Business solar guide
Ontario

Business solar in Ontario: Save on Energy, net metering and the 30% credit

How Ontario businesses, farms and non-profits plan a solar project: rate class, Global Adjustment, Save on Energy incentives, net metering up to 500 kW and the federal tax credit.

The full walk-through

How Ontario businesses, farms and non-profits plan a solar project: rate class, Global Adjustment, Save on Energy incentives, net metering up to 500 kW and the federal tax credit.

Save on Energy, up to 10 kW$1,000/kW-DC
10 kW to 1 MW$770/kW-AC
Federal ITC30%20% without labour election

How a project runs

  1. Find your rate classSmall business, Class B or Class A. It decides whether the Global Adjustment is charged per kWh or by your share of the top five peak hours.
  2. Pull interval dataHourly data from your utility shows how much of your load lands in solar hours.
  3. Choose Save on Energy or net meteringSave on Energy funds load-displacement systems. Net metering (up to 500 kW) banks exports for 12 months. Not both on one system.
  4. Pre-approval and connectionGet the incentive pre-approved, then file the connection application with your local utility.
  5. BuildStructural review, permits, install and ESA inspection.
  6. Claim the creditYour accountant claims the ITC on the corporate return and sets up CCA.

The money

ProgramWhat it's worth
Save on Energy Retrofit$1,000/kW-DC up to 10 kW; $770/kW-AC from 10 kW to 1 MW
Net meteringUp to 500 kW, 12-month credits
Federal Clean Technology ITC30% refundable (20% without labour election)
Capital cost allowanceClasses 43.1 and 43.2

Sizing to your load

For Class B accounts, every kWh you make avoids the market price and the Global Adjustment that rides on it, so size to your daytime load. Class A accounts should look at a battery for the five peak hours that set a full year of Global Adjustment.

Farms

Farms with daytime loads (barns, ventilation, grain handling) are good fits. Incorporated farms can claim the federal credit.

What to have ready

  • 12 months of bills, and interval (hourly or 15-minute) data from your utility if you can get it.
  • Your rate class or rate code.
  • Whether the business is incorporated and taxable. That decides the 30% credit.
  • Roof age and condition, or the spot you'd use for a ground mount.
  • Any expansion plans that will change your load in the next few years.

Questions to ask any installer

  • Have you modelled my interval data, or just my monthly totals?
  • Is the price shown before or after the federal tax credit, and does it assume the labour election?
  • Which line on my bill does the system reduce: energy, demand, or both?
  • Who handles the utility connection application, and how long does it take here?
  • Has the roof or ground mount been checked by a structural engineer?

Sources · checked October 2026

For businesses & farms

Rates and programs at a glance

How business power is billed

How business power is billed

Small businesses in Ontario pay the same regulated prices as homes. Larger accounts pay the market price plus the Global Adjustment, and that's where solar and batteries can change the bill most.

Account sizeEnergy priceWhat else drives the bill
Small business (under 150,000 kWh/yr)Regulated time-of-use or tiered pricesDelivery and regulatory charges
Class B (most larger accounts)Hourly market price + Global Adjustment per kWhDistribution demand charges ($/kW)
Class A (500 kW+ average peak, by sector; 1 MW+ opt-in; 5 MW+ automatic)Market price; Global Adjustment based on your share of Ontario's top 5 peak hoursPeak demand factor, demand charges

Where solar saves

  • Every kWh you make on site avoids the energy price and, for Class B, the Global Adjustment that comes with it.
  • Summer afternoon peaks often fall in solar hours, so a well-placed array can trim the demand your bill is built on.
  • A battery handles what solar can't: evening peaks, and the five peak hours that set a Class A customer's Global Adjustment for a full year.

Before we size anything

We pull 12 months of interval data from your utility so the system is matched to your load and your rate class, not to the roof.

Sources · checked October 2026

Business solar programs

For businesses, farms and non-profits

Ontario businesses pick between a Save on Energy incentive for load-displacement solar and net metering up to 500 kW. Incorporated businesses then layer the 30% federal tax credit on top.

Up to 10 kW$1,000/kW-DCSave on Energy Retrofit
10 kW to 1 MW$770/kW-ACSave on Energy Retrofit
Net meteringup to 500 kW12-month credits
Federal ITC30%20% without labour election
Ontario Commercial Solar IncentivesSave on Energy + ITCRead the program →Commercial net metering vs Save on EnergyWhich path pays moreRead the program →Federal Clean Technology ITC30% refundable tax credit (20% without the labour election). Taxable corporations and incorporated farms only.Read the program →

How the pieces stack

  1. Choose your pathSave on Energy funds systems that power your own load. Net metering lets you export and bank credits. You can't take both on the same system.
  2. Claim the federal creditThe 30% ITC applies to eligible solar and storage. Government incentives reduce the cost it's calculated on, so model them together.
  3. Depreciate fastSolar equipment falls under capital cost allowance classes 43.1 and 43.2.

Sources · checked October 2026

For homes

Looking at solar for your home?

Home rates, rebates and net metering work differently from business accounts.

Read the home solar guide →
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