SolarHomes, Solar for Non-Profit Pilot, Home Battery Pilot Terms and Conditions

Program Terms:

  • To be eligible for rebates, approval is required from Efficiency Nova Scotia prior to commencing work, and the final rebate application must be submitted within 12 months of the approval date.
  • Participants receiving approval from Efficiency Nova Scotia will be given 12 months during which time the rebate will be reserved. If this timeline expires without the system being installed and all final documentation received by Efficiency Nova Scotia, the participant will need to submit a new application. Rebate levels are subject to change following expiry of this timeline.
  • Efficiency Nova Scotia reserves the right to decline a project proposal where it is determined that the system will not meet a reasonable level of performance for the projected expense.
  • Efficiency Nova Scotia acknowledges the importance of equal access to affordable renewable energy (including solar PV systems) to all Nova Scotians, regardless of income, geographical location, or housing type. On this basis, Efficiency Nova Scotia reserves the right to change incentive levels, amend the eligibility criteria, or end this program to achieve this objective at any time.
  • Participants must be willing to participate in site visits from Efficiency Nova Scotia.

 

SolarHomes Eligibility:

  • Effective Thursday January 6, 2022, the SolarHomes rebate is capped at $0.30/Watt (installed DC capacity) up to a maximum of $3,000.
  • Eligible system costs include all installed costs (excluding HST) related to system equipment and installation
  • Program participants are only eligible to participate in the SolarHomes Program once and cannot receive a rebate for more than one property.
  • The home must be owned by the program participant and either used as their principal residence or as their principal seasonal property. Rental properties are not eligible.
  • Single-family homes (including detached, semi-detached, townhouses and rowhouses, mobile homes) located in Nova Scotia are eligible.
  • In the case of a new home that has not yet been constructed, the program participant must be the homeowner who will reside in that home.
  • The program participant must own the equipment (financed and lease-to-own systems are eligible).
  • First Nations Band-owned homes and Co-operative Housing are eligible.
  • For electrical grid-connected homes, the participating home must have a residential utility account and the utility must allow net metering.
  • Expansions to existing systems are permitted only if they meet the minimum size requirement of 1 kW.
  • Participants must be willing to participate in site visits from Efficiency Nova Scotia and/or their third-party representatives for quality assurance and evaluation purposes.
  • Where system performance data is collected, participants agree to share with Efficiency Nova Scotia and/or their third-party representatives.
  • Rental properties, multi-unit residential, non-profit (non-residential use), commercial, institutional or industrial buildings are not eligible for the SolarHomes rebate. Other incentives may or may not be available. Please visit efficiencyns.ca for details.
  • This rebate is designed to be a stand-alone rebate and not combined with other forms of direct government incentives. It is the responsibility of the participant to ensure they are not combining (i.e. stacking) multiple financial government incentives.
  • Equipment must be either installed or connected on or after June 25, 2018 to be eligible for a rebate. The date on the signed final electrical inspection will be used to verify the equipment installation date and the date that the bi-directional meter was installed will be used to verify the connected date.

 

Solar for Non-Profits Pilot Eligibility:

  • Effective April 25, 2022, Solar for Non-Profit Organizations rebates are available for a limited time. The rebate is capped at $0.60/Watt (installed DC capacity) up to 25% of eligible system costs (excluding HST) or $15,000 whichever is less.
  • Eligible system costs include all installed costs (excluding HST) related to system equipment and installation
  • To be eligible for the Solar for Non-Profit Organizations program, applicants must show they are a registered non-profit organization or charity and have been active for a minimum of 12 months. Applicants may be registered with Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stocks as a society, non-profit cooperative, or limited guarantee company; registered with Canada Revenue Agency as a charity; or registered with Corporations Canada as a federal not-for-profit corporation.
  • Program participants are only eligible to participate in the Solar for Non-Profit Organizations Program once and cannot receive a rebate for more than one property.
  • The program participant must own the equipment (financed and lease-to-own systems are eligible).
  • System must be installed after April 25, 2022 to be eligible for a Solar for Non-Profits rebate payment.

