Solar panels in Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Summerside's Premier Choice For Home Solar Installations
Prince Edward Island is a great place to live in Canada for solar production. Summerside gets some of the best sunlight in the country. Solar installations in Summerside are highly efficient, overperforming to an average of 1,125 kWh of electricity per year for every 1 kW installed. Summerside Electric charges 17.23¢/kWh – matching Maritime Electric’s rate. The more you pay for electricity – the more you benefit by going solar.
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Xolar installs across Prince Edward Island
534 completed Xolar systems across Canada. Summerside is in our service area — yours could be the first one we publish in Prince Edward Island.
Summerside energy & net metering
What Summerside Electric (Municipal) charges here, and how surplus solar is credited in Prince Edward Island.
Summerside Electric is a municipally–owned utility serving Summerside residents. Its residential rate is set locally rather than by Maritime Electric, so confirm the current rate with the City at summerside.ca. PEI electricity rates have increased in recent years and further increases are expected. Choosing solar energy allows you to save money by producing your own power. With energy prices expected to rise year over year, going solar protects you from increasing costs.
How your system works behind the meter
Most of a Summerside 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 14.37¢/kWh. Only the surplus flows past the meter to Summerside Electric (Municipal) for net-metering credit.
Rebates & incentives in Summerside
Every active local, provincial, federal and Xolar program a Summerside homeowner can stack.
- Up to $10,000 at 5%Energy Efficiency Loan Program
- Up to 30% of eligible costsClean Technology Investment Tax Credit (Commercial ITC)
Solar Energy Production in Summerside
Summerside has some of the highest solar energy production on Prince Edward Island. Solar panels in Summerside produce an average of 1,125 kWh of electricity per year for every 1 kW of solar capacity installed – outperforming the provincial average of 1,104 kWh/kW. A typical 10 kW residential system generates approximately 11,250 kWh annually. Western PEI benefits from excellent solar access, and Summerside’s relatively flat terrain minimizes shading issues for optimal panel performance.
Electricity Costs and Savings in Summerside
Summerside Electric, the city’s municipally-owned utility, provides electricity at residential rates approximately aligned with Maritime Electric’s tiered structure. PEI ranks 6th in Canada for electricity costs and rates have been rising in recent years. By going solar, Summerside homeowners can save approximately $1,500 per year on electricity costs. Those savings grow as rates continue to rise over the life of a 25-year solar system.
Solar Incentives Available in Summerside
Summerside residents benefit from Summerside Electric’s Net Metering program with full 1:1 credits at the retail electricity rate. Credits expire annually on October 31st. As a municipally-owned utility, Summerside Electric has been supportive of residential solar adoption. The efficiencyPEI Solar Electric Rebate Program ($0.50/watt, max $5,000 for homeowners) has been paused since September 5, 2025, pending 2026-27 funding approval – check efficiencypei.ca for updates on resumption. The Energy Efficiency Loan Program (up to 100% of cost at 5% over up to 15 years) currently requires efficiencyPEI rebate pre-approval, which is also paused. The federal Canada Greener Homes Grant and Loan are both closed to new applicants.
Summerside Runs Its Own Electric Utility — Do Not Assume Maritime Electric's Terms
Summerside is the one place on Prince Edward Island where the rest of the province’s electricity information does not automatically apply to you.
Summerside Electric is a service of the City of Summerside, run as a municipal utility rather than as part of Maritime Electric. That single fact has practical consequences a homeowner should check rather than assume. The residential rate is set locally, so Maritime Electric’s tiered structure — 14.37 cents for the first 2,000 kWh and 11.42 cents above it — is not necessarily what appears on a Summerside bill. The monthly service charge may differ. And the net metering terms, including how credits are settled and when they expire, are the City’s to set.
We would rather tell you to verify this than print a number we cannot stand behind. The City publishes its electric rates schedule and policy manual, and Summerside Electric is reachable through summerside.ca. Before you accept any savings estimate for a Summerside address, ask the installer which rate they used and whether they confirmed it with the City rather than assuming the provincial one.
What is not in doubt is the sunshine. At 1,125 kWh per kW a year, Summerside has the strongest modelled solar resource of the three PEI cities on this site, ahead of Charlottetown at 1,103 and Stratford at 1,100. The province has no solar rebate at present, so a system here is budgeted at full price — but the resource itself is comparable to Nova Scotia and stronger than anywhere we serve in Newfoundland.
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Areas We Serve in Summerside
Professional solar panel installation available in these Summerside neighborhoods and communities:
What Summerside homeowners say
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"Solar quote from Sask; Spencer was very informative and prepared for our meeting; summary email and quote was sent immediately after our call; would recommend discussing solar panel options with him;"
"Nice conversation and a lot of information."
"Receive briefing from Vivek ,very knowledgable."
"Questions answered quickly and throughly."
"Wonderful experience. Knowledgable friendly"
"Very polite, understood what I needed, professional"
Summerside solar questions
How much do solar panels produce in Summerside, PEI?
Solar installations in Summerside produce an average of 1,125 kWh of electricity per year for every 1 kW installed – among the highest on PEI.
A typical 10 kW system generates approximately 11,250 kWh annually.
Western PEI’s excellent solar access makes Summerside one of the best locations for solar on the island.
What solar incentives are available in Summerside in 2026?
Summerside residents can access Summerside Electric’s Net Metering program (1:1 credits at retail rate).
The efficiencyPEI Solar Electric Rebate ($0.50/watt, max $5,000 for homeowners) has been paused since September 5, 2025, pending 2026-27 funding approval.
It is not currently available to new applicants.
Check efficiencypei.ca for updates on resumption.
The federal Canada Greener Homes Grant closed March 2024 and the Greener Homes Loan closed October 2025 – neither is available to new applicants.
How does net metering work with Summerside Electric?
Summerside Electric’s Net Metering program credits you at the full retail electricity rate for excess solar energy exported to the grid.
Credits are applied 1:1 against your consumption, balancing day and night as well as seasonal production.
Credits expire annually on October 31st, so your system should be sized to match your yearly usage.
What is the payback period for solar in Summerside?
With no provincial solar rebate currently available, the typical payback period is approximately 12-16 years.
Summerside’s above-average solar production of 1,125 kWh/kW helps maximize long-term returns.
After payback, you enjoy 10+ years of essentially free electricity from your solar investment.
Does Summerside have the same electricity rates as the rest of PEI?
Not necessarily, and it is worth checking rather than assuming.
Summerside Electric is a municipal utility run by the City of Summerside, not part of Maritime Electric, so the residential rate, the monthly service charge and the net metering terms are set locally.
Maritime Electric’s structure — 14.37 cents for the first 2,000 kWh and 11.42 cents above it, plus a $24.57 monthly service charge — is what applies in Charlottetown and Stratford, and it is not safe to assume it applies here.
The City publishes an electric rates schedule and Summerside Electric is reachable through summerside.ca.
Before accepting a savings estimate for a Summerside address, ask which rate the installer used and whether they confirmed it with the City.
Does Summerside get more sun than Charlottetown?
Marginally, on our modelled figures.
Summerside is modelled at 1,125 kWh per kW a year against Charlottetown’s 1,103 and Stratford’s 1,100 — a difference of about two per cent, which makes Summerside the strongest of the three PEI cities we serve but not by an amount you would notice on a bill.
Two per cent is smaller than the difference a slightly different roof angle or a single overhanging tree would make.
Across the country the whole island sits in respectable company: better than anywhere we serve in Newfoundland and comparable to Nova Scotia.
Orientation and shading will decide your production far more than which PEI town you live in.
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Solar installation across Prince Edward Island
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