Net metering

Generate your energy from renewable sources? You may be eligible.

If you own or operate a renewable electricity generating facility, you’re probably familiar with the peaks and valleys of energy production. Our Net Metering Program can help you manage your electricity and reduce your hydro costs. Here’s what you need to know and how to become a participant.

What is the Net Metering Program?

The Net Metering Program gives you the power to better manage your energy costs. When you’re producing more renewable electricity than you can use, we’ll take your surplus supply. In return, we’ll give you a credit on your bill to help pay for those times when you’re not generating enough power and need to draw from our grid.

You can learn more about net metering on the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) website.

How does the Net Metering Program work?

You’ll receive your monthly hydro bill for the electricity you consume from the grid that month and accumulate credit on your bills in return for the renewable electricity you sent to the grid that same month. If you have credits that exceed your monthly consumption, they will be carried over to future bills for up to 12 months.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Update: Effective July 1, 2022, the Government of Ontario introduced amendments to remove consumer-facing barriers, including up-front costs. The recent changes allow homeowners and small businesses to benefit from third-party arrangements such as leasing, renting, financing and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to participate in net metering while not owning or operating the renewable generation facilities.

You can apply for the Net Metering Program if you’re a Toronto Hydro customer and meet the conditions outlined in this section.

  • You generate electricity primarily for your own use
  • Your electricity is solely generated from a renewable source including, but not limited to, solar radiation, agricultural biomass, drop-in-water elevation or any combination of these
  • You don’t rely on Toronto Hydro’s distribution system to deliver the electricity you generate to your consumption point
  • You agree to export the electricity that's in excess of what you consume to Toronto Hydro
  • You aren’t party to a contract or agreement, other than a qualified Net Metering Agreement, to sell electricity, in whole or in part, to Toronto Hydro
  • If you entered into an agreement with a third party relating to the renewable energy generation facility (i.e. Associated Equipment Agreement) on or after July 1, 2022, you confirmed with Toronto Hydro that the third party has disclosed the information outlined under the Ontario Energy Board’s (OEB) Net Metering Confirmation of Disclosure, which you can find on the OEB's retailer forms and templates webpage
  • You satisfy all the requirements outlined in the OEB’s Distributed Energy Resources Connection Procedures (PDF, 3.04 MB), section 6 of the OEB's Distribution System Code, technical requirements specified in CSA C22.3 No. 9 and Toronto Hydro’s Conditions of Service

  • You’ve entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with an eligible third-party generator to purchase electricity generated from a facility that is owned or operated by the generator
  • The third-party generator generates electricity primarily for your own use
  • Your electricity is solely generated from a renewable source including, but not limited to, solar panels, solar radiation, agricultural biomass, drop-in-water elevation or any combination of these
  • The third-party generator doesn’t rely on Toronto Hydro’s distribution system to deliver the electricity they generate to your consumption point
  • You agree that the third-party generator, on behalf of you, exports the electricity that's in excess of what you consume to Toronto Hydro
  • Neither you nor the generator is party to a contract or agreement, outside of the qualified Net Metering Agreement or PPA, to sell electricity, in whole or in part, to Toronto Hydro
  • You satisfy all the requirements outlined in the OEB’s Distributed Energy Resources Connection Procedures (PDF, 3.04 MB), section 6 of the OEB's Distribution System Code, technical requirements specified in CSA C22.3 No. 9 and Toronto Hydro’s Conditions of Service

Important information if you’re entering into a third-party agreement

Before deciding to enter a third-party agreement, you must first contact us to ensure Toronto Hydro’s system capacity can safely connect you to its Net Metering Program and your eligibility criteria meet the minimum requirements. Email us at der@torontohydro.com to see if you’re eligible to participate in our Net Metering Program.

We must also receive the Net Metering Confirmation of Disclosure before you sign up for a Power Purchase Agreement if you entered into an agreement with a third party. You can find the Confirmation of Disclosure on the Ontario Energy Board’s (OEB) retailer forms and templates for net metering webpage.

Customers are responsible for learning about third-party agreements and reviewing the OEB's retailer forms and templates.

Note: Toronto Hydro has no obligation to make any arrangements between a customer and a third-party. Toronto Hydro has no obligation to govern, enforce, or otherwise become involved in services between third parties and consumers in a net metering arrangement. Toronto Hydro will not be held accountable or liable under any circumstances whatsoever for any damages incurred by customers as result of third-party agreements. For further information, please see Toronto Hydro’s Conditions of Service.

Let us help you

Contact one of our engineers to get your project off the ground.
Email us at der@torontohydro.com or call us at 416-542-3099.

View connection process

How to access your net metering data

Eligible customers can access their net metering data through PowerLens® Business, an online customer portal. Through the portal, you'll be able to:

  • Monitor your energy usage and access metering data
  • Determine how your facility uses energy
  • Compare electricity usage across multiple locations
  • View your minimum, maximum and average demand
  • Create data reports

Toronto Hydro customers need to register as Primary Users. If you’re a Toronto Hydro customer and wish to grant access to a third party, they must registered by you as a Secondary User.

