Solar panels in Ontario

Q: Is solar worth it in Ontario?

At 15.2 cents per kWh and 1,408 usable sun hours, a typical system pays back in about 15.9 years.

Q: How much do solar panels cost in Ontario?

A 9.2 kW system costs about CA$26,220 before incentives.

Roofs across Ontario get about 1,408 hours of usable sunlight a year, and electricity costs 15.2¢/kWh. That combination puts a typical system's payback at 15.9 years. Here's the detail, from real rooftop data across 7 Ontario cities.

1,408Sun hours / yr

15.2¢Per kWh

23Panels typical

15.9 yrPayback

Solar is a slow payback in Ontario. At 15.9 years, mostly because electricity here costs 15.2¢/kWh, this only makes sense as a long-horizon decision or with local incentives. Check the numbers hard.

Check your own roof in Ontario → These are regional figures; your roof's size, pitch and shading move them a lot.

How Ontario compares

Ontario gets more sunlight than 22% of the cities we measure, and its electricity costs more than 52% of states and provinces. Both matter, but not equally: the electricity rate usually matters more, because solar saves money by replacing power you would otherwise buy. A sunny state with cheap power often pays back slower than a cloudy state with expensive power. Why that happens →

Solar by city in Ontario

City	Sun hrs/yr	Panels	Net cost	Payback
Kitchener	1,497	22	CA$25,080	15.1 yrs
Windsor	1,426	23	CA$26,220	15.8 yrs
Hamilton	1,413	23	CA$26,220	15.9 yrs
Mississauga	1,408	23	CA$26,220	15.9 yrs
London	1,389	23	CA$26,220	15.9 yrs
Ottawa	1,372	24	CA$27,360	16.5 yrs
Toronto	1,366	24	CA$27,360	16.5 yrs

What a system costs in Ontario

System	Size	kWh/yr	Net cost	Saves/yr	Payback
8 panels	3.2 kW	3,830	CA$9,120	CA$582	15.7 yrs
12 panels	4.8 kW	5,745	CA$13,680	CA$873	15.7 yrs
16 panels	6.4 kW	7,660	CA$18,240	CA$1,164	15.7 yrs
20 panels	8 kW	9,574	CA$22,800	CA$1,455	15.7 yrs
26 panels	10.4 kW	12,447	CA$29,640	CA$1,704	17.4 yrs

Payback stops improving as systems grow, then gets worse. You can only save on electricity you were going to buy, so once a system covers your usage the extra panels mostly export at a lower rate.

Ontario solar incentives

The 30% US federal tax credit does not apply in Canada, and the figures on this page exclude it. Canadian support comes through federal programmes such as the Canada Greener Homes Loan plus provincial and utility schemes, which vary and change — check current Ontario programmes directly rather than trusting a figure on a website.

Check your net metering rules. What your utility credits you for exported power drives your return more than most rebates do, and it differs by utility.

Ontario solar questions

Is solar worth it in Ontario?

At 15.2¢/kWh and 1,408 usable sun hours, a typical system pays back in about 15.9 years and returns roughly CA$15,020 over 25 years. That is slower than average, so compare quotes carefully.

How many solar panels do I need in Ontario?

About 23 panels for a home using 10,800 kWh a year. Each 400W panel produces roughly 479 kWh annually at Ontario sunlight levels.

How much do solar panels cost in Ontario?

A 9.2 kW system runs about CA$26,220 before incentives. Quotes vary widely by installer and roof complexity — get three.

Worth reading before you buy

What your utility pays for exportsChanges payback more than any equipment choice 12 questions to ask before signingIdentical systems vary 30–40% in price How long do panels last?Guide How long until it pays for itself?Guide

Regional estimates generated 2026-08-22 from Google Solar API rooftop samples across 7 Ontario cities, and average Ontario electricity rates. Not a quote and not financial or tax advice.