You might have caught wind of newly announced rebate programs for 2025 by the Ontario provincial government. These rebates certainly sound attractive, but are they worth using? There’s a lot of misconceptions out there, and we’ve dug through the fine print for you.
Let us be your guide.
What is the Save on Energy program, and why does it exist?
In 2025, a report by the Ontario Energy Board forecasted a need by 2050 for five (5) Torontos worth of added energy to the provincial grid. There’s two ways to achieve this: expanding generation, or reducing consumption. This program aims to do both in a variety of ways, including solar, by offering rebates to homeowners and companies to perform green retrofits on their homes and businesses.
How much ($) am I eligible for?
The Save on Energy program offers up to $5,000 for solar systems and $5,000 for batteries for a combined total of $10,000. The minimum system size to be eligible for the full amount consists of 5.00 kW DC for solar, and 16 kW of storage for batteries.
Who is this program for?
This program is for both homeowners and businesses, on the condition that Net Metering is not allowed. Net Metering is a metering agreement that allows you to bank credits during daylight hours for usage during non-sunlight hours, such as overnight and during the winter. If you accept any of the Save on Energy rebates, you can no longer Net Meter, and must instead use a Load Displacement agreement, also known as Zero Export.
What is Load Displacement, and is it worth it?
Load Displacement metering agreements, also known as Zero Export, cause excess energy generated by your system to go to waste rather than being exported to the grid in exchange for credits. In most cases, this means that the savings of systems under this agreement will be far less than those from Net Metering systems.
Should I take advantage of the Save on Energy rebates?
Each home and situation is different. To help you make a decision, you can check out our blog post on Metering Agreements by clicking here, which contains some examples. In general, systems that use batteries under Load Displacement agreements will fare better than solar-only systems because the rebate consists of a proportionally higher share of the system’s total cost.
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