 

Solar Photovoltaic System Eligibility:

  • Systems must be designed and installed by an Efficiency Nova Scotia Registered Solar Installer. Participants are not permitted to install the system themselves.
  • Solar panels and inverters must be new and include a permanently affixed nameplate that states the manufacturer and model number.
  • The solar installation should be either a new system or increase the capacity of, but not replace, currently operational solar equipment.
  • The minimum system size needed to qualify for a rebate is 1 kW.
  • Solar PV systems can be net-metered (connected to the grid), or they can also be independent of, and not connected to the grid (also known as off-grid).
  • If the system is net-metered, the utility must allow net metering and there must be compliance with net metering procedures.
  • All equipment and design specifications must adhere to applicable provincial, federal and municipal licenses, permits and approvals.
  • All solar PV equipment installed, including array and ancillary equipment, and all installation work must be in compliance with the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) and have a CSA or other internationally recognized standards agency symbol. This includes compliance with CEC CSA 22.2 No. 107.1 and be inspected prior to being energized.
  • Ancillary equipment for a solar PV system includes the following: AC and DC cabling, combiner boxes, switches, meters, panels, and transformers required to allow the array to feed AC power to the customer’s building or to the grid. Installations must follow CSA SPE-900-13 Solar PV rooftop installation best practices guideline (2013).
  • Grid-connected installations must comply with CEC section 64 as well as Nova Scotia Power interconnection guide, corresponding with section 84 of CEC.
  • Off-grid connected systems should follow all generally accepted industry best practices including CSA SPE–900-13, as well as be in compliance with the CEC Section 64 for renewable energy systems.
  • Modules must carry a minimum warranty of 20-year power performance and 10-year manufacturing.
    Grid-connected inverter(s) and/or micro-inverter(s) must carry a minimum 10-year manufacturing warranty. For off-grid systems, inverter(s) must carry a minimum 2-year manufacturing warranty.
  • Equipment must be installed on a rooftop or ground-mounted. Systems installed on portable or temporary structures are not eligible. This would include, for example, recreational vehicles and trailers.
  • Only portions of a solar system that have a total solar resource fraction (TSRF) of at least 70% will be approved for rebates. This means that north-facing or heavily shaded solar panels may not be approved, depending on azimuth, slope and shading factors.

 

Documentation Requirements:

  • In order to review and approve a project application it should include the following documentation:
    1. SolarHomes and Solar for Non-Profit Organizations Project Application
    2. System Quote / Solar Proposal, which shall include:
      • Number of modules, module capacity (W), system capacity (kW)
      • Number of inverters, inverter capacity
      • Azimuth, slope, and shading factor for all subarrays
      • Modeled annual electricity production (kWh), first year energy savings ($)
      • Total installed cost ($)
    3. Recent Power Bill
    4. Photos of the proposed system location, and unobstructed south-facing view of the surroundings (to assess shading).
      1. Site Plan
        • Provide a copy of the site plan showing the physical arrangement of the major equipment, including generating equipment, transformers, switches, control panels, the customer’s existing metered service and the interconnection with utility distribution system, Include the civic address, references, etc. Provide Property Identification Number (PID).
      2. Electrical Single Line Drawing
        • A single-line diagram showing the electrical relationship and descriptions of the significant electrical components such as the generator, inverters, cables and wiring, switches, meters, transformers, circuit breakers, with operation voltages and ratings.
      3. Manufacturers Specification Sheets
        • Provide manufacturer information sheets and certification compliance reports for any previously unapproved equipment such as, inverters, generators, solar modules, rapid shutdown devices, combiner boxes, DC disconnect switches, and DC optimizers.

     

    • In order to approve and process a completed project application for a rebate payment, the following documentation is required:
      1. Final invoice(s) which must include:
        • Installer name, business address and HST number
        • Client name and address where installation occurred
        • Invoice number and date
        • Manufacturers make(s) and model number(s) and quantities
        • Total installed cost ($)
      2. Photos of the installed system (mounted system showing all panels, inverter(s))
      3. Final electrical inspection report
      4. Final building inspection report (where applicable)

     

     
     
     
    Home Battery Pilot Eligibility:

    • Effective October 13, 2022, the Home Battery Pilot provides a rebate for eligible battery energy storage systems paired with a solar PV system.
    • The rebate is capped at $300/kWh of total battery energy capacity or 40% of eligible systems costs (before HST) whichever is lesser up to a maximum of $2500.
    • Battery installations must be performed by a certified electrician, fully compliant with Canadian Electrical Code, approved for use in Nova Scotia, and pass an electrical inspection.
    • Batteries must be certified to UL 1973 and all battery storage systems must be certified to UL 9540.
    • Battery storage system must consist of new equipment.
    • Battery storage systems must be designed and installed by SolarHomes registered installers.
    • Battery energy storage systems must be paired with a new or existing solar PV system. The solar system must include a minimum of one kilowatt DC of solar PV nameplate capacity for every five kilowatt-hours of battery storage.
    • Rental properties, multi-unit residential, non-profit (non-residential use), commercial, institutional or industrial buildings are not eligible for the Home Battery Pilot rebate.
    • Program participants are only eligible to participate in the program once and cannot receive a rebate for more than one property.