What Home Renovation Savings pays for a home battery in Hamilton
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.
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.
Roof first
61% of Hamilton households live in homes built before 1981. A roof near the end of its life should be replaced before panels go on. The battery is part of the same project, so the roof decision comes first.
Alectra
Alectra approves the battery connection and the project needs its written approval before you buy.
Electrical panel
An older Hamilton house may have a small service panel. The installer, who must be a licensed electrical contractor, should check the capacity. A panel upgrade is a cost to discuss, and it may not be an eligible cost, so ask the program.
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 Hamilton installer to show the capacity in kWh and the pre-HST price on the quote.
Where the battery goes
The battery must be installed by a licensed electrical contractor, comply with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and applicable fire codes, be approved for use in Ontario and pass an electrical inspection. Placement in a garage or basement affects the fire-code review, so ask the installer where the unit will sit and how the clearances were checked.
What counts as eligible cost
Eligible costs cover equipment, permits, approvals and labour, including the inverter if applicable and necessary controls. HST, financing, insurance, maintenance and spare parts are not eligible costs, and combined funding from other sources cannot exceed 100% of the cost.
How to claim in Hamilton
- Confirm you own an eligible house type and plan solar and the battery as one project.
- Talk to Alectra Utilities 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
Do old houses qualify?
Yes, if they are an eligible house type.
Is a panel upgrade rebated?
Ask the program. Eligible costs cover equipment, permits, approvals and labour of the measures.
Who approves?
Alectra.
Is solar required?
Yes.
What to do next
See Hamilton 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, Statistics Canada 2021 Census, table 98-10-0233-01. All Hamilton rebates → Every Home Renovation Savings rebate →