2026 Solar Rebate Changes: What Canadian Installers Should Tell Clients Now
Three provinces changed their solar rebates and one rule reshapes system sizing in Ontario. A province-by-province briefing for installers: what to tell clients, and what to do before you quote.
Last reviewed: October 1, 2026. Status and amounts link to each official program page.
Your clients research rebates before they call you, and many of the lists they find are out of date. In the past 18 months, New Brunswick closed new solar registrations, Nova Scotia shut its homeowner program and PEI paused its rebate. Meanwhile Ontario’s rebate comes with a rule that changes how you size the system. Getting these details right in the first conversation builds trust. Getting them wrong can cost your client the rebate and cost you the job.
Key takeaways:
Open residential solar rebates: Ontario, BC, Quebec and Manitoba, each worth up to about $5,000.
In Ontario and BC, approval must come before purchase or installation. Build that into your sales process, not just your install schedule.
An Ontario client who takes the rebate can’t net meter. Quote both options.
Where rebates closed, municipal and utility loans are your strongest closing tool.
No new applications while 2026–27 funding is finalized.
Alberta, Saskatchewan
No provincial rebate
Lead with financing (Alberta’s CEIP, Saskatoon HELP) and town programs such as Banff’s.
Ontario: quote the rebate and net metering side by side
The Home Renovation Savings program pays $1,000 per kW up to 50% of cost and $5,000, and $300 per kWh for a battery paired with new solar (again up to 50% and $5,000). But participants can’t sign a net metering agreement. The system has to be designed for load displacement, covering the home’s own use.
That turns sizing into a sales decision:
Rebate path: a smaller system matched to daytime use, often with a battery to soak up surplus. Lower price, up to $10,000 back across solar and storage.
Net metering path: a larger system that banks summer credits for winter. No rebate, but more annual offset.
Show both on the quote. Clients who learn about the trade-off after signing tend to blame the installer.
Process rules to build in: the client and contractor must not buy or install equipment before written pre-approval from the program and the local distribution company. The homeowner, not a tenant, applies. Cornwall Electric customers aren’t eligible.
British Columbia: qualify the address before you quote
Check the utility first. Only BC Hydro customers qualify. FortisBC customers don’t, and New Westminster runs its own program.
Check community capacity. BC Hydro reviews each self-generation application case by case, and some communities are capacity-limited. Check its availability map before investing in a design.
Sequence the paperwork. Submit the self-generation application, get technical acceptance, then install. BC Hydro advises clients not to buy equipment until the application is accepted.
Batteries: $500 per kWh up to $1,500, or $5,000 if the client enrolls in Peak Saver within 14 days of interconnection approval. That’s worth flagging in the quote.
Edge cases: new construction must wait for the permanent meter; tenanted homes need the account holder’s consent; systems are capped at 100 kW AC.
Solar PV equipment is also exempt from BC’s 7% PST. Show it as a separate line so clients see the saving.
Quebec: own the paperwork
Hydro-Québec’s LogisVert grant is $1,000 per kW, up to 40% of cost, for panels installed on or after June 30, 2025. The client claims it, but your documents make or break the claim:
a connection request filed by a master electrician, and Hydro-Québec’s final authorization
invoices covering the panels, inverter and installation
certificates for CSA C22.2 No. 61730 and CSA 61215 (or UL or IEC equivalents), and the panel spec sheets
clear photos showing how many panels were installed
Put these together as a standard handover package. Low Quebec rates mean the grant carries more of the payback, so a rejected claim hurts.
Manitoba: register, then file for the client
Efficiency Manitoba only pays when the contractor is registered in its supplier network, and the contractor submits the rebate once the system has passed final inspection, is running and is paid for. If you aren’t registered, Efficiency Manitoba can help you join. Pair the rebate with Manitoba Hydro’s loan ($3,000 per kW, up to $20,000) to close the gap.
Closed and paused markets: where the work is now
New Brunswick: clients who enrolled by May 27, 2026 must finish the work and get a final evaluation by January 31, 2027. Reach out to enrolled leads in your pipeline now, before winter scheduling gets tight. Program details.
Nova Scotia: homeowner rebates are gone, but the Solar for Non-Profit Organizations pilot pays registered non-profits and charities $0.60/W, up to 25% and $15,000. Halifax homeowners can still use Solar City financing.
PEI: the rebate is paused. Clients with existing pre-approvals can proceed, but don’t build new quotes around it.
Northwest Territories: the Arctic Energy Alliance funds solar up to $20,000, but only for off-grid buildings or communities that don’t use hydroelectricity.
Financing: your best closer where rebates are thin
Property-tax loans stay with the house, which answers the “what if I sell?” objection. In Toronto, a mortgaged home needs the lender’s consent before the City makes a funding offer, so start that early.
Confirm the client’s province, utility and distribution company.
Confirm the program is open today, using the official page, not a third-party list.
In Ontario, quote both the rebate and the net metering option.
Get the pre-approval or self-generation application in before the contract is signed (Ontario, BC).
Show the rebate cap math (per-kW amount, percentage cap, dollar cap) on the quote.
Offer a financing option for the amount the rebate doesn’t cover.
Plan the documents you’ll hand over for the client’s claim.
Frequently asked questions
Can an Ontario client get the solar rebate and net metering?
No. Home Renovation Savings participants can’t sign a net metering agreement. The system must be designed for load displacement, so quote both paths and let the client choose.
Which solar rebates closed in 2026?
New Brunswick closed new solar registrations on May 27, 2026. Nova Scotia closed SolarHomes to homeowners in April 2025, and PEI’s rebate is paused.
Does an installer need to be registered for the Manitoba solar rebate?
Yes. The contractor must be registered with Efficiency Manitoba and submits the rebate application on the homeowner’s behalf after final inspection.
Are FortisBC customers eligible for BC Hydro’s solar rebate?
No. BC Hydro’s solar and battery rebates are only for BC Hydro customers.
