What the solar rebate pays in Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie homeowners installing solar panels can claim a rebate of $1,000 per kilowatt of installed capacity, capped at 50% of your total project cost, up to a maximum of $5,000. The one thing to know before you sign anything: you have to choose between this rebate or net metering through PUC Distribution Inc., your local electric utility — you can't stack both on the same system.
Solar panel installation
$1,000 per kW installed, capped at 50% of total project cost.
Solar stacks with battery storage
If you add battery storage to the same project, the battery rebate (up to $5,000 separately) stacks with the solar rebate for up to $10,000 combined — one of the largest combined totals available on the Sault Ste. Marie page.
How to claim it
- Decide between the HRSP solar rebate and PUC Distribution net metering — you can only choose one
- Complete the eligibility form on the Save on Energy portal
- Select a participating solar contractor
- Get mandatory pre-installation approval before work starts
- Installation is completed
- Contractor submits the post-installation application
Finding a solar installer in Sault Ste. Marie
We're still building our verified installer network in Sault Ste. Marie. In the meantime, browse our full directory of vetted installers across Ontario — you can filter by category and get quotes without a sales call.
Browse the Ontario installer directory →
Common questions
How much is the solar rebate in Sault Ste. Marie?
Up to $5,000: $1,000 per kilowatt of installed capacity, capped at 50% of your total project cost.
Can I get the solar rebate and net metering from PUC Distribution?
No. You have to choose one or the other — the HRSP solar rebate or net metering through PUC Distribution Inc., not both on the same system.
What are current PUC net metering credit rates paying in Sault Ste. Marie?
PUC runs 1:1 net metering, so a kWh you export earns a credit worth the same as a kWh you'd otherwise buy — and under time-of-use pricing, the on-peak credit is worth more than double the off-peak rate. Confirm the current rate structure with PUC Services before sizing a system meant to export rather than just self-consume.
Sault Ste. Marie Public Utilities sets your net metering terms, not Queen's Park
Unlike a lot of Ontario cities that get billed by one of a handful of large regional players, Sault Ste. Marie still runs its own municipally owned electric utility — Sault Ste. Marie Public Utilities (locally, "the PUC"). The provincial solar rebate above is fixed no matter who your utility is, but the export side of the equation — what you're credited per kilowatt-hour when your panels send surplus power back to the grid, and how those credits carry forward — is set locally by the PUC, which runs a straightforward 1:1 net metering program. Call them directly before finalizing a system size, since that's the number that actually determines your long-run payback.
Sault Ste. Marie's sun hours: close to the provincial norm
Five years of Environment Canada data (2020-2024) puts Sault Ste. Marie at 3.78 peak sun hours a day, with average daily solar radiation of 13.62 MJ/m². That's only a hair below the southern-Ontario average — this far north, you might expect a bigger gap, but Sault Ste. Marie's latitude and relatively open exposure keep it close to cities several hundred kilometres south. It's a solid number to plan a system around, not a compromise. The city's Environmental Sustainability page tracks community-level emissions targets that rooftop solar chips away at, one home at a time.
Next steps
View all Sault Ste. Marie rebate programs → or check the official Home Renovation Savings Program site → for the current source of truth.