Solar panels in Oshawa, Ontario
A utility the city owns, a $550 connection fee, and Durham's cheapest money.
Oshawa is one of the few places where you can put a number on what it costs to connect solar to the grid before you get a quote. The city’s utility is owned by the city, publishes its connection process, and starts residential net metering connections at $550 plus HST. Add Durham Region’s 2% loan and Ontario’s rebate, and Oshawa is unusually well documented for a homeowner doing the arithmetic.
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Real Xolar installs in Oshawa
Completed systems across the Oshawa service area — first-hand specs, not industry averages.
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Oshawa — 9.9 kW rooftop
South-facing asphalt shingle · completed January 2023 · 6 progress photos on file
What 14 real Oshawa installs tell us
Aggregated from completed Xolar systems in Oshawa — first-hand data, not industry averages.
Oshawa energy & net metering
What Oshawa PUC charges here, and how surplus solar is credited in Ontario.
Ontario’s Time–of–Use electricity rates range from 9.8¢/kWh (off–peak) to 20.3¢/kWh (on–peak), with mid–peak at 15.7¢/kWh (OEB RPP, Nov 2025–Oct 2026). Oshawa electricity is distributed by Oshawa PUC. Solar panels generate most during daytime on–peak hours, earning you credits at the highest rate. The Ontario Electricity Rebate provides a 23.5% discount on your bill.
Oshawa PUC Time-of-Use rates in Oshawa
What a kilowatt-hour costs at each tier, and the hours each one applies — OEB Regulated Price Plan, Nov 2025 – Oct 2026. Rates are set province-wide by the Ontario Energy Board, so they are the same whichever utility bills you; only delivery charges differ.
Oshawa PUC peak hours, by season
The tiers hold all year; the hours switch twice a year. Weekends and statutory holidays bill at the off-peak rate all day, in both seasons.
On-peak power costs 2.1× what the same kilowatt-hour costs off-peak. At the Ontario Energy Board's benchmark of 700 kWh a month, that is the difference between $68.60 and $142.10 on the electricity line alone — delivery and regulatory charges are billed separately, and the Ontario Electricity Rebate then takes 23.5% off the total.
This is why solar pays better here than a flat rate would suggest. A rooftop array produces most between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. — precisely the summer on-peak window — so the power it offsets is the most expensive power Oshawa buys.
How your system works behind the meter
Most of a Oshawa 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¢/kWh. Only the surplus flows past the meter to Oshawa PUC for net-metering credit.
Rebates & incentives in Oshawa
Every active local, provincial, federal and Xolar program a Oshawa homeowner can stack.
- Up to $125,000 at 2%Durham Greener Homes Loan
- Up to $7,500Home 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 30% of eligible costsClean Technology Investment Tax Credit (Commercial ITC)
Solar Panels in Oshawa, Ontario - Durham Region
Oshawa in Durham Region produces 1,140 kWh per kW annually. Oshawa PUC distributes electricity. Ontario’s Time-of-Use pricing means solar earns maximum credits during on-peak hours (20.3¢/kWh).
Ontario’s net metering program credits excess solar at the full retail rate. HRSP ($5K solar + battery at $300/kWh up to $5K) or net metering available – but not both.
Durham Region Programs in Oshawa
The Durham Greener Homes Loan is open and is the largest municipal financing offer on this site: up to $125,000 at 2%, repaid over a fixed 15 years. It covers energy efficiency and weather resiliency work, split 80% / 20% between the two, with an initial disbursement of up to half the approved funds. Because it is a Local Improvement Charge it attaches to the property rather than to you, and transfers to the next owner on sale — worth understanding before comparing it with a personal loan.
Two further Durham rebates — the Deep Retrofit Rebate and the Weather-ready Rebate, each up to $5,000 — are open but restricted to Whitby residents only, so they are not available in Oshawa.
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 (requires approximately 13.3 kWh to reach the cap)
- 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.
Note: The Canada Greener Homes Grant (closed March 2024) and Greener Homes Loan (closed October 2025) are no longer available.
What It Actually Costs to Connect in Oshawa: $550, a Form C, and an ESA Inspection
Most utilities will not tell you what a net metering connection costs until you are deep in the process. Oshawa Power publishes it: residential connection costs begin at $550 plus HST, with the actual figure set in your offer to connect. That is a real line item in a payback calculation, and it is one most quotes leave out.
