The net-zero Bosch house completed in South Ridge in 2019.(Courtesy Ross Lavigne)

By Alex McCuaig

HatSmart 2020

HatSmart solar rebate expected to be snapped up quickly

Jan 3, 2020 | 5:40 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – The rebate for the city’s residential solar program is going up but a Medicine Hat energy efficiency company expects that subsidy to be fully subscribed within two weeks.

This year the rebate for solar-electric panels from the HatSmart program has gone up from 75-cents per watt to $1 with the maximum claimable amount now $6,000, up $1,000 from 2019.

That amounts to a five per cent increase in the city rebate, says Terralta’s Scott Alexander, and another reason – among a plethora of others – for homeowners to consider installing solar panels.

“It means it makes the systems a lot more appealing,” said Alexander. “And I think we’ve hit the point of critical mass in the market place now where enough people have had good experiences with solar and they’ve seen the costs of running their households go down and they’re telling their friends about it.”

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He added the overall costs and footprint of residential solar have gone down while the efficiency has increased over the last decade.

To be able to access the full $6,000 rebate would require a six-kilowatt system, which can run roughly around $16,000 to $18,000 without the rebate and is dependent on a number of variables.

“If you are paying $2.80 a watt (for installation) and a dollar of that is covered from the HatSmart program, you’re doing pretty good,” said Alexander.

But the timeline for recouping costs is a moving target, something Alexander says is dependent on the electricity market.

“It’s difficult to calculate because the ball is always moving,” said Alexander. “If you look at two years ago, we were paying three cents a kilowatt. This year, we’re looking at almost eight cents a kilowatt hour. So, the higher the cost of electricity, the more you are offsetting costs.”

As for recouping costs on energy efficiency investments for residential properties, Medicine Hat Royal LePage owner Brooklyn Kalista says there isn’t a lot of information available yet on that compared to return on investments like kitchen or bathroom renovations.

“At this point in time, obviously the trend is out there. We’re noticing people are aware of these products,” said Kalista. “But when it comes to value in resale, it’s a hard thing to gauge. I don’t think we’ve seen enough of it in the market place to say whether people are getting money back on it or not.”

The HatSmart program was launched by the city in 2008 and provides a variety of rebates for energy efficient home improvements.