Ontario's Plain-English Guide to Custom Home Building📞 705-533-1633 | ☎️ 1-866-868-6606 | ✉️ info@icfhome.ca
It’s Time To Talk Solar
Ontario Solar Guide · Updated 2026
Is solar worth it for an Ontario home?
Solar can reduce purchased electricity, support an off-grid property and make a new home more resilient. But the roof, energy use, utility connection and budget must make sense first.
A practical guide to solar photovoltaic panels, solar thermal systems, batteries and Ontario net metering—without the sales pitch.
Solar works best as part of the whole house.Reduce the load first. Then size the system.
New construction advantageRoof, structure, conduit and electrical can be planned before finishes.
Ontario has usable solar resourcesActual output depends on location, orientation, shade, roof pitch and system design.
Solar PV makes electricityIt can be grid-tied, paired with batteries or used for an off-grid property.
Solar thermal makes heatIt is commonly considered for domestic hot water, pools and specialized heating applications.
Start with the basic distinction
Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal are not the same thing.
One makes electricity. The other captures heat. The right choice depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
Solar photovoltaic — PV
PV panels convert sunlight into electricity. The power can be used in the home, sent to the grid under an approved net-metering arrangement or stored in batteries.
Reduces purchased electricity
Works with grid connection
Can support batteries
Useful for off-grid homes
Solar thermal
Solar thermal collectors absorb solar energy and transfer that heat to water or a glycol loop for domestic hot water, pool heating or a specialized hydronic system.
Domestic hot water
Swimming pools
Hydronic integration
Requires freeze protection
The right order
Do not size the solar system before understanding the house.
The least expensive energy is the energy the home does not need. A smaller, efficient load usually produces a smaller and more useful solar system.
1
Reduce the building load
Improve insulation, air sealing, windows, appliances and mechanical efficiency before purchasing generation equipment.
2
Understand actual electricity use
Use real bills where available. For a new home, estimate consumption from the planned equipment and lifestyle.
3
Check the site and roof
Review orientation, shade, roof condition, snow movement, structural capacity and room for future expansion.
4
Confirm connection before buying
For grid-tied solar, obtain the local distributor’s connection approval before signing a binding equipment contract.
Which PV arrangement fits the project?
Grid-tied, battery-backed or fully off-grid?
These systems solve different problems. A battery is not automatically required just because the home has solar panels.
Simplest arrangement
Grid-tied solar
The home remains connected to the utility. Solar production offsets electricity used from the grid, subject to the approved metering arrangement.
- No large battery bank required
- Lower complexity than off-grid
- Normally shuts down during an outage unless designed for backup
- Connection approval is required
Best for: reducing purchased electricity where reliable utility service exists.
Resilience option
Grid-tied solar with batteries
The utility remains available, while a properly designed battery system can support selected loads during outages and store solar energy.
- Backup must be designed around critical loads
- Battery capacity affects price and runtime
- Requires compatible inverter and controls
- Not the same as whole-home unlimited backup
Best for: homeowners who value outage protection as well as energy production.
Remote properties
Off-grid solar
The home operates independently of the electricity grid. Solar, batteries and usually a backup generator must be sized as one complete power system.
- Energy use must be carefully controlled
- Winter production is the difficult design condition
- Battery protection and maintenance matter
- Backup generation is commonly required
Best for: remote sites where bringing utility power is impossible or prohibitively expensive.
Ontario net metering
Use your solar production to offset electricity purchased from the grid.
Under Ontario net metering, the local distributor measures electricity taken from the grid and electricity supplied to it. Eligible credits are applied to the electricity bill and may carry forward for a limited period under the current rules.
Solar panelsProduce electricity when sunlight is available
→
Your homeUses solar production before drawing more from the grid
→
Utility accountApproved exports create bill credits
The main PV components
What is included in a residential solar electric system?
The panels are only the most visible part. Equipment selection, installation details and electrical integration affect safety, production and long-term serviceability.
PV panels and mounting
Panels produce DC electricity. Racking secures them to the roof or ground structure and must account for weather and roof details.
Inverter
The inverter converts DC power from the array into AC power suitable for the home and approved utility connection.
Metering and electrical work
Disconnects, breakers, wiring, protection, utility metering and inspections form the electrical connection package.
Optional battery system
Batteries store energy for later use or outage backup. Capacity should be based on the loads and runtime that actually matter.
Solar thermal
When the goal is heat rather than electricity.
A solar thermal system typically includes collectors, heat-transfer fluid, storage, a heat exchanger, pumps, piping and controls.
Common residential applications
The economics and complexity depend heavily on how much hot water or seasonal heat the property can actually use.
