The $10,000 rebate: solar + battery
BC Hydro pays $5,000 for solar panels and up to $5,000 for an approved home battery. The battery rebate depends on how you use it:
- Paired with solar only: up to $1,500
- Enrolled in Peak Saver: up to $5,000
Most homeowners don't realize that enrollment is where the full rebate unlocks. Buying an approved battery earns you part of it; enrolling in Peak Saver earns you the rest.
Peak Saver: the lever that unlocks the full rebate
Peak Saver is a program where BC Hydro requests a small amount of power from your battery during winter peak-demand evenings. You stay in control — you can override any event in the app with zero penalty — and you get paid.
- $100 sign-up bonus when you enroll an approved battery
- $50 per winter season for keeping it enrolled
- Your battery backs up your home during outages (and there will be outages)
That's $100 + up to $1,500 in rebates for the battery itself, plus the $50/season reward. A battery that keeps you powered during an outage and earns money is the rare upgrade that pays for itself in financial terms alone.
Why solar + battery together
Solar generates power during the day; a battery stores it for use at night, during outages, or during peak-demand hours when rates are highest. Together, they work:
- Self-generation: Your battery uses the solar power you generate, so you buy less from the grid.
- Outage resilience: If the grid goes down, your battery keeps essentials running (refrigerator, Wi-Fi, lighting) until power is restored.
- Peak Saver rewards: During the 4-9 PM demand peak in winter, BC Hydro pays to draw from your battery instead of building expensive peaking infrastructure.
- Bill savings: Lower consumption + Peak Saver rewards can save $5,000–$9,000 over a decade.
Next steps
- Get a home energy audit. BC requires a pre-retrofit EnerGuide evaluation to lock in your rebate eligibility. Most HPCN-certified installers include this.
- Get quotes. Solar + battery from an approved installer. Make sure they're HPCN-certified.
- Install and enroll. After installation, enroll your battery in Peak Saver on BC Hydro's site. This is the step that unlocks the higher rebate.
- File for your rebates. BC Hydro and your utility process the claims. Most take 4–8 weeks.