Saulteau First Nations’ Community-Wide Residential Solar Program

Saulteau First Nations has a population of approximately 450 people living in a community on the shore of Moberly Lake in northeastern BC, roughly 100km southwest of Fort St. John. This is a community in Climate Zone 7a that experiences very cold winters and warm summers. In fact, annual temperatures can span 80 degrees and range between -40 and +40 degrees Celsius. It is also in a region that has been experiencing drought in recent years.

This part of northeastern BC is active with large-scale development of both renewable and non-renewable sources of energy including oil and gas, hydro, and wind. Local energy resiliency and self-sufficiency has been a priority for the Saulteau First Nations since 2016, and this has included several initiatives:

regional wind projects to produce power for the BC Hydro grid
an ownership stake in the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline
two bioenergy systems to produce heat for community facilities
a community-wide program to add rooftop solar panels on new and existing homes.

The community is on the BC Hydro grid but does not have access to natural gas. Sources of home heating include propane and firewood.

The success of this pilot project, which included electricity cost savings of approximately 60-70%, along with access to provincial and federal funding for Indigenous clean energy projects, prompted the Saulteau First Nations to explore the addition of solar panels to most, if not all, of the existing homes in the community. Most of the early installations involved 10-12 panels producing approximately 5 kilowatts. The solar program is being pursued over multiple years, and has been led by the Capital Projects and Housing departments. A pre- and post-installation Energuide assessment is also completed for each home participating in the solar program.

The fourth phase of the installation began in 2025 and is adding approximately 55 installations in 2025 alone. This will bring the total number of homes in the community with a rooftop solar system to 140, which is roughly 90% of the homes in the community. The cost of a 5kW solar install is averaging $15,000-$20,000 per home.

1. Savings

Savings for individual residents depends on the orientation and energy-efficiency of the home, the size of the individual solar array, as well possible shading of the solar panels from trees, but residents are reporting savings of between $900 to $1700 per year.

2. Expansion

The community enthusiasm for the solar project has prompted the Nation to launch related programs:

Enhancing the energy performance of homes by adding insulation, new windows and doors, and replacing inefficient appliances such as propane hot water tanks.
Adding home-battery installations connected to the solar panels on individual homes to enhance energy resiliency.
Updating the exterior materials on homes to be more FireSmart.

3. Catalyst

The solar program was the catalyst for a “energy-efficiency pathway” for the Saulteau First Nations, according to Shane Reynolds, Manager of Assets and Capital Projects for the Saulteau First Nations.

4. Employment

The success of the program, the acquisition of grant funding, and additional investment from the Saulteau First Nations are resulting in additional local employment through the solar project, as well as ongoing management and maintenance of housing in community.

5. Increased capacity

The roll-out of the solar program at a scale involving dozens of homes per year and related improvements in energy-efficiency and resiliency has contributed to community pride but also enhanced the capacity and confidence of the Saulteau First Nations Government to implement a variety of programs aimed at energy, affordability, and comfort aligned with asset management. Increased capacity in the departments managing community infrastructure, for example, means that “We can now just get these projects done,” according to Housing Manager, Cindy O’Brien.