Note: The PowerLens® Business portal is compatible with all web browsers. If the page fails to load, an error screen may appear. Click "Reload the page" or select "Trending" from the Energy Analysis dropdown menu. You may have to repeat some selections or steps if this error occurs.

Instructions for net metering customers using PowerLens® Business

  1. Visit the PowerLens® Business web portal. Click "Register" (located at the top right-hand side of the page) or "Register as a new user" (located below the "Login" button).
  2. Review the Terms and Conditions. Once you’ve reviewed, click "I Agree" to accept and proceed to the next step.
  3. Input the required fields. Be sure to have your 10-digit Toronto Hydro account number handy. Your account number is located at the top-left corner of your Toronto Hydro bill. Residential net metering customers can enter their personal name or company name in the "Company Name" field, and enter "Homeowner" as their occupation in the "Job Title" field.
  4. Click "Register" to complete your registration. After registering, you'll receive an automated confirmation email. This email will advise that your PowerLens® Business account will take approximately three days to activate.
  5. Receive your PowerLens® Business login credentials. Once your account is activated, you’ll receive an activation email with your login credentials.

    Note: If you haven’t received an activation email after three business days, or if you have any questions or concerns about PowerLens® Business, please contact us by email at powerlensbusiness@torontohydro.com.

  1. Log in to your PowerLens® Business account.
  2. Click "View Usage" (located near the top right-hand corner of the PowerLens® Business home page).
  3. Under the section titled "Interval Data Analysis (Trending)," click "Check Interval Data Now." This will bring you to a "Trending Energy Analysis" web page.
  4. Click "Select Meters" (located on the left-hand side of the screen). A new window will appear that lists the meters registered to your PowerLens® Business account..'
  5. Select the meter numbers you’d like to view and download data for, then click "Select Meters." It will retrieve the data for the selected meter(s) and display it on the "Trending Energy Analysis" web page..'
  6. Select your desired reporting period by using the "Time Period" function (located on the left-hand side of the screen). To access data for a custom time period, select your desired start and end dates..'
  7. Under "Select chart trend option" (located on the left-hand side of the screen), select either "Demand" or "Energy." Selecting "Demand," measured in kW, will generate a report based on your demand for the selected time period. Selecting "Energy," measured in kWh, will produce a report based on your energy consumption for the selected time period..'
  8. Click "Create" (located in the section titled "Create the report") to generate the report..'
  9. Click the Excel button (located near the top right-hand corner) to save your data as an Excel file. A .csv file will then be automatically saved to your device..'

Using the "Meter Channel Data" feature in PowerLens® Business, you can view the amount of energy your building has used (referred to as "Interval kWh Delivered") as well as the amount of energy it has generated and returned to the grid (referred to as "Interval kWh Received").

  1. Log in to your PowerLens® Business account.
  2. Click "View Usage" (located near the top right-hand corner on the PowerLens® Business home page).
  3. Under the section titled "Interval Data Analysis (Trending)," click "Check Interval Data Now." This should bring you to a Trending Energy Analysis web page.
  4. Click "Select Meters" (located on the left-hand side of the screen). A new window should appear that lists the meters registered to your PowerLens® Business account..'
  5. Select the meter numbers you’d like to view and download data for, then click "Select Meters." It will retrieve the data for the selected meter(s) and display it on the "Trending Energy Analysis" web page..'
  6. Under the section titled "Select chart trend option," select "Energy.".'
  7. Select "Compare to other meter channel(s).".'
  8. Use the dropdown menu titled "Compare to other meter channel(s)" to select "Show all meter channels." Holding down the "Shift" key, press "1: Interval KWH Deliver (KWH_DEL)" and "2: Interval KWH Receive (KWH_REC)" so that they’re both selected (highlighted in blue)..'
  9. Under the section titled "Select trend interval," use the dropdown field to select the trend interval length (15 minutes) to match your inverter data (15 minutes). It will then be displayed in a box in the top right-hand corner..'
  10. Click "Create" (located in the section titled "Create the report") to generate the report. Once the page refreshes, you'll see data for both meter channels. The blue data (labelled "Delivered") represents kWh delivered from Toronto Hydro's grid to your home or business. The orange data (labelled "Received") represents kWh received by the utility from your home or business. The total "Delivered" and "Received" values shown in the Data Summary table matches the values on your monthly bill for "kWh Used" and "kWh Generated." The "kWh Generated" value is the net amount of energy received by Toronto Hydro, not the output of the solar modules..'
  11. Click the Excel button (located near the top right-hand corner) to save your data as an Excel file. A .csv file will then be saved locally on your device. Note: There can be instances where energy is simultaneously delivered and received in the same hour. This occurs when there is a surplus of energy during the period but also a draw from the grid..'