Grid & off-grid

Net metering calculator, Ontario

Model your solar bill under Ontario's net metering rules, where the 2026 threshold increase to 12 kW opened simplified approval to more homeowners without changing the underlying credit rate.

Your numbers

1 Project details Optional
Shown on your exported report. Leave blank to skip.
2 Your usage and system
Find this on a recent utility bill, usually labeled kWh used.
Use your quoted or planned system size. Panel count times panel wattage divided by 1,000 gives a rough figure.
Solar production swings seasonally; pick a specific month type to see how your bill shifts.
Most utilities charge a flat customer or connection fee regardless of usage.
3 Your location and rate
Defaulted to Ontario's average peak sun hours. Adjust if you know your local figure.
Defaulted to Ontario's current average residential rate. Your utility's actual rate may differ.
Ontario typically credits exports around 100% of retail. Net Metering program credits exports at the same rate charged, with a 12 month credit carryover.
Some utilities charge progressively higher per-kWh rates as monthly usage climbs into higher tiers.
Accounts for inverter loss, wiring loss, dust, and temperature derate combined.
Informational only. A monthly cycle means unused export credit does not carry to the next bill; annual and rolling cycles do.

How it works

Three steps to your Ontario solar bill estimate

Step 1

Enter your usage, system size, and season

Pull your monthly kWh from a recent bill and enter your planned or quoted system size in kW. If you're weighing HRSP against net metering, run this calculator first, since the rebate only makes sense once you know what net metering would earn you instead. Select a season to model a specific month rather than only an annual average.

Step 2

Confirm your rate, tier, and export credit

A typical Ontario residential rate and full retail export credit are filled in by default, matching the province's 1:1 net metering structure. Swap in your own tariff numbers, tier bracket, and fixed monthly fee if you have a recent bill or interconnection agreement showing them.

Step 3

Compare the result to a full retail scenario

Since Ontario already credits exports at full retail, the net billing vs net metering comparison tool is most useful here for seeing what a lower-credit structure elsewhere would cost by contrast.

How net metering works in Ontario

The micro-generation threshold increased in 2026

As of May 1, 2026, the Ontario Energy Board raised the micro-embedded generation threshold from 10 kW to 12 kW, allowing more homeowners with grid-tied systems to qualify for a simplified connection process. Systems at or below that 12 kW threshold typically avoid the more complex Connection Impact Assessment that larger installations require, resulting in faster approval and lower upfront costs.

The underlying credit structure hasn't changed

Regardless of whether your system falls under the older 10 kW rule or the new 12 kW threshold, Ontario's net metering credit itself remains full retail rate with a 12-month rollover period and no cash payout for unused credits. The 2026 update expanded who qualifies for simplified approval; it didn't change how much your exported electricity is worth.

A rebate program exists, but you have to choose between it and net metering

Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP), running since January 2025, offers $1,000 per kW for solar installations, up to $5,000 for panels, plus $300/kWh for batteries, up to $5,000 more. This program requires load displacement operation rather than grid export, so homeowners must choose between taking the HRSP rebate or participating in net metering, not both, and the tax credit and rebate estimator for Ontario can help weigh the HRSP path against other incentives you may qualify for.

Larger systems still go through a more involved review

Systems above 12 kW and up to 500 kW under Ontario Regulation 541/05 remain eligible for net metering, but require a full Connection Impact Assessment, typically costing $500 to $2,000 and taking 4 to 12 weeks for utility review, compared to the simpler path smaller systems now qualify for. The payback period calculator can help you weigh whether a larger system's added review time and cost are worth the extra production.

Interconnection and the off-grid comparison

Whether you're with Hydro One, Hydro Ottawa, or another Ontario LDC, connecting a system requires a formal application and, for larger systems, a Connection Impact Assessment fee, and the grid interconnection cost estimator covers what to budget for. And with full retail net metering in place for qualifying systems, staying grid-tied remains far cheaper than going fully off-grid in Ontario, and the grid tie vs off grid comparison tool shows how much cheaper.

Questions

Frequently asked

Ontario credits solar exports at the full retail rate with a 12-month rollover and no cash payout for unused credits. As of May 1, 2026, the micro-generation threshold rose from 10 kW to 12 kW, letting more systems qualify for simplified, faster approval.

Electricity rates in Ontario vary by utility and time-of-use period. Ontario credits solar exports at the full retail rate with a 12-month rollover; the 2026 update raised the micro-generation simplified-approval threshold to 12 kW.

As of May 1, 2026, the Ontario Energy Board raised the micro-embedded generation threshold from 10 kW to 12 kW, allowing more homeowners to qualify for a simplified connection process with faster approval and lower upfront costs. The underlying credit structure, full retail with 12-month rollover, stayed the same.

No. The Home Renovation Savings Program, offering $1,000/kW for solar, requires load displacement operation rather than grid export. Homeowners must choose between taking the HRSP rebate or participating in net metering; the two aren't compatible on the same system.

Related tools

Compare Ontario's policy to other structures

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