Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 5

Patients have been interested in the green technology and responded very positively to it. And I hope that our example demonstrates that it is possible for other businesses in New Brunswick. She says that although solar panels are a significant upfront investment, her whole family felt renewable energy was a greener option in a profession that consumes a large amount of energy and produces waste, especially plastics and other disposable items necessary for infection prevention and control. The new building has 96 solar panels and backup batteries to serve the needs of the practice for 12 hours. Each panel produces 345 watts each hour under ideal conditions, which is roughly equivalent to the electricity required to run a blender. Solar storage system includes batteries that function as 12 hours of back-up power. Real-time dashboard of electricity generated by panels and used by practice. “I also have it on a app on my phone,” says Dr. Buckley. “For example, today is a sunny day so we are producing about double what we are consuming and we have three dentists and four dental hygienists working right now.” One unexpected benefit of measuring consumption is that it has helped both dentists and staff become more aware of opportunities to conserve energy. “We looked at what we were using and asked ourselves, ‘Can we reduce this by 25%?’” says Dr. Buckley. “We were able to meet that target just by turning things off and only using equipment when we needed it.” On snowy days, the practice may have to use power from the grid, but Dr. Buckley hopes that because the practice sells power to the grid on sunny days, at the end of the year the power bill could be net zero. She estimates that it will take about 16 years for those savings to cover the cost of the solar panel system itself. “We all feel great about the solar panel decision,” says Dr. Buckley. “Patients have been interested in the green technology and responded very positively to it. And I hope that our example demonstrates that it is possible for other businesses in New Brunswick.” Watch Dr. Nicola Buckley’s full conversation on CDA Oasis at: bit.ly/3tn6EUa A dental practice has greater energy needs than a home. During the sunniest times, the Bailey Buckley roof will produce 33,120 watts an hour. “Basically, it’s the equivalent of operating three homes,” Brad McLaughlin of MCL Construction, who built the new building, told CBC. “During the summer months, this building will over-produce, and any extra power will go back to the grid through a smart meter system,” he says. There is a screen in the practice’s waiting room that shows a real-time graph of how much electricity is generated by the panels and how much is being consumed by the office. 28 | 2021 | Issue 5 Issues and People