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 Richmond Hill
Real companies based in Richmond Hill, pulled from their current Google reviews. We're not paid to list anyone here.
See all Richmond Hill installers →
Common questions
Does Ontario have a solar rebate for Richmond Hill homeowners?
Yes — the Home Renovation Savings Program pays $1,000 per kW installed, capped at 50% of project cost, up to $5,000, the same rate in Richmond Hill as anywhere in Ontario. Net metering is the local variable: Alectra Utilities sets the export credit rate and processes the interconnection application.
Is solar worth it in Richmond Hill?
Richmond Hill averages 3.81 peak sun hours a day over the last five years (2020-2024) — enough that a typical residential system still produces meaningfully year-round, not just in summer. Without a rebate, payback typically runs 10–15 years depending on system size and your local electricity rates.
Is Richmond Hill's process any different because Alectra also serves neighbouring cities?
Not in the paperwork itself, but Alectra is handling interconnection requests from a much larger footprint than a single-city utility would — Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Markham, Mississauga, and Barrie all route through the same company. Ask your installer how turnaround has been running lately rather than assuming it's instant.
Who actually pays you for the power you send back: Alectra Utilities
Every Richmond Hill electricity bill runs through Alectra Utilities, and that matters more for solar than for almost anything else on this site, because net metering — the credit you get for power your panels send back to the grid when you're producing more than you're using — is an Alectra program, not a provincial one. The rebate math above doesn't change no matter who your utility is; what does change is how those export credits get tracked and applied to your account, and that's entirely on Alectra's terms. Alectra now covers Richmond Hill alongside Vaughan, Markham, Mississauga, and Barrie after a string of municipal-utility mergers, so confirm the current net metering details with them directly before you commit to a system size.
What 3.81 peak sun hours actually gets you
Five-year Environment and Climate Change Canada data (2020-2024) puts Richmond Hill at 3.81 peak sun hours per day on average, with daily solar radiation around 13.72 MJ/m². That's a mid-pack number for the GTA — enough for a standard 6-8kW residential array to generate a meaningful share of an average home's annual usage, though your actual output depends on roof orientation, shading, and panel angle more than this city-wide average does. It's not a dramatic outlier in either direction, which is typical for southern Ontario. The town's own Community Energy Plan names rooftop solar on existing homes as one of the retrofit types it wants to see scale up over the next decade.
Next steps
View all Richmond Hill rebate programs → or check the official Home Renovation Savings Program site → for the current source of truth.