Off-Grid Solar Installation in Kelowna & the Okanagan

OVERVIEW

Off-grid starts with a load list, not a panel count

Off-grid solar installation near Kelowna is a different job from a grid-tied roof. There is no FortisBC bank to fall back on, so the system has to cover your worst week of the year by itself, with the battery and a generator doing the work when the panels can’t.

We start with a list of everything you want to run and for how long: lights, a fridge, a well pump, tools in the shop, a furnace fan. From that we size the battery for the number of cloudy days you want to ride through, the array for December sun, and the generator for the rest. Then we price it against the cost of bringing in a line, so you can choose with both numbers in front of you.

Call 250-250-2525 with a rough list of what you want to run.

Tidy off-grid power shed with a wall-mounted inverter-charger and a rack of plain battery modules — FIG. S3 Batteries live somewhere dry and above freezing. Lithium batteries won’t charge below 0°C.

SPEC SHEET

Off-Grid Solar Installation at a glance

Typical size: 2–6 kW cabins and shops; 8–15 kW full-time homes
Batteries: Lithium iron phosphate, kept above freezing, sized in days of autonomy
Backup: Auto-start generator for long cloudy spells
Mounting: Steep ground mounts (50–60°) for winter sun and snow shedding
Permits: Technical Safety BC electrical permit
Monitoring: Remote battery and generator monitoring where there is signal

INCLUDED

What an off-grid installation includes

01
Load list and winter design
Sized for December, with the generator hours shown up front.
02
Line-extension comparison
We compare a stand-alone system with the cost of bringing in a line.
03
Battery room
Ventilated, insulated, above freezing, with clear access.
04
Ground mount or roof
Steep ground mounts where snow and low sun matter most.
05
Generator integration
Auto-start, sized to recharge the bank in a sensible run time.
06
Training
A walk-through of the system and what to do when the battery runs low.

PRICE

What off-grid systems cost

System	Typical installed price	What it runs
Cabin or shop	$9,000 – $18,000	Lights, fridge, tools, pump, weekend use
Year-round small home	$30,000 – $45,000	Efficient home with propane or wood heat
Full-time family home	$45,000 – $60,000+	All loads, generator for the darkest weeks

Typical ranges, not quotes. Batteries are the largest single cost and are not PST-exempt; panels are. No utility rebates apply to off-grid systems.

Book an assessment Rebates and utility rules

DESIGN FOR DECEMBER

Sizing an off-grid system for a Kelowna winter

A cabin load worked through, to show the method. Your numbers will differ.

Step	Example: weekend cabin	Why
Daily load	3.5 kWh (fridge, lights, pump, devices)	Everything starts here
Days of autonomy	3 cloudy days	Valley inversion weeks in December
Battery	≈ 13 kWh usable	3.5 kWh × 3 days, plus margin
Array	≈ 3 kW at 55–60° tilt	December sun is low and short
Generator	≈ 30–60 hours a winter	Covers the longest dark spells

Illustrative. We size every system from your own load list.

WINTER

Snow, cold and lithium batteries

Panels shed snow fastest when they are steep, so off-grid ground mounts go in at 50–60°, not the 20–30° of a house roof. That also faces them toward the low winter sun.

Lithium batteries can’t charge below freezing, so the battery space is insulated and kept warm, or the batteries carry built-in heaters. We plan that space as part of the job.

Light snow on black solar panels on a bright winter morning, lower panels already clear — FIG. S3 Steep panels shed snow within a day or two of sun.

TIMELINE

From first visit to switch-on

Off-grid systems skip the FortisBC steps entirely, so they usually finish in four to six weeks. The permit and inspection still apply.

Solar installation cost guide

FIG. G A typical home takes 6–10 weeks from first visit to switch-on. Install day itself is the short bar.

Timeline as a table

Step	Who	Weeks	What happens
Assessment	You + us	0–1	Bills, roof, panel box, shade. Usually one visit or a video call.
Design & written quote	Us	1–2	Panel layout, single-line drawing, price, timeline and payback in writing.
FortisBC application	FortisBC	2–5	Net-metering application; FortisBC reviews it and approves construction.
Permits	Us	3–5	Technical Safety BC electrical permit; a City of Kelowna building permit if structural work is involved.
Install days	Crew	5–6	Usually 1–3 days on site for a home: mounts, rails, modules, inverter, wiring.
Inspection	Inspector	6–7	Electrical inspection of the finished work under the permit.
Interconnection & switch-on	FortisBC + you	7–9	Interconnection Agreement signed, meter set for net metering, system commissioned.

QUESTIONS

Q01How much roof space do I need?

Each modern panel is about 2 square metres and 400–450 watts. An 8 kW system needs about 18 panels, or roughly 36 square metres (390 square feet) of usable roof, ideally facing south, south-west or west.

Q02Can I add a battery later?

Yes. Many people start with panels and add a battery later. If backup is likely, we choose an inverter that makes adding one simpler and cheaper.

AREAS