 10 years or older, but now that requirement has changed so that it must be 15 years or older, she explained.
The refrigerator also has to be in working condition, and between 10-27 cu. ft. in size.
Besides picking up a full-sized fridge or freezer, a secondary appliance that meets proper criteria also can be taken away for free.
“So, basically, if you’re doing a retrofit on your kitchen, they’ll pick up all those appliances, as well as a window air conditioner or dehumidifier, as long as they work and they’re over 10 years old,” Cain said.
“What they’re trying to do is basically get rid of the second beer fridge, or the really bad energy consumers out of the homes in Ontario,” she explained, adding it’s been a very successful program so far.
“In 2008, we had 113 bookings, and 103 of them were actually successful, so that’s a great statistic, I believe,” Cain said the local response.
“Province-wide, there were around 8,200 and 7,200 were actually decommissioned.
“So when you think of a magnitude of a program like this, you can see why it would have an effect on the consumption levels in the province of Ontario,” Cain remarked, noting she’s seen what a difference this change can make in her own household.
“We used to have one at our house, and it would actually wake me up when the compressor kicked on, it was actually that bad,” she admitted.
“And the minute we retrofitted our kitchen, I had a direct drop in my hydro consumption. It was very, very apparent.”
