How people actually pay for solar

First, what’s gone

The federal Greener Homes grant closed to new applicants in 2024 and its interest-free loan closed in 2025. They were good programs and they are finished. If a quote still mentions them, the quote is stale. What’s left is financing rather than free money, and for most households it works out just as well, because the point was always a payment your savings cover.

Option 1: the Clean Energy Improvement Program

CEIP is a municipal program that finances energy upgrades, including solar, and collects the repayment through your property tax bill at a fixed rate over a long term. Two things make it unusual. The financing is attached to the property, not to you, so it depends less on your personal credit. And the balance stays with the house: if you sell, the next owner takes over the payments along with the panels.

Calgary takes part. Other municipalities join or pause from year to year, and each opens application windows a few times a year that fill quickly. We get your design ready ahead of a window so you’re first in line rather than waiting for the next one.

Option 2: financing through Financeit

For homeowners who want a simpler, faster approval, or whose municipality isn’t in CEIP, we arrange financing through Financeit, and we guide you through the application. No municipal paperwork, a decision in days, and the system can be installed as soon as the permit is in. We size the term so the monthly payment lands at or under what the system saves you, so nothing changes in your budget except who you’re paying.

Option 3, for farms and businesses: the tax credit

Eligible corporations, including farm corporations, can claim the federal Clean Technology investment tax credit, a refundable credit of up to 30% of the capital cost of a solar system. It isn’t a grant you apply for and hope; it’s tax law. The system can also be depreciated quickly under capital cost allowance class 43.1 or 43.2, which lowers taxable income in the years it’s highest. Your accountant will know these by number, and we hand them a package with the figures they need. More on solar for farms.

Cash

If you’d rather own it outright, the price is the price. There is no cash discount hidden in the financed number and no financing fee hidden in the cash one.

Common questions about paying for solar

Is the Greener Homes grant still available?

No. The federal Greener Homes grant closed to new applicants in 2024 and the interest-free loan closed in 2025. Anyone still advertising it is behind. What remains is financing, not grants, plus the tax credit for businesses and farms.

What is CEIP?

The Clean Energy Improvement Program. Where a municipality takes part, it finances energy upgrades including solar and repays them through your property tax bill at a fixed rate over a long term. The balance stays with the property, so if you sell, the next owner takes over the payments along with the panels.

Does CEIP depend on my credit?

Less than a bank loan does. The financing is attached to the property rather than to you personally, though municipalities have their own eligibility rules, such as being current on property taxes.

What if my town isn't in CEIP?

Then financing through Financeit, which is faster to arrange and has no municipal paperwork. We guide you through the application. The goal with any loan is a monthly payment your bill savings cover, so you're cash-flow neutral from the first month. We'll show you the numbers both ways.

Is there anything for farms and businesses?

Yes, and it's the best deal on this page. Eligible corporations can claim the federal Clean Technology investment tax credit, a refundable credit of up to 30% of the capital cost, and depreciate the system quickly under capital cost allowance class 43.1 or 43.2. Confirm the details with your accountant.

This page describes programs that exist and how they generally work. It isn’t financial or tax advice. Confirm your own eligibility with the program, your lender or your accountant.