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Walking the Green Walk
Tsawwassen’s Ulrich Schrems not only talks the green talk, he walks the green walk. Eight years ago, Schrems installed eight solar panels on the roof of his house and in August added a wind generator. However, the journey started long before that.
Schrems and wife Barbara Hinson worked for years to reduce their power consumption so the infrastructure inside could support a renewable energy production system from outside. One of the keys, he said, is to unplug items, not just turn them off, when they are not in use. Electrical items, such as a TV or radio, still use electricity even when they are turned off.
"We’re using too much stand-by power," he said. "It’s unnecessary."
Today, Schrems said about 80 per cent of energy the couple uses is generated by the sun and wind, while the other 20 per cent comes from B.C. Hydro. Of course, the amount of power generated and stored depends on the weather.
He stresses that living a solar-powered lifestyle does not mean the couple goes without. They have a well-heated home and many of the electrical comforts that everyone else enjoys. From the outside the home doesn’t look much different than any of the others on the block—aside from the solar panels on the roof. The solar energy harnessed by the panels charge a large battery in the garage, which is then converted and stored until the couple needs it.
"If you walk by our home you may see these contraptions on our roof; only a curious few have stopped to chat and ask, ‘What’s going on?’" said Hinson. "In his response Ulrich’s intensity and drive are apparent; home power production is his passion." Schrems said he believes if electricity were more expensive in Canada, as it is in Europe, more people would make the switch to other energy sources.
Aside from the environmental and fiscal benefits of generating their own energy, there is another perk, said Hinson: when the power goes out, the couple’s house is the only one on the block that still has light, heat and hot water.
