Solar panels in Nova Scotia
Northern PWR now installs home solar in Nova Scotia. The rebates have closed, and the numbers can still work, because Nova Scotia Power banks every surplus kilowatt-hour you make for use later in the year. Here is the straight version.
More sun than you might expect
- about 1,070
- kWh a year from each kW of panels in Halifax
- 27 kW
- Largest system allowed on the Self-Generating Option
Natural Resources Canada photovoltaic potential for a south-facing array tilted at latitude. For comparison, the same source puts Berlin at 848 and Paris at 838.
What is available in Nova Scotia right now
Two big incentives closed in 2025. We would rather you hear that from us before you plan around them.
| Program | Status | What it means for a homeowner | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Scotia Power Self-Generating Option | Open | Net metering for systems of 27 kW or less on the same meter as your home. Surplus kilowatt-hours are banked and applied to later use through the calendar year. No application fee, and no separate application to join. | Nova Scotia Power, nspower.ca |
| Halifax Solar City | Open in Halifax Regional Municipality | Municipal financing for solar at a fixed 4.75% over ten years, repaid to the municipality and payable in full at any time without penalty. | Halifax Regional Municipality, halifax.ca |
| Other municipal financing | Varies by municipality | Several Nova Scotia municipalities run their own property-based financing for clean energy upgrades. Terms differ from place to place. | Your municipality |
| SolarHomes rebate | Closed to homeowners | Efficiency Nova Scotia stopped accepting new homeowner applications on April 17, 2025. | Efficiency Nova Scotia, efficiencyns.ca |
| Canada Greener Homes Loan | Closed | The federal interest-free loan stopped taking applications on October 1, 2025. Loans already approved are not affected. | Natural Resources Canada |
| Canada Greener Homes Grant | Closed | Closed to new applicants. | Natural Resources Canada |
Checked against each program’s own website on November 15, 2026. Programs change; we confirm what applies to your address when we prepare your quote.
How net metering works with Nova Scotia Power
Nova Scotia Power calls it the Self-Generating Option. You install a system of 27 kW or less that shares your home’s meter. When your panels make more than you are using, the extra flows to the grid and is banked as kilowatt-hours. When you need more than the panels are making, you draw from the grid and your banked kilowatt-hours are applied first.
- Summer: long days build up a bank of surplus kilowatt-hours.
- Autumn and winter: shorter days mean you draw on the grid, and the bank is applied to that use.
- January 1: the anniversary date. Any kilowatt-hours still banked are credited against energy you were billed for during the year, as a credit on your first bill of the new year.
Two things to know. The monthly base charge still applies. And generation beyond your annual use is not purchased, so a system that is too big earns nothing extra. We size to what you use.
What we take care of
- A proposal sized from twelve months of your Nova Scotia Power bills
- Site survey and system design
- Electrical plans submitted to Nova Scotia Power’s inspection team
- Installation, typically in one to two days
- Rough-in and final inspections before the system is energized
Rough system size for a Nova Scotia home
That is 7,800 kWh a year. A rough guide only: it uses a conservative Natural Resources Canada figure for how much a south-facing kilowatt of panels produces in your province, and ignores shade, roof direction and snow. Your proposal is built from your real bills and a roof survey.
Nova Scotia Power’s Self-Generating Option covers systems up to 27 kW. A home using this much would be sized with that limit in mind.
Atlantic summers do the heavy lifting
This far north, a roof can see twice as much daylight in June as in December. Your system is planned around both: it earns in the bright months and carries that value into the dark ones. How it does that depends on your province.
In Alberta, your rate can follow the season
Solar Club members switch to a high rate for the months they send more power to the grid than they take, then back to a low rate for winter. How Solar Club works
In Nova Scotia, summer surplus is banked
Under Nova Scotia Power’s Self-Generating Option, extra kilowatt-hours from long summer days are banked and applied to what you use later in the year. Solar in Nova Scotia
Sized on twelve months of bills
One month tells us very little. We design from a full year of your electricity use so the system fits the whole swing, winter included.
Cold is fine. Snow is temporary.
Panels work in winter, even in cold temperatures. Heavy snow can reduce output for a while, and typically slides off once the sun warms the glass. More on cloud and snow
Nova Scotia questions
Do I have to apply to Nova Scotia Power to go solar?
There is no requirement to apply for the Self-Generating Option. Your electrical plans do have to be reviewed and accepted by Nova Scotia Power’s inspection team, and the system needs rough-in and final inspections before it is switched on. We handle that as part of the install.
What happens to the extra power my panels make?
Surplus kilowatt-hours are banked and applied against the electricity you take from the grid later in the same calendar year. Each January there is a settle-up: any banked kilowatt-hours left are credited against the energy you were billed for during the year.
Will Nova Scotia Power pay me for power I never use?
No. Generation beyond what you use in the year is not purchased. That is why we size a Nova Scotia system to your annual consumption and not above it.
Will I still get a power bill?
Yes. The monthly base charge still applies, and you pay for any electricity you use beyond what your panels and banked credits cover.
Do I need a new meter?
You need a bi-directional meter. If your current meter cannot measure power flowing both ways, Nova Scotia Power installs one at no cost.
Is the SolarHomes rebate still available?
Not for homeowners. Efficiency Nova Scotia stopped accepting new homeowner applications on April 17, 2025. Anyone still advertising it as available to homeowners is out of date.
New to Nova Scotia, not new to solar
We have completed more than 1,800 installs in over 190 Canadian cities. This is what customers in our home province say about the experience.
“Northern PWR handled everything professionally from the sales presentation to the final installation. They were quick and efficient the whole way through. I was informed of where it was at the entire time. It was about as smooth and efficient as it could get. Very pleased with the whole process.”
“Very efficient fast service. Could not believe how quickly everything from interview to installation was done.”
See what your Nova Scotia roof can do.
Send a recent Nova Scotia Power bill and we will size a system to your actual annual use.