All Electric Solar Home, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

Asking the natural gas utility to disconnect their supply to a house is not a common occurrence in an area that can drop to minus-40 degrees in the winter. In an area dominated by natural gas appliances (furnaces, water heaters, etc.), that’s exactly what Kelsey Cherkowski did with her home in the small city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Kelsey was so happy with her APsystems YC500i microinverters, that she asked her installer, Vision Energy Inc., to expand her initial 4.75 kW solar PV system to 9.75 kW. Her home renovation included the installation of an electric furnace, electric water heater, LED lights, a smart thermostat, new windows, and new insulation. With no natural gas connected to the house any more, electric is the only way for her going forward.

Kelsey assisted a local carpenter and renewable energy system installer Vision Energy to perform this in-depth and innovative renovation. Some said she was crazy for trying to convert a drafty, 100-year-old house into a home of the future. With the hard work of a small and tight-knit team of dedicated and energetic solar enthusiasts, that dream came to life. The home is now set up on a net metering account with the local electric utility. Kelsey can bank solar electricity production credits in the summer months to put towards the higher electricity consumption winter months. Someday, she would like to be able to say that her home is a net zero home. With the APsystems EMA App, she keeps a close eye on production. If, after a one-year experimentation period, her production doesn’t match her consumption, she will consider expanding the system.

APsystems microinverters made this project successful because of their ability to be easily incorporated into a solar PV system design, and because of their easy installation. On a steep roof face, installation of any solar component can be a challenge. Although the solar modules are still challenging to install on steep roof faces due to their size, APsystems microinverters can be installed with ease.

Project name: All-Electric Solar Home
Location: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
Capacity: 9.75 kW
Installer: Vision Energy Inc.
Number of modules: 39
Brand/size of modules: Hanwha Q-Cells/340W, Hansol/340W
Microinverters: APsystems YC500i
Number of microinverters: 20