The distributor here is Oshawa PUC Networks Inc., which trades as Oshawa Power and is wholly owned by the City of Oshawa, serving over 60,000 customers. The process runs in a fixed order. You send three things to their generation connections address: a completed and signed Form C, a single line diagram of the connection, and the equipment specification sheets for your inverter and panels. Oshawa Power then reviews feasibility and decides whether your meter needs upgrading. If it is approved you receive an offer to connect and a net metering connection agreement to complete and return. After the work is done an ESA inspection follows, and Oshawa Power installs the meter last.
A reputable installer handles all of this on your behalf — the Form C, the single line diagram and the specification sheets are drawings and datasheets, not homeowner paperwork. What is worth knowing is the shape of it, because it explains why a system is not generating the week after the panels go on the roof. The meter is the final step, not the first.
One piece of local history is worth correcting while we are here. Oshawa PUC Energy Services ran a solar storage pilot with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Development Organization, putting solar panels, a battery and an inverter into 30 residential homes at no cost to the homeowner. It was a genuine programme and it is genuinely over: it is no longer accepting new applications. If you have heard that Oshawa’s utility gives away solar systems, that is what the story refers to, and it closed.
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What Oshawa homeowners say
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"Xolar rep is very knowledgeable about solar product and the government rebates that can help make the project happen. Spencer was able to answer all my questions and made the decision to proceed with the application an easy one."
"We are happy with our roof top solar panels from Xolar. Lauren was a great help as our project manager. Vivek and John also helped us with our many questions. The project was finished on time. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Xolar."
"Loved the information that was shared during the process. Xolar was better right from the start. They provided more information about the entire process then the other two businesses that I received quotes from. Installation was quicker than expected there was a couple small issues but they were looked after quickly. Solar has now been running for 4 months and starting to see reduced energy bills. Very impressed!"
"Had a very complex installation, quite large with lots of features, with the solar array powering two homes. Took a while to complete and there were a few technical glitches along the way but they were taken care of. Quality of product and Technicians was excellent. It would be 5 stars if there was better communications. Several times I had to repeat emails trying to get answers."
"Installed 47 solar panels for an excellent price. No issues."
"Spoke with a representative. Very pleasant and professional.all representatives of the team were helpful, courteous and professional. I highly recommend Xolar"
Oshawa solar questions
What rebates are available in Oshawa?
Durham Region homeowners can access Ontario HRSP ($5,000 for solar at $1,000/kW + battery at $300/kWh up to $5,000; heat pumps carry a separate $12,000 maximum).
Note: The Durham Contact your Xolar advisor for the most current programs available.
Who provides electricity in Oshawa?
Oshawa PUC distributes electricity in Oshawa.
Ontario’s Time-of-Use rates: 9.8¢ off-peak, 15.7¢ mid-peak, 20.3¢ on-peak (OEB RPP, Nov 2025-Oct 2026).
The Ontario Electricity Rebate provides a 23.5% discount.
How does net metering work in Oshawa?
Oshawa PUC offers 1:1 net metering – excess solar earns credits at the full retail rate.
Credits roll over for 12 months.
As of May 1, 2026, the residential threshold is 12 kW.
Note: Solar under HRSP cannot use net metering.
What Durham Region programs can a Oshawa homeowner use?
Yes.
The Durham Greener Homes Loan is open to Oshawa homeowners — up to $125,000 at 2% over 15 years, repaid through a charge attached to the property that transfers when you sell.
The Deep Retrofit and Weather-ready rebates are also open, but restricted to Whitby residents, so they do not apply in Oshawa.
Ontario’s HRSP applies on top: up to $5,000 for solar and $5,000 for battery storage.
What does it cost to connect solar to the grid in Oshawa?
Oshawa Power states that residential connection costs begin at $550 plus HST, with the actual amount set out in your offer to connect.
That is separate from the cost of the system itself and from any meter upgrade the utility decides you need.
It is worth asking whether an installer’s quote includes it.
Most of the process is handled for you: a Form C, a single line diagram and equipment specification sheets go to the utility, and after approval and an ESA inspection Oshawa Power installs the meter as the final step.
Didn't Oshawa's utility give away free solar systems?
It ran a pilot, and the pilot is closed.
Oshawa PUC Energy Services partnered with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Development Organization to install solar panels, a battery and an inverter in 30 residential homes at no cost to the homeowner, to demonstrate how solar is harvested, used and stored.
Oshawa Power states that it is no longer accepting new applications.
Nothing has replaced it, so the programmes actually open to an Oshawa homeowner today are Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings Program, worth up to $10,000 for solar panels and battery storage together, and the Durham Greener Homes Loan.
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