Our History

1970’s

• With a growing concern towards energy independence, our company begins selling wood stoves in the front room of a farm house in Plum Hollow, Ontario.

1980’s

• The location moves to a store front in Athens, Ontario and then into Brockville. The company is sold and the name, Renewable Energy Unlimited is dropped by the new owners.

1993

• After seeing the advancements in wood heating technology with pellet stoves, Chuck and Ross buy the old Cheese Factory in Plum Hollow and give re-birth to the company as Renewable Energy of Plum Hollow.
• We begin by selling only Pellet stoves and inserts, photovoltaic, solar domestic water heaters, solar pool heaters and wind technology.

1995

• We become incorporated and our new name is Renewable Energy of Plum Hollow Inc.
• We receive the Top Canadian Dealer award from Whitfield Pellet Stoves. Chuck and Ross are recognized in front of an international group of dealers by Jerry Whitfield.
• We introduce Tankless Water Heaters, Temp Cast Masonry Heaters and Sun Scope (tubular skylights) into the Eastern Ontario Marketplace.
• We erected a 90 foot tower and install a 3 kilowatt wind turbine, to help power our location in Plum Hollow.
• We also install a solar water heater and working composting toilet.

1996

• After purchasing some products from Renewable Energy of Plum Hollow Inc.(REPH); Brad and Dan merge their company (Green Earth Co-op Inc.) into REPH.
• We open our store at 93 Counter Street in Kingston, Ontario with an expansion in wood burning stoves, fireplaces and inserts.

1997

• With the increasing awareness of the internet, we launch our first website, www.RenewableEnergy.on.ca

1998

• Due to the overwhelming success of the Kingston location we close the Plum Hollow location.
• After many inquiries from our customers, we expand into the gas space heating market offering quality gas fireplace, stoves and inserts.
• Sales of wood stoves increase dramatically after the ice storm.

1999

• We receive our first award for outstanding sales in service in the province of Ontario for Pacific Energy wood stoves.
• We see sales of wood burning products start to increase dramatically as customers prepare for the Y2K scare.

2001

• In the spring of 2001, we receive our first Ontario Dealer of the Year Award for Pacific Energy Wood Stoves and Enviro Pellet Stoves.
• We begin selling the Big Green Egg smoker and BBQ.

2002

• Chuck speaks at an international conference about selling and servicing pellet appliances.

2003

• We receive our first award as Canadian Dealer of the Year from Harman Stove Company.
• We become one of the first retailers of the Enerworks Solar Water Heaters. Developed at Queen’s University, Brad is excited to have one of the first Enerworks Systems installed on his home.
• Brad is asked to join the National WETT Board of Directors.

2004

• We purchase our currently building, 271 Dalton Avenue in the spring of 2004.
• Brad is asked to join a panel of wood heating experts from across the Canada to develop the “Burn It Smart” program.

2005

• We officially open our new location with an expanded showroom and warehouse facilities. We celebrate by serving snacks off the Big Green Egg and Campfire Ice Cream.

2006

• Chuck retires after many years in the business; Bill comes on as a partner in the spring of 2006.
• The RESOP program is launched in the province of Ontario, allowing homeowners to sell solar electricity to the hydro company at 40.2 cents/kilowatt hour.
• In the summer, we install our largest grid-tie array at 5.6 kilowatts. At the time, it was one of the largest residential grid-tie arrays in Ontario.

2007

• As a member of SWITCH, Brad meets with Stephane Dion and discussed the inclusion of wood stoves in his Green Shift Platform.
• Local community group hosts “Solar Fest” in downtown Kingston. Brad, as the key note speaker, spoke about reducing Green House Gas Emissions with a wood or pellet stove.
• We begin the installation of our Alternative Energy display in front of our store.
• We get an increasing number of requests for speaking engagements to local community groups, schools and government bodies about alternative energy technologies.

2008

• Brad has a brief meeting with Dalton McGunity, the Premiere of Ontario, about the Green Energy Act and the inclusion of wood heating.
• In June we reached another milestone by becoming the first business in the city of Kingston to install a 2 Kilowatt grid-tie solar photovoltaic system, with a 2.4 Kilowatt Skystream Wind Generator, a single panel solar water heater and a ½ kilowatt bifacial photovoltaic charge battery back up system. For each kilowatt of solar electricity that we produced, we got paid 42 cents under the RESOP program.
• We had the honour of having David Suzuki “flip the switch” on our grid tied solar and wind system.
• Brad is invited to meet with John Gerretsen, the Minister of the Environment, to discuss the Ontario Woodlot Association Wood Heating policy paper.

2009

• Brad is asked to join SWITCH’s Board of Directors.
• In preparation for the new FIT program, we host tours of our solar/wind grid tied system with folks from Ontario Hydro, Ottawa Hydro and the Ontario Electrical League.
• We successfully completed the paperwork to switch from the RESOP program to the microFIT (Feed In Tariff program).
• After waiting all summer for the microFIT rules to be finalized; in the fall we begin microFIT installations for our customers.

2010

• We began receiving 80.2 cents/kilowatt hour of solar electricity produced on our 2 kilowatt photovoltaic array at our store.
• The store is a buzz with customers who want to install solar grid-tied systems under the microFIT program.
• After 17 years, it feels like solar is becoming more widely accepted.