2 ways of making the change to alternate energy.

The 2 most common ways
to use alternate energy.

#1.	Completely change your whole home, cottage, or workspace etc. over to alternate energy all at one time.
#2.	Gradually made the transition, purchasing what you can, and making the change over a period of time, as you can afford it.

Completely making the change all at once.

This is the most expensive of the 2 ways. Usually it is/or seems to be the most expensive because you have all the costs in front of you all at one time.
It can also be the most costly if you get a "less then qualified" person who has no regard for your economic situation and only sees you as $$ signs.
This does not mean that everyone who sells you a complete system is a ripoff. But there are some companies who do not care. Just as you would compare the costs of an addition to your home, or major car repair also check out the costs for what you are recieving from your alternate energy tradesmen. Don't get in a rush because once you have spent the money on the system its spent.
Take your time and learn what your buying, its not only a good idea to know how this works but it will also save you from being ripped off. By knowing the components, the prices and what they are capable of doing, it is easy to see who is being honest with you.

If you are doing the work yourself always re-check your calculations.
Call us if you have questions, or just don't understand certain aspects of what you are doing.
We want this to work for you, and for you to do this as reasonably as possible.

The Gradual Transition

This is the most popular of the two ways.
#1. is the cost. Most people can afford to do something, but not it all.
#2. learning or hobby approach.

The benefits of gradually making the transition are:
1. Cost . You can buy pieces as you go, and learn along the way. The wonderfull thing with alternate energy is it is expandable.
It is possible to designate certain portions of your home to alternate energy. Through a bit of planning on a small scale it is usually very possible to power entire rooms easily with alternate energy.
Do the calculating your consumption figures and assess what you can do, that is possible on your budget. It may not seem like much at first.... but doing this over a period of time say 5-10 years and the next thing you know you are almost off the grid or are off the grid.
This is an excellent way to invest some money that will pay back over time. Its also a good way to have some areas of your home " blackout proof".
Having lights and entertainment "news" etc is comforting during a blackout, even having solar hot water is nice.
The possibilities are endless, and are only governed by your imagination and budget.

A popular way to power up your entertainment center in your living room from your inverter is by extention cord and power bar combination. This combination is considered temporary, so you do not need an electrician. You are reducing your power consumption, and if the power goes out you are still being informed, and entertained while they get the grid back up and running.

Over time.....while adding on to your system ... you will have covered most of the necessities, and the fear of power failure will be a distant memory.

Planning for retirement:
Most people buy RRSP's,GIC's etc, etc. Planning for the day they will no longer have income.
It is not only inportant to save for the future but also to be able to control the costs of living when you get there.
Soon after some people are retired they encounter rising fuel and utility costs that sometimes double or triple what they thought they would be spending, even after indexing.
Also factor in rising insurance etc. and its a nightmare that we will all face eventually.
Since we can't control all the costs we will be facing we should at least control the ones we can.
Smart people have started to spend money for their own independant power production on a cost they know they are going to have for the rest of their life. Electricity. and heat.
Having control over these costs in your future may mean the difference of being able to keep your home. Or having creature comforts, like a hot bath.

Starting the transition to alternate energy, not only provides a better chance for the young people in the future to live with a cleaner planet, it also helps us now to get one more bill out of our mailboxes.
Buying now is also more viable while we have income to make these purchases.
Everyone wastes money on something. We all have a vice or hobby that does nothing more then eat up our money, so putting some of that into a "new" hobby that will pay back is worthwhile.

For details on how to create your own system.... return to the getting started pages and start reading ALL the material that is there.
It may seem scary or difficult.... but it really isn't...... it is only "new" to us and sometimes what is new is hard to digest. After you have read the information and have taken down some notes.
If you have questions call our 866# it is toll free and we can help, clear up any questions you may have. You will not get a sales pitch but answers.
In most cases we will tell you to clean up your power consumption waste first before spending a single penny. We really do care and want to help you help yourself.