A family taking climate action with solar power

It's in the news, it changes how I do my work, and as I put my 4 year old to bed one evening last year, it showed up in big bold letters in her picture book - CLIMATE CHANGE. It made me pause, and think about all the things I spend money on that do not provide a meaningful impact on her future.

When our home was in need of new shingles earlier this year, roof top mounted photovoltaics became a workable strategy for helping to reduce our family’s impact on climate. With the combination of climbing energy prices, our ability to connect and sell back to the grid, and the availability of both the City of Edmonton’s Solar Rebate Program and the Canada Greener Homes Grant, it was clearly an exceptional time to consider renewable energy.

I started with the free online tool MyHEAT Solar, which helped me understand my roof's potential; then with the help of information from Solar Alberta, settled on a quote from a supplier with the expertise to provide us with a 100% turnkey system that provides 100% of our electricity needs.

I went into this process hoping to break even while offsetting my family's carbon footprint. I came out of it with a solar system that, at only a quarter of its lifespan, pays itself off, and after 25 years will triple my investment.

My 4 year old tells me, if we don’t do anything, climate change will change everything. This solar array is a small step towards changing what we can, for her future.

This post was submitted by Kristi Olsen, an Edmonton community member. If you live in Edmonton and have a climate change story to tell, let us know! Your story could be shared here too.