FortisBC vs BC Hydro Solar in 2026

Why all of Kelowna is FortisBC

Kelowna’s electricity history explains a lot of the confusion online. For decades central Kelowna had its own City-owned electric utility, while FortisBC (and its predecessor, West Kootenay Power) served the rest of the city. FortisBC ran the City’s system under contract from 2000, then bought it outright in 2013 after the BC Utilities Commission approved the sale. About 15,000 central Kelowna customers moved onto FortisBC bills.

So today the whole City of Kelowna buys its power from FortisBC. BC Hydro’s nearest customers are across the lake, in West Kelowna, Westbank and Peachland, which is why so many Okanagan solar pages mix the two up. Advice that is right for a West Kelowna home, such as “claim your $5,000 BC Hydro rebate”, is simply wrong for a home in Glenmore or the Mission.

FortisBC net metering, explained

FortisBC’s net-metering program lets residential, commercial and irrigation customers connect renewable generation on their own property, up to 50 kW. The system is meant to offset your own use, so it should be sized to your expected yearly consumption, and the power can only serve your own property.

Here is how the credit works. In a billing period where your panels make more than you use, the surplus goes into a kilowatt-hour bank. In later periods, when you use more than you make, the bank is drawn down first. Because the credit is kept in kWh rather than dollars, a banked summer kilowatt-hour offsets a winter kilowatt-hour at whatever your energy rate is at the time.

Once a year, anything left in the bank is settled at the rate FortisBC pays other power producers. That rate is far lower than the retail rate you pay, which is why oversizing doesn’t pay on FortisBC. A system sized to your use rarely has much left at settlement, so almost every kilowatt-hour it makes is worth about the full energy charge, around 15.5¢ in 2026.

The application runs in four steps: submit the net-metering application, get FortisBC’s approval to build, build and pass inspection, then sign the Interconnection Agreement so FortisBC can set your meter.

BC Hydro’s rebate, for westside readers

BC Hydro offers $1,000 per kW of installed solar capacity, capped at 50% of the installed cost and $5,000 for a home. Batteries get $500 per kWh, up to $1,500, or up to $5,000 if the battery is enrolled in the Peak Saver program, which lets BC Hydro draw on it at times of peak demand. Battery-only systems qualify only with Peak Saver. Funding is first come, first served.

BC Hydro directs rebate applicants to a member of the Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN) to design and install the system, and the rebate is paid after the system is connected.

The July 1, 2026 change at BC Hydro

On July 1, 2026, BC Hydro closed its old net-metering rate to new customers. New solar customers are on a Self-Generation Service Rate that credits exported power at a flat 10¢ per kWh on each bill, instead of banking kilowatt-hours. Customers who took a BC Hydro solar rebate moved onto the new rate; other existing net-metering customers keep the old rate for a transition period before moving across.

Ten cents is less than BC Hydro’s step-2 energy charge, so a BC Hydro home now gets the most value from the solar it uses itself, as it is made. The rebate softens that. On our model, the two effects roughly cancel out, which is why the payback on each utility lands in about the same place. None of this changes anything for FortisBC customers in Kelowna.

Money that applies on either utility

• PST exemption. Solar panels are exempt from BC’s provincial sales tax, and so are the inverters, wiring and controllers sold as part of a system with the panels. Batteries are not exempt.
• Business tax credit. Businesses, farms and wineries may qualify for the federal Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit, up to 30% of eligible costs. Ask your accountant before you sign.
• Federal home programs. The Canada Greener Homes Loan is closed to new applicants. If a site still tells you to apply, it is out of date.

What to check on your bill

Three numbers on your FortisBC bill matter for sizing: the kWh used in each billing period (twelve months of them, ideally), the energy charge per kWh, and whether you are on a residential, commercial or irrigation rate. Bring a year of bills to your assessment, or download them from your FortisBC account, and we can size the system in one sitting.

If your bill says BC Hydro, you are almost certainly outside the City of Kelowna. We still model your home, but on BC Hydro’s rules.