National Post (National Edition)
Otter Energy is leading the solar power charge
After a volatile nineteen months, households and businesses across Ontario are focusing on their financial health. Energy production and consumption is an area where there are savings to be had, and thanks to technological advances, it's now possible to reliably, effectively, and discretely power homes, workplaces and facilities by harnessing solar energy.
For over a decade, Ontario solar company Otter Energy has been working alongside communities looking for a solution for stabilizing energy costs. With a vertically integrated team of engineers and construction experts, Otter Energy is able to hold each project to its high in-house standards from start to finish, providing full support at each step of the solar adoption process.
“We're guided by the three Es,” says Tyler Blower, Otter Energy's president and founder, who has a background in energy policy. “We always want projects to be ethical, environmentally positive and economically sound. That means we take a long view to help clients make decisions that suit their goals, ensuring they get the financial results they're looking for.”
While the cost of energy in Ontario has steadily crept up over the last decade, the cost of solar power systems has steadily decreased. This has enabled solar users to save upwards of 80 per cent on their energy bills. Since solar technology also comes with the possibility of energy independence, many solar users are on the road to becoming immune to hydro price fluctuations over time.
“The annual return rate is pretty compelling and a lot higher than you'd get with other investments out there,” says Peter Vogel, Otter Energy's director of business development. “For commercial customers we see returns on investing in solar in about five to seven years, and for residential clients, it's around eight years.”
As one of Ontario's oldest solar companies, Otter Energy's team prides themselves on their design expertise and skillful execution. For homeowners looking to add value to their property, the team is able to design aesthetically pleasing systems with energy storage options, allowing clients to ditch their backup generators and use solar powered batteries during outages instead. For businesses and facilities like warehouses, shopping centres or arenas, solar power cuts hydro costs and allows industry leaders to make headway on their sustainability goals.
“From designing the system correctly to execution by an excellent operations team that's been doing this for over a decade,” says Vogel. “We bring experience from working on all kinds of projects, so we're able to ensure that each one is built to the absolute highest quality in a way that's problem free for customers. The system should look good and work properly for decades to come.”