🚿Domestic hot water
🏊Pool heating
♨️Hydronic systems
Collector type 1
Flat-plate collectors
An insulated, glazed collector contains an absorber plate and fluid passages that transfer captured heat to the system.
- Simple, proven construction
- Common for water and pool-heating applications
- Performance depends on temperature and winter conditions
Collector type 2
Evacuated-tube collectors
Rows of insulated glass tubes reduce heat loss and transfer solar energy into the heat-transfer loop.
- Can maintain useful performance in colder conditions
- Suitable where higher operating temperatures are required
- More components and specialized service considerations
What will solar cost?
Do not use an old price-per-panel chart.
Residential solar pricing changes with equipment, system size, roof work, electrical upgrades, batteries, connection requirements and contractor scope.
What changes the installed price?
Ask every contractor to separate these items so the quotations can be compared properly.
System capacity and expected production
Roof versus ground mounting
Roof condition and structural work
Inverter type and future expansion
Electrical panel and service upgrades
Utility application and metering
Battery capacity and backup equipment
Permits, inspections and warranties
Compare production—not only panel count.
A useful quotation should state what the system is expected to produce, what assumptions were used and exactly what work is excluded.
- Get at least three comparable quotations.
- Request an annual-production estimate for the actual address.
- Confirm roof, electrical, permit and connection scope.
- Compare equipment and labour warranties.
- Do not accept a payback claim without seeing the assumptions.
Important update: old Ontario solar programs and old rebate claims should not be used for a new purchase decision.
Ontario’s microFIT program stopped accepting new applications in 2017. New small residential projects generally investigate net metering through the local electricity distributor instead. The federal Canada Greener Homes Grant and Loan are also closed to new applications. Always verify current programs before including an incentive in the payback calculation.
Building a new home?
It costs less to plan for solar before the house is built.
Even when panels are not installed immediately, the home can be designed so that a future installation does not require avoidable demolition or electrical reconstruction.
Solar-ready planning checklist
Coordinate these items with the designer, structural engineer, electrician and solar professional before permit drawings and roof work are finalized.
Unshaded roof area with useful orientation
Roof pitch and snow-shedding strategy
Structural loading and attachment locations
Roof penetrations kept away from panel area
Conduit route from roof to electrical room
Wall space for inverter and disconnects
Electrical panel and service capacity
Battery location and ventilation planning
Generator and backup-load coordination
Future EV and heat-pump electrical loads
Local custom-home projects
Planning an energy-efficient home in Simcoe County or Georgian Bay?
The ICFhome team can coordinate the structure, ICF envelope, radiant heating, mechanical systems and solar-ready details as one complete home—not as unrelated upgrades added later.
Discuss My Home With ICFhomeQuestions to ask before signing
A homeowner’s solar quotation checklist.
A good contractor should be able to answer these questions clearly and place the important commitments in writing.
How much electricity is the system expected to produce each year?
Ask for the address-specific estimate, orientation, shade assumptions and expected degradation—not only the panel rating.
What happens when utility power fails?
Standard grid-tied solar commonly shuts down during an outage. Backup requires properly designed battery or generator integration.
Is the roof included in the contractor’s responsibility?
Clarify structural review, flashing, penetrations, roofing warranty, snow movement and responsibility for future roof repairs.
Who handles the distributor application and inspections?
Identify every application, permit, inspection, meter change and connection charge, along with who pays each item.
What exactly is covered by the warranties?
Separate panel performance, equipment, roof penetration and contractor workmanship warranties. Confirm who provides service locally.
What assumptions were used in the claimed payback?
Ask which electricity rates, annual increases, maintenance costs, incentives, financing costs and production estimates were included.
Current information sources used for this redesign:
Ontario Ministry of Energy and Mines,
Net Metering;
Independent Electricity System Operator,
microFIT Overview;
Natural Resources Canada,
Solar Energy,
Solar PV in Buildings, and
Canada Greener Homes Initiative Status.
Program rules, connection capacity, prices and incentives can change. Confirm current requirements with the utility, municipality and qualified professionals before committing funds.
Are the FIT and MICROFIT programs still in effect.
If so how does one get more information on getting some panels installed at there residence in Ontario.
There is no reason Canada should be importing oil. We just need a government that will allow it to be shipped across the country!!
Sure , if you have Canadian house with 4 ‘ insulation it makes perfect sense to invest thousands of dollars to generate couple of kWt of electric power loosing thousands Btu on heating .
1. Insulation of houses has very little to do with producing electrical power.
2. Canada has some of the stringiest building codes in the world as far as the insulation is concerned.
3. Apart from production and disposal after 30 or so years, PV panels produce electrical energy without a carbon footprint. No pollution. (I suspect that in 30 years we will figure out how to recycle them.)
4. If you really think about it, wouldn’t you want to leave the world in better shape for your kids?