What Home Renovation Savings pays for a home battery in Cambridge
We re-read the program's solar page and its October 2025 requirements on October 3, 2026. Ontario's rebate is for a battery installed with new solar, not for adding one to an existing system.
Battery storage
Paid per kWh of installed capacity, capped at 50% of eligible costs, including the inverter if applicable and the controls.
Only with new solar
A battery is eligible only when paired with a new solar system and sized for it. A home that already has solar or storage is not eligible.
Solar and battery together
The solar rebate is up to $5,000 and the battery rebate up to $5,000, each capped at half its eligible cost.
No net metering
The system must be sized to offset the home's own use. A net metering agreement makes it ineligible.
Safety and approvals
The installer must be a licensed electrical contractor. The battery must meet the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and fire codes, carry CSA, cUL or UL approvals and have utility connection approval.
Timing
No purchase or install before written IESO pre-approval and utility approval. The project must finish within 12 months and be filed within 30 days of installation.
RetrofitWR loan
Up to $40,000 over 10 or 15 years. For GrandBridge Energy customers in Cambridge and North Dumfries, repaid on the bill, for projects that cut energy use by 25% or more.
Canada’s new heat pump rebate is worth up to $10,000. Get an email the day it opens
Planning a heat pump too? This one is on top of the rebates above, and we’ll email you the day it opens.
- Up to $10,000
- if your household earns below the median income
- $2,000
- for other homeowners who qualify
Stack it with the Ontario rebate open today
Ottawa says you can combine them. Each program has its own rules. Amounts are the most you can get.
Applications open early 2027
Join the launch alert
- Launch-day email, with what to do first
- Who qualifies for the $10,000, once Ottawa says
- A short hello now, so you know it worked
Know someone with old heating? Send them this.
Only emails about this rebate. No spam, no sales calls. Unsubscribe anytime.
Read everything we know so far Official page: canada.ca
The requirements document gives no end date for this stream, so confirm on the program page before you sign. The IESO has no pre-qualified contractor list.
GrandBridge Energy
GrandBridge Energy is the distribution company that approves the connection and repays the RetrofitWR loan on its bill, for customers in Cambridge and North Dumfries.
The 25% test
The loan needs the project to cut energy use by at least 25%. A battery stores electricity rather than reducing use, so ask the Region how it counts a solar-plus-battery project.
Housing
77% of households live in an eligible house type and 69% own.
Already have solar? Not eligible
The program pays for first-time installations only. A home that already has a solar or storage system is not eligible, so an owner who installed panels years ago cannot add a battery and claim this rebate. If you are planning solar and a battery, do them as one project under one pre-installation application.
The kWh arithmetic
The rebate is $300 per kWh, so a 10 kWh battery earns $3,000 and a battery of about 16.7 kWh reaches the $5,000 cap. The rebate is also limited to half the eligible cost, so if the battery costs $8,000 before HST the most you can receive is $4,000. Ask the Cambridge installer to show the capacity in kWh and the pre-HST price on the quote.
Approvals and the order of events
The contractor submits the pre-installation application with a quote dated within 60 days. You cannot buy or install before written IESO pre-approval and utility approval. The utility's distributed energy resource approval covers the battery, and the post-installation file needs the connection agreement and the ESA certificate within 30 days of installation.
Why net metering rules shape the design
A system under a net metering agreement is not eligible, and the system must be sized for load displacement. A battery supports that goal by storing midday output for evening use at home. Tell every installer you want the rebate so they do not design for export.
How to claim in Cambridge
- Confirm you own an eligible house type and plan solar and the battery as one project.
- Talk to GrandBridge Energy about the distributed energy resource approval for the battery and the maximum size it allows.
- Choose a licensed electrical contractor and ask for one quote covering solar and battery, showing kW, kWh and pre-HST costs.
- Let the contractor file the pre-installation application and wait for written IESO pre-approval and utility approval before buying anything.
- After the install, check that the post-installation application is filed within 30 days with the ESA certificate and connection agreement.
Common questions
Who is the utility?
GrandBridge Energy.
Does a battery count for the loan?
Ask the Region.
Is coaching free?
Yes.
What is the cap?
$5,000.
What to do next
See Cambridge solar rebates, heat pump rebates and the Ontario rebate calculator.
By Sam Menard. Sources, last read October 3, 2026: Home Renovation Savings: solar and battery, Solar and Storage stream requirements (PDF), Save on Energy: Home Renovation Savings, Retrofit Waterloo Region, Statistics Canada 2021 Census, table 98-10-0233-01. All Cambridge rebates → Every Home Renovation Savings rebate →