ONTARIO NET METERING
Your Home, Generating Value
Net metering lets your solar system bank the energy you don’t use today for the hours and seasons when you need it most. Designed with care, it turns your home into one of its own most reliable power sources.
How It Works
A province-wide framework, built around three steps
Net metering in Ontario is set by provincial regulation (O. Reg. 541/05), so the same framework applies with every local utility, from Toronto to Thunder Bay. Application details vary from utility to utility; the principle does not.
01
Your home uses solar first
When the sun is shining, your system powers your home directly, so the electricity you generate is the first electricity you use.
02
Surplus earns credits
Energy your home doesn’t need flows to the grid through a bidirectional meter. You earn credits for it under the same price plan you pay on.
03
Credits carry forward 12 months
Credits roll forward for twelve consecutive months, so a strong summer helps cover the darker months of winter.
Credits offset the electricity on your bill and its variable delivery and regulatory charges. Fixed monthly charges, such as the customer service charge, remain. Net metering provides bill credits rather than cash payments, and credits unused after twelve months expire, which is why a system sized carefully to your home matters.
Choosing Your Price Plan
The decision that shapes your return
Your credits are calculated under the price plan you choose, so selecting the right plan is as important as selecting the right equipment. We analyze twelve months of your actual consumption against each plan before we specify a single component.
Solar only
Time-of-Use
Without storage, Time-of-Use pricing often aligns well with solar. Your system produces through the higher-priced daytime periods, while much of your household consumption falls in lower-priced evening and weekend hours.
Solar + battery storage
Ultra-Low Overnight
With a battery, the Ultra-Low Overnight plan can transform the economics of your home. Solar charges your battery and exports daytime surplus, your battery carries the home through the weekday on-peak window, and overnight use is priced at the plan’s lowest rate.
| Period | Hours | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra-low overnight | Every day, 11 p.m. – 7 a.m. | 3.7¢ / kWh |
| Weekend off-peak | Weekends and holidays, 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. | 9.1¢ / kWh |
| Mid-peak | Weekdays, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. and 9 – 11 p.m. | 14.6¢ / kWh |
| On-peak | Weekdays, 4 – 9 p.m. | 37.7¢ / kWh |
Prices set by the Ontario Energy Board and subject to change. On-peak electricity now costs roughly ten times the overnight rate, which is precisely the gap a well-designed battery system is built to capture.
Net Metering or the Provincial Rebate
Two paths, one careful decision
Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings Program offers rebates of up to $5,000 for rooftop solar and up to $5,000 for battery storage. Under the program’s current rules, systems that receive the rebate cannot enter a net metering agreement with the utility, so they are designed to consume their energy on site.
For many homes, net metering delivers greater value over the life of the system; for others, the rebate is the better fit. The right answer depends on your consumption, your roof, and whether storage is part of your plan.
We model both, for your home
Before you commit, we compare the long-term value of each path using your real usage data, and recommend the one that serves you best. Program rules change, so we confirm current eligibility at the time of your proposal.
From Application to Activation
We manage the entire utility process
Your role is simple: authorize Bluewater to act on your behalf with your utility, and sign the approval documents. We take care of everything else.
- 01
Utility consultation
We engage your local utility before your design is finalized, confirming transformer capacity and connection requirements so your timeline holds.
- 02
Application to connect
We prepare and submit your connection application, with complete technical documentation so it moves through review cleanly.
- 03
Offer to connect
We review the utility’s connection terms, fees and timelines with you, and manage the paperwork from there.
- 04
Inspection and authorization
We coordinate the Electrical Safety Authority inspection and connection authorization, and build to pass on first review.
- 05
Meter exchange and activation
We coordinate the installation of your bidirectional meter, verify its configuration, and confirm net metering is active on your account.
The Equipment Behind the Outcome
Every credit begins with the system that earns it
Solar
SolarEdge panel-level optimization
Each panel is optimized individually, so shading or soiling on one module never holds back the rest of the array. Explore SolarEdge
Storage
Tesla Powerwall
Intelligent storage that shifts your solar energy into the on-peak hours, and keeps your home running seamlessly through outages. Explore Tesla Powerwall
Control
Circuit-level energy management
Monitor and manage consumption down to individual circuits, so your system protects what matters most in the moments that count. Explore energy management
Common Questions
Net metering, answered
Will net metering pay me for the electricity I export?
No. Ontario net metering provides bill credits rather than cash. Credits offset future electricity and variable charges, and carry forward for up to twelve consecutive months.
Can I add a battery to a net-metered system?
Yes. Ontario’s net metering rules allow energy storage to be paired with your renewable system, and a battery is often what makes the Ultra-Low Overnight plan so effective.
How large should my system be?
Large enough to serve your home through the year, and no larger, since credits unused after twelve months expire. We size every system from your actual consumption data.
How long does the utility process take?
It varies by utility and by project. Because we engage your utility before your design is finalized, there are rarely surprises once installation begins.
See what net metering could do for your home
Share twelve months of your electricity usage, available from your utility’s online account, and we will model your system, your price plan, and your long-term value in a private consultation.
Request a Private Consultation
Rates and program rules are current as of November 2026 and are subject to change by the Province of Ontario, the Ontario Energy Board, and local utilities.