Toronto Solar Guides

Practical guides to putting solar on a roof in the Greater Toronto Area: the three approvals a job needs, what a quote leaves out, what the panels cost to keep, and what the billing arrangement with your utility does and does not do. Every price is quoted from a named Canadian source in the same sentence, and every count of companies is counted out of this site's own index rather than estimated.

• How Long a Home Solar Battery Lasts

  Tesla's Canadian Powerwall warranty covers defects for ten years and promises 80% of 13.5 kWh at ten years, with unlimited cycles for solar and backup use.

• Commercial Solar Maintenance: What a GTA Contract Should Cover

  A commercial array is easier to keep producing when the maintenance contract, the monitoring alerts and the inverter budget are all settled before it is built.

• What to Ask a GTA Solar Installer Before Signing

  Before signing, get in writing who files the ESA notification, the building permit and the utility application, which warranties apply, what the price covers and when each payment is due.

• Signs Your Solar Array Is Producing Less Than It Should

  Natural Resources Canada estimates that a south-facing Toronto array at latitude tilt makes about 128 kWh per installed kW in July and about 51 in December, so a dark winter month is expected.

• Does Rooftop Solar Keep the Lights On in a Blackout?

  Most grid-connected arrays with no battery shut off in a blackout, even in full sun. A 2010 guideline from Ontario's Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) says a grid dependent inverter shuts down when grid power is lost, to keep the line from staying live.

• Where to Find Solar Repair Help in the GTA

  Only 4 of the 161 solar companies in this index list repair and maintenance: Toronto Solar Power, Toronto Solar Solutions, Toronto Solar Electric and Brampton solar.

• Hiring a Commercial Solar Contractor in Toronto

  20 of the 161 solar companies in this index list commercial solar, spread across 15 areas with no downtown cluster.

• What the Index Shows About Mississauga's Solar Companies

  Mississauga is the largest area in the index, with 18 of its 161 solar companies, and all 18 sit in the solar panel installation category.

• How to Read Solar Reviews Before Booking a Quote

  Read the review count before the star rating: 47 of the 90 rated GTA solar companies in this index show a perfect 5, and 38 of those rest on fewer than 10 reviews.

• Sizing a Home Battery for GTA Outages

  Size a backup battery from a list of circuits, not from a product: add each item's daily kWh, multiply by the days you want covered, and add a margin.

• How to compare home battery quotes in Ontario

  Green Building Canada puts installed Canadian battery storage at $700 to $2,000 per kWh of usable capacity, which is the one basis on which quotes for different products can be compared.

• Off-grid solar in Ontario, and what it costs

  Off Grid Solar System Canada puts a small cabin system at $14,050 to $24,150 fully installed and a full-time family home at $36,200 to $67,500, while Volts.ca puts the same two categories at $10,000 to $15,000 and $20,000 to $35,000.

• Solar shingles or panels on a Toronto roof

  A2Z Roofing puts solar roof shingles at $20 to $35 per square foot installed in Canada, against $5.80 to $7.80 per square foot for architectural asphalt in Toronto according to AUK Roofers.

• What changes when a solar system passes 10 kW

  SurgePV states that Ontario net metering uses Form C at 10 kW and below and the longer Form B above it, and that the utility assesses the effect on its local distribution system for systems over 10 kW.

• Who does the electrical work on a solar install

  SurgePV states that every solar PV installation connected to the electrical system in Ontario needs an ESA Notification of Work, filed through esasafe.com by a licensed Electrical Contractor before work begins.

• The paperwork behind a GTA solar installation

  A GTA rooftop solar installation requires three distinct sign-offs: an ESA Notification of Work, a building permit from your municipality, and a connection assessment from the local distribution company serving you.

• What a Toronto solar quote usually leaves out

  SolarCalculatorHQ prices a service entrance upgrade, which lets the panel support an array, at $1,800 to $4,000, and this item gets left off quotes most often.

• What Ontario net metering actually pays you

  The Ontario Energy Board defines net metering as a billing setup where extra generation turns into a credit on your own electricity bill.

• What solar panel maintenance involves in Ontario

  Green Building Canada prices yearly professional solar upkeep in Canada at $150 to $400, and at 0.2 to 1 percent of system cost per year on larger arrays.

• Where the GTA's solar companies cluster

  Mississauga accounts for 18 of the 161 companies in this index, Markham for 15 and Willowdale for 14, the three largest concentrations in the Greater Toronto Area.