There are many financial support programs available to help homeowners and businesses go solar.

City of Toronto – Home Energy Loan Program (HELP)

Through HELP, homeowners can get a low-interest loan of up to $125,000 to cover the cost of home energy improvements, including solar and energy storage. HELP allows you to repay the loan via installments on your property tax bill and the loan can be paid off at any time without penalty.

HELP also offers additional incentives for solar installations.

For additional information, email homeenergyloan@toronto.ca or visit the HELP webpage.

City of Toronto – Energy Retrofit Loan (ERL) Program

Through its ERL Program, the City offers low-interest loans to help building owners invest in energy improvements including solar and storage. The ERL offers fixed-rate financing for up to 100 per cent of the project costs at a rate equal to the City’s cost of borrowing.

For more information contact the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) at bbp@toronto.ca, call 416-392-1500, or visit the ERL Program webpage.

City of Toronto – Eco-Roof Incentive Program

If you are looking to replace your roof, the City of Toronto offers incentives to support the installation of green roofs and cool roofs.

While solar PV is not directly part of the City’s Eco-Roof Incentive program; solar and eco-roofs work well together. For example, you can install a cool roof or a green roof and install solar on top.

For additional information, email ecoroof@toronto.ca or visit the Eco-Roof Incentive Program webpage.

Canada Greener Homes Loan

The Canada Greener Homes Loan offers interest-free financing up to $40,000 over a 10-year repayment period to help residents make their homes more energy efficient. Eligible projects include solar PV and storage. Eligible projects include solar PV and storage. For more information and eligibility requirements, visit the Canada Greener Homes Loan website.

Third-Party Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)

Residents and businesses can choose to buy a solar system outright, or lease or finance it from a third party. In a third party financing agreement, the developer/installer arranges for the design, permitting, financing and installation of a solar energy system on the customer’s property. Customers can enter into either one of the two third-party financing arrangements:

  • Power Purchase Agreement (PPA):  The customer pays the third-party developer a fixed price per kWh for power generated by an on-site solar PV system, for a fixed period of time e.g. 20-years.
  • Solar lease: The customer pays the third-party developer a fixed monthly “rent” for the use of an on-site solar energy system over a specified period of time rather than paying for the power generated.

To learn more about third-party agreements, visit the Ontario Energy Board’s (OEB) Net Metering webpage.

Federal Tax Incentives for Businesses

The federal government offers businesses tax incentives to fully expense clean energy generation projects through the Income Tax Act and Income Tax Regulations’ measures including Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance (CCA) program and the Canadian Renewable and Conservation Expense (CRCE).

Due to the complexity of the tax legislation regarding clean energy equipment, we highly recommend you consult a tax attorney or an accountant to confirm all requirements are met.

Learn more about the Government of Canada’s Tax Incentives for Clean Energy Equipment.

The federal government recently announced a refundable Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit, which will total more than $60 billion over the next ten years for eligible projects, including solar and storage. Read about the announcement of the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit.

Group Buy

Residents and businesses can organize bulk buy groups to get discounts on solar system and storage systems installations. Organized groups have the advantage of providing installers with a large pool of interested buyers, reducing individual transaction costs and achieving greater purchasing power through economies of scale.

Organizing a bulk buy campaign is a demanding process best managed by a designated group of people, such as leaders of a local community group, who can undertake community outreach and education.