2026 NS Solar Rebate & Financing Timeline

2026 is a transition year for solar funding in Nova Scotia. Some programs have closed. Others are still active. The quick map:

What's closed

• SolarHomes (Efficiency NS rebate): closed in April 2025. New applications are no longer being accepted. If you applied before that date and your project is still in flight, contact Efficiency NS directly to confirm your status.
• Canada Greener Homes Grant: closed to new applicants. Some loans tied to the program are still being processed for existing applications.

What's still active

• Federal Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit (Clean Tech ITC): 30% refundable credit against eligible solar capital, for qualifying entities. Filed at tax time. Actual refund typically arrives 12+ months after install.
• Halifax Solar City: 4.75% fixed, 10-year term, paid through a Local Improvement Charge separate from your property tax. Available HRM-wide. See our full Halifax Solar City explainer.
• Municipal PACE programs: Annapolis Royal, Berwick, Wolfville, Kentville, Bridgewater, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, Yarmouth, Digby, Antigonish, New Glasgow, Stellarton — and others. Use our PACE lookup toolto see your municipality's rate, term, and max loan.
• NS Power net metering: retail-rate credits, 12-month rolling balance. Standard for systems up to 100 kW. See how solar credits work.

What this means for the math

With SolarHomes gone, sticker prices haven't actually changed — but the up-front cash needed is higher because the rebate isn't there. The federal Clean Tech ITC partially compensates over time, but it's a tax-time refund, not a point-of-sale rebate.

For most Nova Scotia homeowners, the practical decision in 2026 is which financing path fits — not whether to chase a closed rebate. Our financing comparison pagelays the three real options side-by-side.

What we don't do

We don't quote against rebates that have ended. If a competitor's proposal references SolarHomes or the Greener Homes Grant in 2026, that's a red flag. The math should stand on what's actually available today.