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Williams Lake Credit Union banks on solar power to save cash

Pro Circuit Electrical Ltd. installed solar panels on two sides of the building
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The Williams Lake and District Credit Union has gone solar, with panels installed on two sides of the building. Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

Hoping for a return on investment, the Williams Lake and District Credit Union has installed solar panels on two sides of its building.

“We were looking at ways to reduce our expenses,” said chief executive officer Jim Zimmerman. “The electricity bill for the WLDCU is about $2,000 a month. The credit union was looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and hopefully reduce our utility bill at the same time.”

Rudy Dyck, owner of Pro Circuit Electrical Ltd., managed the solar installation project, including working with the engineer, sourcing the equipment, obtaining permits and co-ordinating inspections, Zimmerman noted.

“The system consists of 32 solar panels, inverters and a grid tie. We don’t store the energy in a battery bank, we consume the electricity as quick as it comes in.”

It will take a full year for the credit union to realize just how much is saved on electricity costs, but Zimmerman said because the panels will last more than 25 years, and the cost of electricity is anticipated to rise, the panels will pay for themselves.

Computers are one of the biggest energy consumers in the building, which was built in the early 70s and then added onto in the 90s.

“The server room generates a lot of heat so we have to run an air conditioner in there year round to cool the air down,” Zimmerman explained.

“We are also putting in some motion sensor light switches to turn lights off in rooms.”

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Dyck said he appreciated working with the Credit Union and was thankful for Zimmerman and the staff’s enthusiasm and excitement for the project and the City of Williams Lake building department for being supportive of solar.

“It makes the whole building look a whole lot more attractive, interesting and approachable,” he said, noting solar installation is a 100-per cent tax write off in the first year after installation for business.

Dyck said the cost of solar generation has come down substantially and production has increased with more efficient and quicker installation practices.

“Our Cariboo climate is perfect for solar generation,” he added.

“The cool, sunny days really work well with making power.“ We’re really excited how well the systems have been producing, and how many residential and commercial hydro customers are creating their own power.”

Dyck said BC Hydro continues to allow grid tie self-generation, while raising the rates of hydro consumed from the grid.

Grid tie self generation is a electrical service tied to the BC Hydro power grid, he explained.

“But rather than only drawing power, you can also generate power and feed it into the grid. That eliminates the need for batteries for storage for the power you make. BC Hydro monitors the power you generate will credit your account at $.09/kW for any over production.”

Dyck said the return on investment with solar power is very attractive, even for a financial institution like the Williams Lake Credit Union.

“It’s the way to go,” he added.

The City’s building inspector, Gary Deane, said the Credit Union is the only building in the recent past to install solar panels.

“Lake City Secondary put some on the Williams Lake campus a few years ago,” Dean added. “There is a residence on Radio Range Road near the airport that has a solar energy set-up. They were far back from the road and it was going to be very expensive to attach to the hydro system.”



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Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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