How much you get
The net-metering tradeoff
You can't take this rebate and also sign a net-metering agreement with Hydro Ottawa. The rebate is for "load displacement" — using the power you generate yourself, not exporting surplus. If you'll mostly use what you generate, take the rebate; if you'd export a lot, model net metering against it first.
How to claim it
- Confirm eligibility via a quick form
- Select a contractor and get written pre-installation approval (required before work starts)
- Installation is completed
- Contractor handles Hydro Ottawa interconnection approval
- Rebate arrives after the contractor submits documentation
Solar installers in Ottawa
Real companies based in Ottawa, pulled from their current Google reviews. We're not paid to list anyone here.
Common questions
Does Ontario have a solar rebate for Ottawa homeowners?
Yes — the province's Home Renovation Savings Program pays $1,000 per kW installed, capped at 50% of project cost, up to $5,000, everywhere in Ontario including Ottawa. Net metering is the separate, local piece: Hydro Ottawa sets the credit rate and the interconnection fee, which ran about $1,449 in 2023.
Is solar worth it in Ottawa?
Honestly, Ottawa isn't the strongest solar market in Ontario on sun hours alone — 3.68 peak sun hours a day, measurably behind cities like Oshawa or Oakville, per 2020-2024 data. That doesn't rule solar out, but it does mean payback here tends toward the longer end of the 10–15 year range rather than the shorter end.
Does Hydro Ottawa charge to connect a solar system?
Yes. Hydro Ottawa billed around $1,449 to connect a residential solar system in 2023 — noticeably higher than the fee at some smaller Ontario utilities, where the same interconnection paperwork runs a few hundred dollars. Ask for the current number before you finalize a quote so it doesn't come as a surprise line item after installation.
Hydro Ottawa runs the city — and your net metering terms
As the National Capital Region's own utility, Hydro Ottawa is a large, city-owned operator, distinct from the private and amalgamated utilities that serve much of the GTA. The provincial solar rebate doesn't change based on any of that — $1,000/kW, same everywhere in Ontario — but net metering is Hydro Ottawa's call: credit rates, how unused credits carry forward, and the roughly $1,449 interconnection fee homeowners paid in 2023. Given Ottawa's lower sun-hour numbers, getting those terms right matters more here than in a higher-irradiance city, so confirm the current policy with Hydro Ottawa directly before signing a contractor agreement.
Why Ottawa's sun-hour number lags the rest of our Ontario cities
Five years of measured data (2020-2024) puts Ottawa at 3.68 peak sun hours a day and 13.25 MJ/m² of daily radiation — noticeably below every other Ontario city in our dataset, which cluster closer to 3.8-3.9. It's not a dramatic gap in absolute terms, but it's real and worth being upfront about rather than glossing over: a system here will generate somewhat less per installed kW than the same system in London or Oshawa, which is worth factoring into your payback expectations alongside the rebate itself. The city's own Energy Evolution plan still counts rooftop solar as part of Ottawa's path to a lower-carbon grid, lower sun hours notwithstanding.
Next steps
View all Ottawa rebate programs → or check the official Home Renovation Savings Program site → for the current source of truth.