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Solar rebates and incentives in Ontario

Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program pays $1,000 per kW for new rooftop solar, up to $5,000, and $300 per kWh for a battery paired with it, up to $5,000, each capped at half of eligible costs (homerenovationsavings.ca, run by Enbridge Gas and the IESO, read 2026-10-01). Take that rebate and the system can never be net-metered. Businesses apply to Save on Energy's Retrofit Program instead. The federal Greener Homes Grant, Greener Homes Loan and iZEV have all closed.

Book a free assessment(613) 869-8254
A row of Orléans homes from a drone, one with a new solar array
$5,000Home Renovation Savings cap for new rooftop solar, and again for a paired battery, read 2026-10-01

Solar incentives and green rebates in Ontario

The switch to net zero emissions and green energy is one that's well supported by not only provincial and federal governments, but also by municipalities. Have a look at some of the incentives that you may benefit from through our solar services and retrofits.

Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy partnered to launch the Home Renovation Savings Program to help Ontarians improve their home efficiency and comfort, offering significant rebates for energy-efficient upgrades like insulation, heat pumps, smart thermostats, solar panels and more.

For businesses, Save on Energy's Retrofit Program offers solar photovoltaic incentives to any commercial, industrial and institutional participants interested in behind-the-meter solar installations to displace their load and reduce their utility demand. Each program's amounts and status, checked on 2026-10-01, are below.

Last checked 2026-10-01: why the date matters

Every amount here was read on the program's own page on 2026-10-01 and names its program and publisher. Terms change by program year and sometimes mid-year, so the free assessment rechecks each program on the day, before anything is bought.

Every solar and energy program, and its status on 2026-10-01

Home Renovation Savings: open, homes
Panels earn $1,000 per kW DC, up to $5,000. A battery paired with new solar earns $300 per kWh, up to $5,000. Each is capped at 50% of eligible costs, HST excluded (Home Renovation Savings, Enbridge Gas and IESO, read 2026-10-01).
Net metering: open, homes and businesses
Power you export earns a bill credit at the rates you pay, kept up to 12 months, under O. Reg. 541/05 (Ontario Energy Board, read 2026-10-01). For systems of 12 kW AC or less, Hydro Ottawa lists a $10 set-up charge and $0.3616 a day, less a $0.0697 daily rate rider (Hydro Ottawa, read 2026-10-01).
Save on Energy Retrofit Program: open, businesses
$1,000 per kW DC up to 10 kW, then $770 per kW AC, on rooftops and parking canopies (Save on Energy, IESO, read 2026-10-01).
Better Homes Ottawa Loan: open, Ottawa homes
A City loan from $10,000 up to the lesser of $125,000 or 10% of assessed value, at 4.33% fixed over 20 years, repaid on the property tax bill. Solar, batteries and Level 2 chargers qualify (City of Ottawa, read 2026-10-01).
Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit: open, corporations
Up to 30% of the capital cost of solar and storage equipment in use by 2033-12-31, for taxable Canadian corporations and real estate investment trusts (Canada Revenue Agency, read 2026-10-01).
Canada Greener Homes Grant: closed
It paid $1,000 per kW for home solar, up to $5,000. The last day to submit documents was 2025-12-31 (Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01).
Canada Greener Homes Loan: closed
The last day to apply was 2025-10-01. Approved loans still pay out (Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01).
Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program: not in Ontario
Free heat pumps, insulation and air sealing for lower-income households, in five other provinces. Ontario is not one of them, and solar is not a named measure (Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01).
iZEV: closed, replaced by EVAP
Transport Canada's iZEV program offered incentives for decarbonization through the purchase and lease of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. It closed on 2025-03-31. The Electric Vehicle Affordability Program that replaced it takes up to $5,000 off a new battery electric car in 2026, at the dealer (Transport Canada, read 2026-10-01). Chargers are not covered.

Rebate or net metering: Ontario makes you choose

Home Renovation Savings pays only for load displacement systems, and a rebated system may never be net-metered. Sign a net metering agreement later and the IESO can claim the rebate back within 30 days of notice (Participant Agreement, October 2025, read 2026-10-01).

The Atmospheric Fund, a regional climate agency, estimated on 2026-07-10 that a 10 kW net-metered system pays back in roughly half the time of one without net metering, rebate included. A small array whose output the house uses as it is made gives up little, so the rebate can come out ahead there. A battery changes the sum, since the house uses stored power instead of exporting it.

