EV Charging in Ontario. Any special charge rate incentives?

[SmartElectric]

@SmartElectric - Why do you run your pool during the day? Do you have a solar heating system?

Correct. Solar heated pool (120000 L of capacity) installed 12 years ago and going strong! Typically temperatures of 75F for early June (now), 80F for June to mid July, 90F till mid August then back to 80F and down to 70F by September when I close the pool. We get 4 good months out of the pool, which is actually plenty, as we're pretty much "over it" when September/school start ends the "summer vacation" for the kids.

Total cost was $3000 installed 12 years ago. Total maintenance is about $150 for a few plumbing fixes I do myself. In fact, I built the entire solar heating setup on the ravine hill with 30 degree slope, so the panels are hidden from view, and the structure was re-used decking boards that I saved for the purpose, so a really nice environmental solution to heating the pool.

The solar controller determines when to run the pool pump output through the panels, or just bypass and return to the pool without panels to avoid cooling the water when the sun goes behind clouds. It's a "set and forget" thing that runs daily during 10AM to 5 PM.

 

[wayner]

Very cool. I put in an evacuated tube solar heating system three years ago - mine cost about $4500. It will have about a 5 year payback in reducing my natgas bill. I like to keep my pool at 84F in the summer - but with these panels I use way less gas.

 

[SmartElectric]

How many months of use do you get with evacuated tube system? It should work better in colder weather than the simple plastic panels I use.

 

[wayner]

How many months of use do you get with evacuated tube system? It should work better in colder weather than the simple plastic panels I use.

I use it as long as the pool is open - from mid-May to the end of September. Once I start the pool I hope to start using the solar system ASAP to start to heat up the pool, but there is often some winter damage - like a few of the tubes get busted over the winter, etc. But once it is turned on I don't touch the valve that diverts flow to teh system. The tubes are much more fragile than what you have - if the pump is shut off for more than 5 minutes or so on a sunny day then you can't turn it back on until well after sunset - otherwise the tubes will shatter as the water in the tubes gets really hot when it is static and running coolish pool water through them is not a good idea.