Solar panels in Orillia, Ontario
Same sun as Peterborough, a bigger system, and $160 more saved a year.
Orillia is modelled at 1,100 kWh per kW a year — the same as Peterborough — but quotes a larger typical system at 10 kW, a higher average saving at about $2,280, and a slightly shorter payback of 9 to 11 years. Identical sunshine and different numbers is not a contradiction; it is what happens when the size of the bill, rather than the strength of the sun, is doing the work.
Updated
Get Your Free Solar Quote
Custom solar solutions for Orillia, ON
Prefer to discuss your project first?Contact usor view ourdetailed quote form
Ottawa — 14.2 kW rooftop
Completed January 2024
"With nearly all my household energy now coming from the sun, my monthly bills have plummeted — and it's not just about the savings, it's the positive environmental impact."
— Real Ottawa homeowner ★★★★★Real Xolar installs in Orillia
Completed systems across the Orillia service area — first-hand specs, not industry averages.
Orillia energy & net metering
What Hydro One charges here, and how surplus solar is credited in Ontario.
Orillia’s electricity is distributed by Hydro One, which acquired Orillia Power Distribution Corporation from the City in August 2020. Ontario’s Time–of–Use rates apply: 9.8 cents off–peak, 15.7 mid–peak and 20.3 on–peak under the OEB’s regulated price plan, with the Ontario Electricity Rebate applied to the bill. Because solar peaks through the middle of the day, it displaces the mid and on–peak bands rather than an average rate.
How your system works behind the meter
Most of a Orillia system's value comes from power used behind the meter — electricity your panels make and your home uses on the spot, offsetting energy you'd otherwise buy at 9.8–20.3¢/kWh. Only the surplus flows past the meter to Hydro One for net-metering credit.
Rebates & incentives in Orillia
Every active local, provincial, federal and Xolar program a Orillia homeowner can stack.
- Free heat pump install (valued up to $25,000) in Ontario, income-eligibleOil to Heat Pump Affordability (Ontario, via Save on Energy)
- Up to $7,500 (air-source) / $12,000 (ground-source)Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP) – Heat Pump
- Up to $5,000Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP) – Solar
- Up to $5,000Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP) – Battery
- Up to $1625Fall 2026 Sale – Battery
- Up to $2550Fall 2026 Sale – Solar
- Up to $475Fall 2026 Sale – Heat Pump
Solar Panels in Orillia, Ontario
Orillia produces about 1,100 kWh per kW of panel a year, and sits at the gateway to cottage country where Ontario’s Time-of-Use pricing works in solar’s favour – generation peaks through the middle of the day, against the mid and on-peak bands rather than an average rate.
Electricity here is distributed by Hydro One. The City sold Orillia Power Distribution Corporation to Hydro One in 2020, so the municipal utility many residents still name no longer operates the local grid.
A typical 10 kW Orillia system produces around 11,000 kWh a year, saving about $2,280 with a 9 to 11 year payback. As everywhere in Ontario, HRSP and net metering are mutually exclusive – the rebate or the 1:1 credits, not both.
Ontario HRSP - Up to $10,000 for Solar + Battery
Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP), launched January 2025, offers:
- Up to $5,000 for solar panels ($1,000/kW)
- Battery storage at $300/kWh up to $5,000
- HRSP maximums are per category rather than one shared pot: up to $10,000 for solar and storage, up to $12,000 for heat pumps, up to $7,700 for insulation
Important – HRSP vs. Net Metering: Solar installed under HRSP must be sized for on-site load displacement only – net metering is not permitted under HRSP. If you prefer net metering (earning 1:1 credits for excess solar), you would not apply through HRSP. Your Xolar advisor can help determine which option provides the best return.
Note: The Canada Greener Homes Grant and Loan programs are now closed.
Identical Sunshine to Peterborough, and a Better Result
Orillia and Peterborough are both modelled at 1,100 kWh per kW a year. Same resource, same province, same rules. And yet this page quotes a 10 kW typical system saving about $2,280 a year with a payback of 9 to 11 years, while Peterborough quotes 9 kW, about $2,120, and 10 to 12 years.
The difference is not meteorological. It is that a solar system is sized to the bill it offsets, and the assumed Orillia household draws enough to justify a kilowatt more. A 10 kW system at 1,100 kWh per kW produces about 11,000 kWh a year against roughly 9,900 for a 9 kW system on the same resource — and displacing more electricity is worth more money.
The payback is shorter for a related reason. A larger system costs more up front but offsets proportionally more of a larger bill, and where the household consumption genuinely supports it, the ratio improves rather than worsens.
What this should change about how you read the page is the direction of adjustment. If your Orillia home is a compact, gas-heated house in town, the $2,280 figure describes a household bigger than yours and your own number will be lower. If you are on a lake with electric heat, a well pump and a boathouse, it may understate you considerably.
