Commercial Solar Calculator Canada
Estimate system size, install cost, federal Clean Technology ITC (30% refundable), annual savings, and payback for a commercial solar project on your Canadian business property. Free — no signup required.
Commercial solar estimate
Enter your consumption, roof or site details, and the tool will estimate system size, cost, federal Clean Tech ITC value, and payback for your project.
Estimates are for planning purposes only. Real project economics depend on site conditions, utility interconnection, and equipment selection. Get a professional quote for site-specific numbers.
Enter your consumption details on the left and click Calculate estimate to see project size, cost, incentives, and payback.
How each business type sizes differently
Commercial solar sizing depends on both consumption size and how well daytime load coincides with solar production. Manufacturing and offices with weekday operations self-consume 80–90% of production; warehouses and self-storage often export more, so sizing decisions differ.
Office buildings have strong weekday daytime load — solar self-consumption is typically 75–90%.
Retail lighting and HVAC loads align well with solar production hours.
Large flat roofs and moderate load — often best sized to offset a fixed % of consumption.
High daytime process loads make manufacturing one of the strongest fits for solar in Canada.
Low-consumption facilities usually pair well with export-friendly net-metering provinces.
MURB projects often use rooftop or carport solar to offset common-area load.
Nonprofits may access additional grant streams alongside the federal Clean Tech ITC.
Schools, MURB associations, and municipal buildings often qualify for stacked federal + utility programs.
Four steps to a commercial solar estimate
Pick your province and business type. Add either your monthly electricity bill or your annual kWh — annual kWh is more accurate for commercial rate structures.
Enter usable roof or ground-mount area if you know it. This caps system size to what your site can physically support (~10 W per usable sq ft for typical commercial layouts).
Add a battery pack for peak-shaving, resilience, or demand-charge management. The calculator uses ~$1,300/kWh installed as the Canadian 2026 commercial pricing benchmark.
See estimated system size, annual production, install cost, federal Clean Tech ITC value (30% refundable), net cost, and payback range — plus which provincial incentives may apply to your project.
What the commercial calculator uses
- check_circleProvince irradiance data. Annual kWh per kW installed and peak sun hours per province.
- check_circleBusiness-type load coincidence. Real-world weekday load overlap with solar production hours.
- check_circle2026 commercial cost benchmarks. $1.80–$2.50 per installed watt, rooftop or ground-mount.
- check_circleFederal Clean Technology ITC. Up to 30% refundable on eligible property, applied to ~90% of install cost.
- check_circleBattery pricing benchmark. ~$1,300/kWh installed for Canadian commercial LFP packs when storage is enabled.
- check_circleCommercial rate treatment. Effective commercial rate at ~80% of provincial residential blended rate for general-service accounts.
Estimates are for planning. Real project economics depend on site conditions, utility interconnection, demand charges, and equipment selection. For site-specific numbers, request a professional quote.
Talk to a commercial solar specialist
Complete a 2-minute assessment and we'll connect your verified request with vetted installers experienced with commercial projects in your province.
Get commercial solar quotesarrow_forwardCommercial solar calculator FAQs
How accurate is the commercial solar calculator?add
The calculator gives a planning-grade estimate accurate to ±15% for most Canadian commercial sites. It uses province-level irradiance (kWh/kW/year), business-type load coincidence factors, 2026 Canadian commercial cost benchmarks ($1.80–$2.50/W installed), and the federal Clean Technology ITC framework (up to 30% refundable). Real proposals will vary based on structural work, utility interconnection, equipment tier, demand-charge exposure, and any provincial or utility programs.
Which Canadian commercial buildings are best for solar?add
Warehouses and manufacturing facilities with large flat roofs and strong daytime consumption sit at the top. Office and retail buildings work well when roof geometry allows. Multi-unit residential (MURB) associations often use rooftop solar to offset common-area load or feed EV charging. Institutional buildings — schools, community centres, municipal facilities — routinely qualify for stacked federal + provincial programs.
How does the federal Clean Technology ITC work for commercial solar?add
The Clean Technology ITC is a refundable federal tax credit worth up to 30% of eligible capital costs for qualifying clean-technology property, including commercial rooftop and ground-mount solar. It's available to Canadian-controlled taxable corporations for business-use property. Labour requirements apply for the maximum credit rate. The calculator applies the 30% rate to ~90% of install cost as ITC-eligible.
Can I stack the federal ITC with provincial commercial solar programs?add
Yes, in most cases. Ontario's Save on Energy retrofit incentives, Quebec's Hydro-Québec business grant (up to $1,000/kW), Alberta municipal CEIP financing, and BC's PST exemption all stack with the federal Clean Tech ITC. Some programs have specific stackability rules — verify current program terms before finalizing your project economics.
What annual kWh should I enter for my business?add
The most accurate input is your actual 12-month kWh total from utility bills. If you don't have it handy, enter your monthly bill and the calculator will convert using your province's commercial rate (~20% below residential on average). If you enter neither, the calculator uses a benchmark based on your business type and a 5,000 sq ft baseline building.
How does the calculator handle demand charges?add
The current version uses annual kWh and effective retail rate for its payback math and doesn't separately model demand-charge savings. Facilities with significant demand-charge exposure (manufacturing, cold storage, data-heavy operations) often see substantial additional savings from solar-plus-storage. Share your demand-charge history with quoting installers for a site-specific proposal.
How much does commercial solar cost in Canada in 2026?add
Commercial solar in Canada typically runs $1.80 to $2.50 per installed watt in 2026, before incentives. A 100 kW rooftop system on a typical commercial building lands around $180,000–$250,000 pre-incentive. The federal Clean Tech ITC can reduce that by up to 30% on eligible property, and provincial programs stack on top.