From the Home Renovation Savings Program rebate to net metering and municipal financing, here's exactly what's active right now and how the programs interact, explained plainly before you commit to anything.
Program names, amounts, and eligibility rules change and are set by the administering government body or utility, not by Terawatt Solar. This page is a general overview as of this writing. We confirm current terms for your specific property and utility as part of every free quote.
Ontario homeowners going solar in 2026 are mainly choosing between two paths: take the Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP) rebate upfront and reduce your install cost directly, or skip the rebate and enroll in net metering, banking every surplus kilowatt-hour as a bill credit for the life of the system. You cannot do both on the same system. Layered on top of either path, select GTA municipalities offer low-interest, property-tax-repaid financing, and commercial projects have an entirely separate federal tax credit available to them. We walk every client through which combination actually nets out ahead for their property during a free quote, using our solar calculator to run real numbers against your actual usage.
If you've seen older articles referencing the Canada Greener Homes Grant or the Canada Greener Homes Loan, both are closed to new applicants as of this writing, the Grant since early 2024 and the Loan since late 2025. We've left them off the table below so you're not chasing a program that no longer exists. The live Ontario-specific programs are listed here instead.
Program terms change. We confirm current eligibility and run both scenarios below before you sign anything.
| Program | Value | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Metering (Toronto Hydro & most GTA utilities) | 1:1 retail credit | Active | Available to customers who don't take the HRSP solar rebate; see how it works or read the Toronto Hydro specific guide |
| Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP) | Up to $10,000 | Active | Up to $5,000 solar + $5,000 battery, pre-approval required; full details |
| Toronto Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) | Property-tax-repaid financing | Active | City of Toronto PACE loan, stackable with HRSP; full details |
| Municipal PACE / Home Energy Loan Financing | Low fixed rate | Active | Available in select GTA municipalities, repaid via property tax, fund-limited |
| Time-of-Use Rate Arbitrage | ~20.3¢ vs ~9.8¢/kWh | Active | On-peak to off-peak spread that makes solar plus battery storage more valuable |
| Federal Clean Technology ITC | 30% of system cost | Active | Commercial and business projects only, not residential |
| Canada Greener Homes Grant / Loan | — | Closed | Grant closed 2024, Loan closed to new applicants late 2025 |
Figures reflect publicly available program terms as of this writing and are not a guarantee of your eligibility or funding availability. Net metering and HRSP amounts assume a typical 9-10 kW residential system; your actual numbers depend on roof, usage, and utility.
Official sources: Save on Energy – Home Renovation Savings Program, Ontario Energy Board, and Ontario.ca.
Both paths can be the right call, it depends on your usage, roof, and how long you plan to own the home. Here's the tradeoff in plain terms.
Best if you want a lower upfront cost and plan to pair solar with a battery on the ultra-low overnight rate.
Upfront value: up to $5,000 off solar, up to $5,000 off a battery.
Tradeoff: you give up 1:1 net metering credits on that system permanently.
Requires pre-approval before installation begins.
Best if you expect strong, consistent annual production and want long-term bill credits instead of an upfront rebate.
Ongoing value: every surplus kWh exported is credited 1:1 against future usage, for the life of the system.
Tradeoff: no HRSP rebate, and unused credits reset after a 12-month rollover window.
Requires a utility interconnection application, which we file for you.
We model both scenarios against your actual utility bills and roof data before you decide, there's no universal right answer.
Several Ontario municipalities run their own low-interest financing for home energy upgrades, repaid as a line item on your property tax bill rather than a traditional loan. Programs like this have operated under names such as the Toronto Home Energy Loan Program and Ottawa's Better Homes Loan, with similar structures appearing in other regions including Durham and Guelph. Funding and eligibility are set by each municipality and can run out before the program year ends, so we check current availability for your specific city, including Toronto, Markham, Mississauga, Vaughan, and Oakville, as part of your proposal. See our full Toronto Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) guide for how that loan is structured and repaid.
Businesses installing commercial solar are generally eligible for the federal Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit, worth up to 30% of eligible system cost, alongside accelerated capital cost allowance treatment that lets you write off equipment faster. Commercial projects don't qualify for the residential HRSP rebate, so we build a separate financial model for business clients that accounts for the tax treatment your accountant will actually file. See our full Clean Technology ITC guide for the rate structure and labour conditions.
Toronto Hydro specific rules and process.
Property-tax-repaid financing for solar.
30% refundable credit for commercial solar.
See how incentives affect real installed pricing.
A full payback breakdown including incentives.
Real GTA installations and which incentives they used.
Run your address through our free calculator, then we'll confirm your exact incentive stack during a free quote.
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