How much you get
The net-metering tradeoff
You can't take this rebate and also sign a net-metering agreement with your local utility. The rebate is for "load displacement" — using the power you generate yourself, not exporting surplus.
How to claim it
- Confirm eligibility via a quick form
- Select a contractor and get written pre-installation approval
- Installation is completed
- Contractor handles utility interconnection approval
- Rebate arrives after documentation is submitted
Solar installers in Hamilton
Real companies based in Hamilton, pulled from their current Google reviews. We're not paid to list anyone here.
Common questions
What's the actual dollar figure for the Hamilton solar rebate?
Up to $5,000, through the province's Home Renovation Savings Program: $1,000 per kW installed, capped at 50% of your total project cost. It's the same formula in Hamilton as everywhere else in Ontario — Alectra, which bills you for power, has no say in that number. Alectra's role is net metering, which is a separate choice from taking the rebate, not an add-on to it.
Is solar worth it in Hamilton?
Hamilton's five-year average (2020-2024) is 3.90 peak sun hours a day, near the top of the range for southern Ontario. Without a rebate, payback typically runs 10–15 years depending on system size and your local electricity rates.
Horizon Utilities became Alectra in 2017 — your net metering terms come from them
If you've lived in Hamilton a while, you may remember Horizon Utilities on your bill; it folded into Alectra Utilities as part of a 2017 merger that also absorbed Brampton Hydro, PowerStream, and Enersource. The solar rebate amount above doesn't move because of any of that — it's a fixed provincial program — but the net metering credit for power your system exports is Alectra's to set, and as one of the largest utilities in the province, they run more standardized processes for things like panel-capacity sign-off than a small single-city utility typically does.
Hamilton's sun exposure compares well to its GTA neighbours
At 3.90 peak sun hours and 14.05 MJ/m² of daily radiation (2020-2024 average), Hamilton sits near the top of this batch of cities, benefiting from its position along Lake Ontario similarly to Burlington just up the shoreline. That's a modest but real edge for anyone comparing Hamilton's solar economics against inland Ontario cities.
Where to check Hamilton-specific claims before you sign
ReCharge Hamilton, the city's Community Energy and Emissions Plan, lays out how rooftop solar fits into the city's broader climate strategy and is a useful check against anything an installer tells you about municipal priorities. Green Venture, a Hamilton non-profit running home energy evaluations since 1994, is a source that isn't selling you a system. And Alectra's own site has the current net metering terms if you're weighing that against the rebate.
Next steps
View all Hamilton rebate programs → or check the official Home Renovation Savings Program site → for the current source of truth.