Solarwyse Ltd.
Design, supply and installation of alternative energy solutions. From oils and gas, home and recreational, to environment . Design services, or suppliesfor the homeowners. Solarwyse established in 2005 in a complete off grid location in northern Alberta.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations , manufacturers and our distributors
- Business Type:
- Distributor
- Industry Type:
- Renewable Energy
- Market Focus:
- Nationally (across the country)
This company also provides solutions for other industrial applications.
Please, visit the following links for more info:
About Us
Solarwyse distributes solar product from warehouses located across Canada, Calgary, Edmonton, Barrie, Toronto, and Montreal. Solarwyse strives to provide our valued clients with not only the best and current pricing, but the best logistics in shipping.
At times our clients select to arrange for pickup at our warehouses, we are more than happy to oblige. Our policy is at least 70% deposit on order, and 30% before final delivery.
If labour is involved, then once the customer has received and paid for delivery of goods, we expect payment for installation at time of completion. We may ask for prepayment of a portion of the labour if expenses, such as meals, travel, and rooms are involved.
If it is to your advantage to complete the installation yourself, or use a local electrician, that is entirely fine with us. Solarwyse will provide telephone assistance in such cases, normally at no additional charges.
It is our goal to provide you with the best possible experience we can provide. Be sure to ask as many questions as you can before making a Wyse choice.
SOLARWYSE does not have a store front however we do reside on a totally off grid location, we will give tours and invite guests into our location.
History
After working 20 years for Enmax in Calgary the owners of SOLARWYSE Ltd. decided in 2004 to embark on a journey back to the Peace River Country of Alberta. This was not going to be a hermit style existence.
“We were determined that living on solar power was possible in a fully modern home environment, using readily available technology in the cooler climate of Northern Alberta.”
The first couple of years were the worst, surviving two winters in a 24 foot holiday trailer. The lessons learned were well worth the time, and effort. During the first winter a 30 by 28 foot shop was constructed. The holiday trailer was moved inside out of the cold. Next came the septic system, and a water well was drilled. A (1280 Square Foot) mobile home was purchased and placed on the property in July of 2005.
The challenge then was in selecting appliances and integrating a solar powered OUTBACK Power system into the home.
We had determined that readily available appliances should to be used instead of expensive specialized solar designed appliances.
“Without breaking the bank using advances in solar technology we knew that technology had advanced enough to make this possible.”
SOLARWYSE was successful in designing a fully functional off grid modern solar home system, using appliances available locally. This home enjoys a deep water well, forced air heating, wood burning stove, hot water heating, fridge, propane stove, microwave oven, washer, propane dryer, 42 inch large screen TV, satellite TV, high speed Internet, and several computers. Outdoors you will find horses, ducks, geese, chickens, and family dogs.
“We now spend under $1000 a year for wood, propane, and diesel, in return we have a fully functional modern rural home with heat, and electricity. Now we are here to help others do the same.”
The SOLARWYSE GUY will share this info just give him a call. Learn from his mistakes, do not invent your own.
Living Off Grid
You can make living off the grid, a modern experience, or as rustic living as you want. There is only one thing you will have to give up, and that is a willingness to forgo that monthly bill from the utility company. You will find a need for a small amount of increased manual labour, in exchange for giving up your power (hydro) and gas bills.
In a modern solar home, you will find all of the modern energy efficient appliances, a blue star, refrigerator, deep freezer, front loading washing machines, large screen TV, Microwave oven, and a propane clothes dryer; just to name a few. Of course you can use a old fashioned solar clothes line mounted out doors on a simple pulley system.
Here at SOLARWYSE we have a built in dishwasher, to help cut back on that labour, now that we are starting to get older.
Instead of the forced air furnace heating the home, it is turned back to a cool 10 degrees. A cozy wood burning fire heats our home, and a built in fan circulates the warm air throughout our home. Hauling a few armloads of fire wood into the wood box in the porch, each evening is an easy chore to help cut back on the propane use. Who does not enjoy a cozy warm fire on a cold winters day?
The carbon produced by burning wood is neutral, as that same amount of carbon is required to grow a new tree.
When our backup generator starts, we have to start the dishwasher, laundry, and run water for our horses and chickens. Running the water when the generator runs, saves major energy, as the generator not only charges the batteries, but runs our appliances, and as well, burning only a minimal amount of diesel.
Our diesel generator is mounted in our workshop, so we can salvage the heat produced from the radiator, and direct it back into the work area, once again saving energy, that would otherwise have been sent into the outdoors.
Our generator is totally automated, our OUTBACK solar inverter produces start/stop signals and the generator responds as needed. The 3500 watt OUTBACK inverter not only supplies more than enough power for our off grid home, it also has the smarts to call for generator power when the batteries are being heavily used, or getting low in charge.
Other than treating our generator to an oil and filter change monthly, and adding water to the lead acid batteries, you would never know that our home is off the power grid.
Living off the grid has taught us how to conserve what energy we do produce. I mentioned that salvaging the heat from the generator, to heat our work shop is one way. But I bet you did not know another waste of energy is right in front of you. We selected the large screen LCD TV because of the energy efficiency, over all the other TV’s out there, however these units draw power if they are on or off. We have had to give up the instant on feature, and mount a switch on the wall to power down the entertainment centre when not in use. I know it is hard work flipping that switch every time, but the labour is worth it.
During the summer when we have excess power from our panels, is a great time to incubate our winter supply of chickens. Watching those little chicks hatch sure beats watching TV any way.
We have hooked up heat lamps, in the chicken coop that come on only when the generator runs, so our laying birds enjoy a winter sauna, instead of freezing winter air. Another energy saving tip for you.
We are now semi retired, enjoying our off grid home, and the small amount of labour we have traded for the convince of living on the grid, give us something to do and keep active.