Take Action Burlington

The City of Burlington is excited to announce the launch of the Burlington Solar Map. This map will provide you with an estimate of your roof’s solar potential, and the financial and environmental benefits of installing solar panels on your home. 

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Enter your address in the search bar and click on the generated search result. The map will zoom in on the building at that address.
   • If the building has a green outline: The rooftop of the address you searched could generate enough solar potential for solar panels.
   • If the building has a pink outline: The rooftop of the address you searched could not generate enough solar potential for solar panels.
   • If the building is highlighted red: The address you searched falls within an area that Burlington Hydro has restrictions around net metering. Net metering allows you to produce, use, and sell excess electricity from your solar panels back to the grid and receive a credit on your electricity bill if you generate more electricity than you use.
     
2. Using the selection tool in the top left corner of the map, click and drag to highlight the building. The building’s outline will turn blue once selected.
   
3. Scroll down the page to see the results of the building’s solar potential, and financial and environmental benefits of installing solar panels at the searched address. Please note that if you live in a building such as a townhouse with a shared roof, results will appear for the entire block.

Important Considerations about the Burlington Solar Map

• Please contact Burlington Hydro to confirm if you can install solar panels at your address before starting any work.

• The solar map uses publicly available data to provide estimated calculations and is intended for information purposes only.

• The solar map calculates the maximum system size and annual electricity production of a solar array for your rooftop. This will likely be more than you need to meet your electricity consumption. As income is never generated from net metering accounts, if there is a credit surplus left over after a 12-month period, the credit is zeroed out. Consult with a solar contractor to determine the system size that best meets your current and expected future consumption needs.

Benefits of Solar and Next Steps

Residential solar panels can help offset your electricity bills through the net metering program. It is a renewable energy source, which is a key program area in the City’s Climate Action Plan.

If you are interested in pursuing solar panels for your home or building, make sure to do your research:

• Speak to reputable contractors who have experience and have a good understanding of power connection requirements.
• Consider how many years you have left in your roof before installing panels.
• Contact Burlington Hydro to identify if there are any barriers to connecting solar panels to the local electrical grid through the net metering program in your neighbourhood.

Solar Incentive Pilot Program

The City of Burlington is offering a residential Solar Incentive Pilot Program by providing a grant for a Solar Panel Building Permit until Dec. 31, 2024, saving homeowners $612.

The Solar Incentive Pilot Program is designed to remove a potential barrier for installation of solar panels and supports the transition to electrification away from the use of fossil fuels, resulting in a lower carbon footprint.

To apply for a Solar Building Permit, visit burlington.ca/building.

Take Action Burlington! Check out the solar map as a first step to see the solar potential of your home. Collectively we can make a difference as we strive towards our net carbon neutral goal by 2050.