What Home Renovation Savings pays for a home battery in Thunder Bay
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.
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.
Thunder Bay Hydro
Thunder Bay Hydro approves the connection. The ESA inspection is also required.
Cold and snow
The record low was -31.9°C. Ask the installer how the battery's rated range fits the install location and how solar output was estimated for winter.
Housing
73% of households live in homes built before 1981, 73% in an eligible house type and 68% 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 Thunder Bay 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.
Owners only
You must own the home and pay for the system, and a tenant cannot apply for the owner. In Thunder Bay, 32% of households rent. Only single detached, semi-detached, row, townhome and mobile homes on a permanent foundation qualify, and the home needs a residential hydro metered account.
How to claim in Thunder Bay
- Confirm you own an eligible house type and plan solar and the battery as one project.
- Talk to Thunder Bay Hydro 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 approves?
Thunder Bay Hydro.
Does the ESA inspect?
Yes.
Is solar required?
Yes.
What is the cap?
$5,000.
What to do next
See Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay rebates → Every Home Renovation Savings rebate →