Cottage country makes averages unusually unreliable, which is why twelve months of your own bills is the only figure worth designing from.
Ten Kilowatts Sits Close to Ontario's Connection Line
This page assumes a 10 kW system as typical for Orillia, and that is worth knowing because Ontario draws an administrative line at 12 kW.
At or under 12 kW, a residential project is micro-embedded generation and follows the shorter connection route. Above it, the standard embedded generation process applies, with more engineering review and a longer timeline. The Ontario Energy Board raised that ceiling from 10 kW on 1 May 2026, and it applies through Hydro One here exactly as it does through every distributor in the province.
A 10 kW design sits inside the threshold, but not with a great deal of room. Add a heat pump, an EV charger or a boathouse to the load calculation and a 13 or 14 kW design becomes reasonable — at which point the project changes administrative category. That is allowed and often correct where the consumption justifies it. What is worth avoiding is crossing the line without meaning to and discovering at connection stage that the timeline has moved.
The change in May 2026 matters if you are reading older advice. Under the previous 10 kW ceiling, a system of exactly the size this page assumes sat right at the boundary, and an 11 kW design either took the longer route or was deliberately derated to fit beneath. The OEB said plainly that raising the ceiling removes the need to derate.
So ask your installer early: over or under 12 kW, and what does crossing it add in weeks?
Explore More Solar Resources
Showing Ontario — 270 installs · 549 nationwide
Completed Xolar installations — each dot represents a city where we've installed solar.
Areas We Serve in Orillia
Professional solar panel installation available in these Orillia neighborhoods and communities:
What Orillia homeowners say
Swipe for more reviews →
"Spencer is timely, knowledgeable and well prepared for the initial phone call. Follow up is excellent. Very considerate of the clients needs and wants. This will be a good relationship."
"Ross was amazing to speak with. He explained everything very well."
"So far so good. Thank you Spenser for your patience"
Orillia solar questions
Is solar worth it in Orillia?
Yes. 1,100 kWh/kW production is solid.
HRSP ($10K for solar + battery) or net metering makes the economics work.
Payback: 9-11 years.
What solar rebates are available in Orillia?
Ontario’s HRSP provides up to $5,000 for solar + battery storage at $300/kWh up to $5,000 (heat pumps carry a separate $12,000 maximum).
Important: HRSP solar cannot use net metering – customers must choose one or the other.
The federal Greener Homes programs are now closed.
Who provides electricity in Orillia?
Hydro One.
The City of Orillia sold Orillia Power Distribution Corporation to Hydro One in 2020, so the municipal distributor many residents still refer to no longer operates the local grid.
Ontario’s Time-of-Use rates apply regardless: 9.8 cents off-peak, 15.7 mid-peak, 20.3 on-peak, with the Ontario Electricity Rebate applied to your bill.
Older quotes and articles naming Orillia Power predate that sale.
How does net metering work in Orillia?
Hydro One offers 1:1 net metering – exported solar is credited at the full retail rate, with credits rolling over for 12 months before they reset.
As of May 1, 2026, systems up to 12 kW qualify for Ontario’s simplified micro-embedded connection process (up from 10 kW); larger systems can still net-meter through the standard connection process.
As elsewhere in Ontario, solar installed under the Home Renovation Savings Program cannot use net metering, so you take the HRSP rebate or 1:1 credits, not both.
Why does Orillia save more than Peterborough on the same sunshine?
Because the systems are sized differently.
Both cities are modelled at 1,100 kWh per kW a year, but this page assumes a 10 kW system for Orillia against 9 kW for Peterborough — about 11,000 kWh of annual production against 9,900.
More production displacing more consumption gives a higher saving, roughly $2,280 against $2,120, and a slightly shorter payback of 9 to 11 years against 10 to 12.
None of that is a statement about which town gets more sun.
It is a statement about the size of the bill each system is built to offset, which is why your own twelve months of bills matter more than either figure.
Will a typical Orillia system need the longer connection process?
Probably not, but it is closer than in most of Ontario.
This page assumes a 10 kW typical system, and Ontario’s threshold for the simplified micro-embedded generation route is 12 kW — raised from 10 kW by the Ontario Energy Board on 1 May 2026.
So a typical design sits inside the shorter route with about two kilowatts of headroom.
Add a heat pump, an EV charger or an outbuilding to the load and a 13 or 14 kW system becomes reasonable, which moves the project into the standard embedded generation process: more review, longer timeline.
Ask your installer early whether the design lands over or under, and what that costs in weeks.
Get your free Orillia solar quote
A personalized proposal in 24 hours — system size, real pricing, and every rebate you qualify for. No pressure, no obligation.
Takes about a minute — no pressure, no obligation.
Solar system packages
All include install, permits & 25-yr warrantyMost popular choice for average Canadian homes
Solar installation across Ontario
We serve homeowners province-wide. View all Ontario service areas →