Take the Home Renovation Savings rebate

  • Exported power earns no credit
  • The rebate stops growing at 5 kW of panels
  • Roof-mounted, first-time systems you own; no leases
  • No selling or removing it during its useful life, unless the house sells

Choose net metering

  • No Home Renovation Savings rebate
  • Every exported kWh earns a credit, kept up to 12 months
  • Size the array to a year of use
  • Ground mounts, carports and leased systems can qualify

How to apply for the Ontario solar and battery rebate

From the Home Renovation Savings solar requirements dated October 2025, read 2026-10-01.

  1. Check the home

    You own a detached, semi-detached, row or townhouse, or a mobile home on a permanent foundation, served by any Ontario utility except Cornwall Electric; Hydro Ottawa and Hydro One customers both qualify. The home has no solar or storage yet.

  2. Ask the utility first

    Confirm the connection process and the largest system allowed before buying. Hydro Ottawa answers a request for 12 kW AC or less in 15 to 60 days.

  3. Get written pre-approval

    The contractor files a quote dated within 60 days, the sizing and any other funding you expect. Buying or installing before written approval from the program and the utility forfeits the rebate.

  4. Install within 12 months

    A licensed electrical contractor designs and installs the system, bought new in Canada and owned by you. Self-installs and leases do not qualify.

  5. Claim within 30 days

    The contractor files the invoice, photos, the utility's connection agreement and the ESA certificate of acceptance.

Is it worth getting solar panels in Ontario?

It can be, on an unshaded Ottawa roof. Start with the sun: Natural Resources Canada's photovoltaic potential table gives Ottawa 1,200 kWh a year per kW of panels facing south at latitude tilt, and 977 on a flat mount, with July yielding about twice December (read 2026-10-01). Our Orléans net-metering install, 26 panels at 8.8 kW, shows 10 MWh a year on our homepage video, about 1,140 kWh per kW.

Put twelve months of kWh from your bills against that, then decide between the rebate and net metering, which sets what each exported kWh is worth. A residential solar assessment runs those numbers on your roof.

Is the Canadian government paying for solar panels?

Not for homes, as of 2026-10-01. The Greener Homes Grant and Loan have closed, and the federal retrofit program expanded on 2026-06-29 covers heat pumps and insulation in five other provinces (Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01). Ontario pays for home solar through Home Renovation Savings. Federal money reaches corporations through the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit.

Solar incentives for businesses and multi-unit buildings

Save on Energy's Retrofit Program pays $1,000 per kW DC up to 10 kW and $770 per kW AC from there to 1 MW AC, with larger systems capped at 1,000 kW AC and 50% of eligible costs (Save on Energy, IESO, read 2026-10-01). Only rooftops and parking canopies qualify, so a solar carport can where a ground mount cannot. The array must stay within the building's maximum load and can never be net-metered. Apply before any purchase order and finish within 24 months of pre-approval.

Apartment buildings, offices, schools and plants are eligible. A corporation can add the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit, though the Canada Revenue Agency deducts government assistance from the capital cost first. See commercial and industrial solar.

Book the free assessment before you apply for anything

Four of these programs want approval before you buy, and two rule out net metering for the life of the system. On the free assessment we model your roof under both paths and recheck each program page on the day. If an EV is coming, ask about EV charger installation at the same visit. Call (613) 869-8254.

Our process is simple

If you need solar energy solutions, we'll be there from conception to completion. We have the experience and accreditation to lead the way in all phases of your solar project. Here's what you can expect.

  1. Consultation

    From your initial assessment to project management, budgeting, scheduling and acquiring your permits, we handle all major aspects of your project.

  2. Procurement

    We acquire the best quality materials for your project at the lowest cost possible, giving you the best value for your dollar.

  3. Design

    We design your solar project to ensure that it meets your needs in the most affordable way possible. We do it all, including system designs to as-built drawings.

  4. Construction

    Our project manager leads all construction projects to ensure that installation, construction and maintenance projects go smoothly and efficiently.

Questions we get asked

Why are people getting rid of their solar panels?

We found no Ontario data showing owners removing working panels in numbers. The removals we can trace come from contracts and roofs: a lease or power purchase deal the owner wants out of, where the Ontario Energy Board warns that cancelling can trigger fees under the equipment agreement; a 20-year IESO microFIT contract, which owners may end on 30 days' notice without a fee; or a reroof, when panels come off and go back on.

How do I apply for the Ontario heat pump rebate in 2026?

Through the Home Renovation Savings heat pump stream. Fill in the eligibility form on homerenovationsavings.ca, pick a contractor from its participating HVAC list, and that contractor files for pre-approval before installing. A cold climate air source unit earns $1,250 per ton, up to $7,500, in homes heated by electricity, oil, propane or wood, and $500 per ton, up to $2,000, in Enbridge gas-heated homes (Enbridge Gas and IESO, read 2026-10-01). KAJK does not install heat pumps.

