Natural Resources committee  There is evidence to show that as we improve the efficiency of our end use—so as houses become more efficient—there is a tendency for people to buy bigger houses. So the average price or size of houses has increased over the last decade. Even though the efficiency has increased, the actual energy consumption has gone up.

Natural Resources committee  I am assuming you're talking about the cost reductions that are showing up in photovoltaics and direct conversion to electricity. Certainly there has been a dramatic cost reduction, largely brought about by the marketplace, spurred on by the Chinese. Low-cost photovoltaic devices are available.

Natural Resources committee  There are areas of technology where Canada has some leads. The Canadian industry is somewhat fledgling, with 50% of the current solar thermal technology being exported, primarily to the U.S. Our solar air heating technology is unique in the world, and that represents a large export market.

Natural Resources committee  With respect, I'm a university professor and I conduct research. I get funding from various sources. Like most engineering faculties, I work closely with industry, and I work with our national bodies, the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council. I worked for the National Research Council in Ottawa for eight years.

Natural Resources committee  Certainly. As I stated, the answer to that question varies, and it's very dependent on the price of the alternative energies that you have to compete against. Three years ago, working back through the numbers for a typical solar domestic hot water package that would handle a household with a family of five people, the type of payback we were looking at was probably in the range of five to six years.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address the committee today. I wish to discuss the role and the challenges of implementing solar energy as a renewable energy source of thermal energy, sometimes referred to as “green heat”. In Canada, energy use in the residential and commercial sectors accounts for approximately one-third of the nation's energy consumption, and contributes roughly the same fraction of greenhouse gas emissions.