Rebates & Resources

BC Hydro is offering rebates of up to $5,000 for grid-connected solar panel installations and up to $5,000 for battery storage systems for its residential customers. Rebates are also available for Indigenous communities, social housing, multi-family buildings and businesses. 

The Canada Greener Homes Loan provides an interest free loan of up to $40,000 for energy efficient home retrofits, including renewable energy systems such as solar. Owners of multi-unit residential buildings may be eligible for the grant.

For those seeking to build community around solar and save more money, starting or joining a solar panel bulk buy initiative can be a great option.

In British Columbia, all solar equipment costs are exempt from PST (panel, wiring, controllers, devices, when they are all sold as part of a solar PV system). This reduces the upfront cost of your PV system by 7 per cent (excluding batteries).

Self generation (formerly Net Metering) is a program whereby residential and commercial BC Hydro customers can reduce their net energy demand by supplying their home or business with solar electricity and exporting surplus generated energy back onto the grid for a generation credit towards their future electricity use.

Here’s how it works. When the sun is available on your solar modules, their power will be converted by the system and fed into your home or business first. The loads in your home will consume this power and any excess power will flow into the grid. On the anniversary date (March 1) BC Hydro will credit excess generation credits on your next bill at market price.

To learn more about Self Generation, please visit BC Hydro's website.

Accelerated Capital Cost is a federal rebate program for commercial renewable energy systems. Capital Cost Allowance (CCA) is a yearly deduction in the Canadian income tax that can be claimed on depreciable assets in the first year. As of Fall 2019, renewable energy systems are included. This permits the buyer to recover more quickly from the cost of their investment by paying fewer taxes over the coming years.

Learn more about Capital Cost Allowance at the Government of Canada website.

To participate, buildings must:

• be located within City boundaries
• be three to six storeys tall
• contain at least 10 units
• use natural gas for hot water, heating or both
• have been built before January 1, 2000
• not have an active building or development permit for work under this bylaw
• have no outstanding property taxes, charges or fines owing to the City

Participating buildings may have up to 100 per cent of costs for eligible expenses covered for a maximum of 10 years. Use the estimator below to determine your potential savings.

Key points to note:

• only municipal property taxes are exempted, not other taxes such as school or hospital levies
• the actual exemption amount may vary due to annual tax rate changes and property value assessments

• Market Rental Building Revitalization Tax Exemption Bylaw No. 23-102 (Consolidated)

BC Hydro's EV Charger Rebate Program offers rebates for installing EV chargers in workplaces with over five employees. You can also get up to five hours of free advice and planning assistance from an EV charging expert. Learn more: BC Hydro’s EV charger rebate program 

Building Benchmark BC is a program that building owners can join voluntarily. It helps them track and record how much energy their buildings use over time. This information is useful for finding ways to make buildings more efficient and reduce emissions. Learn more at Building Benchmark BC.

Better Buildings is part of CleanBC and offers funding and incentives to promote energy-efficient designs, construction and renovations for commercial buildings. Learn more: CleanBC Better Buildings.

The 2030 Greater Victoria Resilient District, led by the City of Victoria, the District of Saanich and the Building Owners and Managers Association of BC (BOMA BC), partners with commercial building owners and managers to aggressively cut emissions by 2030 while boosting building resilience. Participants commit to cutting emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 compared to 2007 levels, with support provided for financing, design, policy and procurement. For more info or to join, contact sustainability@victoria.ca.