Calgary solar company seeing increased demand due to rising electricity costs

It’s no secret that the cost of electricity has been soaring across Alberta.

The higher prices prompted the provincial government to implement a rebate program last spring, which was extended to April 2023.

More and more Calgarians are switching to solar energy, with one local company booking installations several months out.

“Our cost of electricity was historically some of the cheapest in the western world and now the cost of electricity has doubled, soon to triple,” says Solar YYC owner Alex Tyndale.

“People are noticing that on their bills now and the only realistic way to combat that—without major life changes—is getting solar.”

Changing careers

Tyndale decided to start Solar YYC after taking a career path many Albertans take—through the oil and gas industry.

With a business degree from the University of Lethbridge and land agent training from Mount Royal University, Tyndale worked as a fracker and land agent before deciding to make a change.

“Just over three years of effort in the oil and gas industry and I realized it wasn’t going to be for me,” he says.

“The ups and downs weren't really something that I wanted to suffer through and put my future family through as well.”

Tyndale always wanted to own a business. One day, the universe gave him a sign.

A growing industry

“I saw a van drive by with the word ‘solar’ on it,” Tyndale says, adding it sparked his curiosity enough to look into the industry.

“I’d seen the market take off in some other parts of the world like California, Texas, and Korea where my wife is from… I did some research and realized that there weren't many options for people in the Calgary area.”

Tyndale spent three months putting together a business plan and felt optimistic about the future.

“I realized it was going to be a great use of my time in an industry that I knew was going to grow and something that, at the end of the day, I knew I could feel good about because we were going to be saving people money.”

From startup to success

When Tyndale started Solar YYC in 2016, it was just himself and one other worker for the first year.

“I would go out and install a project, be on site for 7, come home at 5 or 6 at night, have a quick dinner, and then immediately turn around and start answering emails and try to get more work,” he says.

After about two years, Tyndale was able to step back from being onsite and focus on building the business.

“It also means that I don't have to do everything all at once. My wife’s very happy about that.,” Tyndale laughs.

“I rarely miss anything nowadays, whereas four years ago the only time I ever had was spent working on the business. I spent every day of my honeymoon—at least a couple of hours—working on the business. It's just what we had to do.”

Slow but steady growth

Solar YYC has grown slowly but steadily over the years and now employs almost 30 people.

Maintaining slow growth to keep the workload manageable and sustainable for his team is a priority for Tyndale.

He says several employees have children under the age of five who depend on their parent’s income, including his own 18-month-old son.

“I feel the responsibility to never risk that,” Tyndale says, adding he has turned down offers from bigger companies to buy his business.

“We have made a promise to all of our clients and our employees that we're going to be around for the next couple of decades to service their systems or provide a decent living wage that they can support their family on.”

Supporting local

As a born and raised Calgarian, Tyndale is committed to keeping the company local and supporting local initiatives.

“The support has been local and so we're going to give back locally,” he says, adding that Solar YYC has a partnership with Calgary charity I Can For Kids.

“They provide grocery store gift cards directly to the people in need, those families who are having issues feeding their children.

“Every system that we sell, we donate the equivalent of feeding three kids for a week to this charity.”

Tyndale says he is passionate about changing the world for the better and plans to give back more as the company grows.

Looking to the future

With electricity prices continuing to rise and a federal grant of up to $5,000 available, there is more incentive than ever for those who want to make their homes more energy efficient.

When looking towards the future, Tyndale sees nothing but potential and continued growth for Solar YYC.

He says he owes a lot of that to his team.

“It's because of everybody in this company that we're seeing continued success,” Tyndale says.

“And we've done it in a way where we haven't had to lose any of our integrity and so I'm just really proud of everybody that works with us.”