Rebates for solar panels and battery storage

• The property must have a BC Hydro residential account
• Customers of other utilities within B.C., such as FortisBC, are not eligible for these rebates.
• You must own the home. Tenanted properties are eligible but the rebate is paid to the registered property owner. See landlord application process below.
• The property must be a grid-connected residential home. This includes residential homes in Indigenous communities.
• The property must be located in BC Hydro's service territory [PDF, 176 KB].
• Eligible property types include:
  • Single-family detached dwellings.
  • Duplex, triplex, row home or townhomes.
  • Mobile homes that are fixed to a permanent foundation that are structurally complete with installed and connected plumbing, heating, electrical, water and sewer services, and with towing apparatus and axle removed.
  • Detached garages and secondary structures. Structures must be connected to the same BC Hydro account and meter as the main residence or served by an adds to meter under the same primary residential account. Installations on buildings with a separate account or meter are not eligible.
  • Farm properties billed on a residential rate. Including systems installed on farm related buildings, such as barns, workshops, storage buildings, or other agricultural structures if they are billed on a residential rate.
• Temporary service connections are not eligible. Applications for buildings under construction will remain in draft until a permanent meter is installed and a new BC Hydro account is created and linked in order to submit the application.

Rebates are per BC Hydro account (not per system or sub-meter) tied to a qualifying residence. Properties with multiple accounts, systems or meters may be eligible in the following circumstance.

• Eligible residences must be distinct dwellings, such as a primary home and a coach house, and not part of the same internal building structure.

Secondary suites or individually metered units within a single residential building (e.g., basement suites, strata units, or apartments) are not eligible, even if separately metered.

• Solar generation must connect to our distribution system through self-generation.
• You must receive application pre-approval before purchasing equipment. This is to ensure your project meets eligibility and safety requirements.
• Systems must have a combined aggregate nameplate capacity of no more than 100 kW. 
• Installations and connections must be completed after June 27, 2024. 
• Ground-mounted and detached garage-mounted installations are eligible if they’re fixed to the property and connected to the primary BC Hydro account/meter to serve the main residence. Temporary or mobile installations aren't eligible.
• Self-installations aren't eligible. Must be designed and installed by a licensed contractor with a GST number and a valid B.C. license.
• Replacements of system components that increase the size or capacity of your system are eligible for a rebate for the incremental increase of the system's size or capacity. For example, if you're replacing a 5 kW system with an 8 kW system, the 3 kW increase is rebate-eligible.

• Must be new, not previously installed in another home or property.
• Must be purchased in Canada; products can be manufactured outside of Canada.
  
• Cannot replace an existing solar photovoltaic system. However, additional solar panels added to an existing system will qualify. 
• Has a Canadian Standards Association certification, has a nameplate rating of no more than 100 kW, and is compliant with CSA C22.2 No. 107.1:16 (R2021), CSA C22.3 No. 9:20 and CSA C22.2 No. 61730. See terms and conditions [PDF, 120 KB] for more details. 
• Tesla products are not eligible. See our product FAQ for more information.

• Must be new, not previously installed in another home or property.
• Must be purchased in Canada; products can be manufactured outside of Canada.
• Cannot replace an existing battery energy storage system. 
• Can be installed with a new solar panel system, added to an existing solar panel system, or you can install a battery without any solar generation.
• Is compliant with CSA C22.2 No. 107.1:16 (R2021), CSA C22.3 No. 9:20.
• Battery energy storage systems must be certified to CUL 1973 and CUL 9540, and if installed in the habitable or living space of a dwelling must be tested to pass CUL9540A requirements. See terms and conditions [PDF, 245.2 KB] for details.
• Commonly used batteries that meet the certification requirements are included on our battery list [PDF, 159 KB].
• Tesla products are not eligible. See our product FAQ for more information.
• Battery-only systems are not eligible except for batteries enrolled in Peak Saver.

For details on how to safely install a battery storage system inside or outside of your home please see our guide [PDF, 259 KB].

Beginning June 1, 2026, solar and battery installations must be completed by a Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN) member in order to be eligible for rebates. 

HPCN members have completed best practices and rebate program training, are committed to ethical business practices, and are subject to ongoing quality assurance requirements. They also meet basic eligibility standards such as WorkSafeBC compliance, valid business licences, general liability insurance, and standard warranties.

Please note,

HPCN members are independent businesses and are not affiliated with or employees of BC Hydro. BC Hydro does not endorse, warrant, or guarantee their work. It is the customer's responsibility to research, select, and oversee the contractor that best meets their needs.  

HPCN members will:

• Design and install your clean or renewable energy system safely
• Optimize your system size based on your electricity use profile
• Follow all jurisdictional requirements including securing permits
• Assist with the application process. Please note, contractors may not submit applications on behalf of customers and should never request MyHydro login credentials
• Provide estimated monthly savings and may be able to assist with calculating the payback of your project

Be wary of claims that sound too good to be true, like “free solar,” aggressive sales tactics, time pressure and limited‑time offers to sign contracts or requests for in-kind contributions, like manual labour, in exchange of free solar installation.

If the BC Hydro account for a tenanted property is in the name of the property owner, follow the application steps listed above.

If the BC Hydro account for the property is not in the name of the property owner, you'll need to follow these steps in addition to those above:

1. With the help of your contractor, create a self-generation application and send it to the BC Hydro account holder for review and approval.  Make sure to use the e-mail address the account holder (tenant) uses to sign into their MyHydro account.  
2. As the BC Hydro account holder, the tenant must agree to participate in the self-generation program, since their rate will change and they will receive the benefit of the self-generation credits on their bill.  When they review the self-generation application, the tenant will respond “no” to being the registered property owner. They'll then be asked to agree to the utility account holder consent, which will give the property owner permission to apply for the rebate separately using the tenants account information.
3. Download and fill out the Landlord/Developer rebate application form [PDF, 91 KB]. Once complete, follow the instructions on the form to submit it. We encourage email submissions when possible to avoid delays in processing.
4. Once the self-generation application has been reviewed and accepted by BC Hydro, the property owner can submit the rebate application using the self-generation application number and the tenant's account information.

Need help to determine the best battery size for you and your home? Try our battery usage calculator to help you decide. Already have a battery storage system? Use this tool to help assess your current usage. Try our calculator.