Can I get the solar rebate for a ground mount or a solar carport?

Not for a ground mount. Home Renovation Savings limits panels to the roof of the home, or of a permanent existing structure on the same meter such as a detached garage, and excludes ground-mounted solar by name. Its terms speak of an existing structure, so a carport built to carry the panels is a question to put to the program first. Both can still be net-metered, and the Retrofit Program accepts business parking canopies.

Can I add a battery to my existing solar and get the rebate?

Not under Home Renovation Savings. Its battery rebate, $300 per kWh up to $5,000 (Enbridge Gas and IESO, read 2026-10-01), applies only to storage paired with a new solar system sized for it, and the home must not already have solar or storage. A battery on existing panels can still be financed through the Better Homes Ottawa Loan, and Hydro Ottawa accepts storage paired with solar in a net metering setup.

Sources for this page (30), last read 2026-10-01
  1. Go solar and save up to $5,000 backHome Renovation Savings (Enbridge Gas and IESO), read 2026-10-01
  2. Solar and Storage Program Stream Requirements, version October 2025Home Renovation Savings (Enbridge Gas and IESO), read 2026-10-01
  3. Solar and Storage Program Stream Participant Agreement, version October 2025Home Renovation Savings (Enbridge Gas and IESO), read 2026-10-01
  4. Efficient heating and cooling choices (heat pumps)Home Renovation Savings (Enbridge Gas and IESO), read 2026-10-01
  5. Ontario Launches New Energy Efficiency Programs to Save You Money (2025-01-07)Government of Ontario (news.ontario.ca), read 2026-10-01
  6. Net meteringOntario Energy Board, read 2026-10-01
  7. Save on your energy bill with net metering (updated 2025-10-10)Government of Ontario (ontario.ca), read 2026-10-01
  8. ERO 019-4554: third-party leasing and financing net metering arrangements (decision 2022-04-26)Environmental Registry of Ontario (Ministry of Energy), read 2026-10-01
  9. DER connection processHydro Ottawa, read 2026-10-01
  10. Types of DERsHydro Ottawa, read 2026-10-01
  11. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) incentives, Retrofit ProgramSave on Energy (IESO), read 2026-10-01
  12. Retrofit Program fact sheet: Solar photovoltaic systemsSave on Energy (IESO), read 2026-10-01
  13. Retrofit Program FAQs (solar PV and DER)Save on Energy (IESO), read 2026-10-01
  14. What is the Clean Technology ITCCanada Revenue Agency, read 2026-10-01
  15. What property qualifies, Clean Technology ITCCanada Revenue Agency, read 2026-10-01
  16. Who can claim, Clean Technology ITCCanada Revenue Agency, read 2026-10-01
  17. Canada Greener Homes Initiative (modified 2026-08-04)Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01
  18. Eligible retrofits and grant amountsNatural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01
  19. Closed: Canada Greener Homes Grant, Ontario (modified 2026-07-20)Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01
  20. Canada Greener Homes Loan (modified 2026-04-17)Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01
  21. Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program (modified 2026-08-31)Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01
  22. Canada drives lower bills and cleaner energy in Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (2026-06-29)Natural Resources Canada (canada.ca news release), read 2026-10-01
  23. Closed: Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV)Transport Canada, read 2026-10-01
  24. Electric Vehicle Affordability Program: Overview (modified 2026-09-10)Transport Canada, read 2026-10-01
  25. Better Homes Ottawa Loan Program (page dated 2026-09-09)City of Ottawa, read 2026-10-01
  26. Better Homes Ottawa Loan ProgramBetter Homes Ottawa (City of Ottawa program, EnviroCentre), read 2026-10-01
  27. Photovoltaic potential and solar resource maps of Canada: municipality database (kWh/kWp)Natural Resources Canada, read 2026-10-01
  28. microFIT Program: rights and responsibilitiesIESO, read 2026-10-01
  29. microFIT FAQIESO, read 2026-10-01
  30. Ontario's solar rebate has a hidden catch (2026-07-10)The Atmospheric Fund, read 2026-10-01

Contact Ottawa's solar energy experts

Ready to get started? Give us a call or send us a quick message for all your solar and green energy needs. The free assessment looks at your roof or site, your last year of electricity use and what you want the system to do, then comes back with a concept design, costs and the equipment we would use.

Book a free assessment(613) 869-8254

Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: by appointment