Skip to content
Solenery
Solar in Ontario

Solar in Ontario: Rebates, Export Rules and Quotes

NRCan puts yearly output at 1,142 kWh to 1,200 kWh per kW of panels across 6 cities. Here is what pays for solar, how exports are credited, and how to compare quotes.

Private & secure • No spam • Free assessment

Free · No sign-up · See your rebates in seconds

  • Rebates read on official pages
  • Serving Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and more
  • Free, no obligation
Solar panels in Ontario
a year per kW of panels (NRCan)
1,142–1,200 kWh
open province-level solar programs we have read
2
how exports are credited
12 months
address check, no obligation
Free

Should I Take the Ontario Rebate or Use Net Metering?

Quick answer

In Ontario you choose. The Home Renovation Savings solar rebate pays $1,000 per kW, up to 50% of cost and $5,000, and $300 per kWh for a battery paired with new solar, up to the same caps. Taking it rules out net metering, so size the system for your own use.

  • Rebate path

    Up to $10,000 for solar and a battery together. Projects are for load displacement only, and recipients can't sign a net-metering agreement with their utility.

  • Net-metering path

    Exports earn credits that carry to later bills for up to 12 months and offset energy used, not fixed monthly charges.

  • Who qualifies for the rebate

    Owners of single detached, semi-detached, row, townhome or mobile homes connected to Ontario's grid, who pay for the purchase and installation.

  • Businesses

    Business solar uses the Save on Energy Retrofit program instead: $770 per kW-AC over 10 kW-AC, up to 1 MW-AC.
Checked against official pages · Oct 15, 2026

Solar Rebates in Ontario

Province and utility programs, read on each official page. Federal programs are on the national solar page.

Source: each program's official page (linked) · as of Sept 23, 2026. Amounts change often, so confirm on the official page before you apply.
ProgramForAmountStatus
Home Renovation Savings (Save on Energy)Homeowners

Owners of single detached, semi-detached, row, townhome or mobile homes connected to Ontario's grid

Solar: $1,000 per kW, up to 50% of cost and $5,000. Battery: $300 per kWh, up to 50% of cost and $5,000, and only with new solar. Taking the rebate rules out net meteringOpen

Open

Save on Energy Retrofit ProgramBusinesses

Ontario businesses. Your local utility must confirm the system can connect

$1,000 per kW-DC for systems up to 10 kW-DC; $770 per kW-AC for systems over 10 kW-AC, up to 1 MW-ACOpen

Open

How Ontario Credits Solar Exports

The credit rule can matter more to payback than the rebate. This is the rule we read on the utility or regulator page.

Source: each utility or regulator page (linked) · as of Oct 15, 2026. Terms change with rate cases, so confirm with your utility before you size a system.
Utility and programHow exports are creditedSystem size
Your local distribution company: Net metering (O. Reg. 541/05)Exports earn a credit that carries forward to later bills for up to 12 months. Credits offset energy used, not fixed monthly chargesSet by your local distributor and what the local grid can host

How to Finance Solar

Some cities and utilities lend for solar and collect the repayment on your property tax or utility bill. A loan has to be paid back with interest, so check the rate and the fees first.

Toronto, ONOpen

Home Energy Loan Program (HELP)

Most you can borrow
The lesser of $125,000 or 10% of the property's assessed value
Rate
Published rates were valid to Sept 30, 2026: 3.34% (5 years), 4.01% (10), 4.46% (15) and 4.75% (20), plus a 2% administration fee. The page still showed those rates on Oct 15, 2026, so confirm the current ones
Term
5, 10 or 15 years. 20 years for windows, heat pumps, solar and geothermal only
Repaid through
Property tax bill, in 11 monthly instalments a year

Open to applicants

Ottawa, ONOpen

Better Homes Loan

Most you can borrow
The lesser of $125,000 or 10% of the property's assessed value, and at least $10,000
Rate
4.33% fixed, plus a 4% administration fee added to the loan
Term
20 years
Repaid through
Property tax bill, as a Local Improvement Charge. Borrowers enrol in the City's pre-authorized debit plan

Open to applicants

Source: each loan's official page (linked) · as of Oct 5, 2026. Loans are repaid with interest, and they're separate from the rebates above. Other cities and utilities run similar programs: enter your address to see the ones near you.

How Much Power Does Solar Make in Ontario?

NRCan puts yearly output at 1,142 kWh to 1,200 kWh per kW of panels across 6 cities.

Source: NRCan photovoltaic potential, municipality database. South-facing panels tilted at the site's latitude, grid-tied, no batteries, typical losses included · read Sept 23, 2026
CityProvinceYearly output per kWGuide
OttawaON1,200 kWhSolar in Ottawa
KingstonON1,194 kWhSolar in Ontario
TorontoON1,163 kWhSolar in Toronto
MississaugaON1,159 kWhSolar in Ontario
LondonON1,151 kWhSolar in Ontario
GuelphON1,142 kWhSolar in Ontario

Solar in Ontario Cities

City pages carry what is local to them: the utility's connection rules and any municipal financing.

Solar in TorontoSolar in Ottawa

From Quote to Rebate: How a Project Works

Solenery is a marketplace, not a contractor. We check your incentives first, then help you compare quotes from vetted local pros, so you choose the right solar installer with the full cost in view.

  1. 1

    Enter your address

    Anywhere in Canada. Solenery checks federal, provincial and utility programs against your property automatically.

  2. 2

    See your estimate

    Eligible incentives, estimated savings and payback, based on your roof, electricity use and location.

  3. 3

    Compare vetted installers

    Get quotes from local installers. For business projects, ask whether they meet the federal labour requirements that decide a 30% or 20% tax credit.

  4. 4

    Install and claim

    Most rebates need approval or documents before and after installation. Solenery helps you sequence the applications.

Solenery listing the incentive programs matched to an address

Step 1 in Solenery: the programs matched to your address

What is Solenery?

A short explainer on how Solenery matches your rebates and helps you compare contractor quotes.

Solar in Ontario: Common Questions

Answers checked against government and official program pages.

Yes. We have read 2 open province or utility solar programs for Ontario: Home Renovation Savings (Save on Energy) (Solar: $1,000 per kW, up to 50% of cost and $5,000. Battery: $300 per kWh, up to 50% of cost and $5,000, and only with new solar. Taking the rebate rules out net metering); Save on Energy Retrofit Program ($1,000 per kW-DC for systems up to 10 kW-DC; $770 per kW-AC for systems over 10 kW-AC, up to 1 MW-AC).

NRCan puts yearly output at 1,142 kWh to 1,200 kWh per kW of panels across 6 cities. Ottawa: 1,200, Kingston: 1,194, Toronto: 1,163, Mississauga: 1,159, London: 1,151, Guelph: 1,142 kWh per kW a year. Shade and roof direction change your result.

Your local distribution company: Exports earn a credit that carries forward to later bills for up to 12 months. Credits offset energy used, not fixed monthly charges. System size: Set by your local distributor and what the local grid can host.

No. Recipients of the Home Renovation Savings solar rebate aren't eligible for a net-metering agreement with their utility. You choose one or the other.

Yes. The federal Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit applies in every province: up to 30% of eligible solar and battery cost for taxable Canadian corporations, or 20% if the labour requirements aren't met. Homeowners can't claim it.

Commercial incentives in detail

No. Solenery is a marketplace: it checks which incentives your property qualifies for and connects you with vetted local installers so you can compare quotes. Using it is free, with no obligation.

See what solar looks like for your Ontario property

Enter your address for the incentives, export rules and output that apply, then compare quotes from vetted installers.

Free · No sign-up · No obligation

Cutaway illustration of a home with a heat pump and solar panels

Are you a solar installer?

Homeowners on this page are planning their projects now. Join Solenery Pro free and quote on projects in your area.

Join Solenery Pro free
Clean energy installer at work

How We Research This Page

Last updated: .

Every rebate amount, status and deadline on this page was read on the program's official page and is dated next to it. We re-check each program monthly, because amounts and deadlines change often. Always confirm with the program before you apply.

Facts and figures come from government departments, utilities and safety regulators, linked next to each figure and listed here. We don't publish price ranges: costs depend on your home, so we explain what drives them and let contractors quote.

Solenery is a marketplace. It connects homeowners with contractors and doesn't install anything itself.

Sources