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Connected to the Hydro-Québec grid

Solar payback calculator

How much will your solar panels save you, and how many years until they pay for themselves? Enter your consumption and postal code: we compare Hydro-Québec rates with the real sun of your region.

  • Hydro-Québec rates of April 1, 2026
  • Real sun of your region, day by day
  • LogisVert subsidy and payback included
10 simple questions · your result in 2 minutes
1 ⇄ 1

Your home

kWh
Heating

Your panels, month by month

Solar data source

Your roof

Orientation
Pitch

ConsumptionPanel production

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Hydro-Québec rates compared

Hydro-Québec rates and programs. DSS Énergie is not affiliated with Hydro-Québec. Self-generation and net metering

Average bill per year with your panels and batteries. Click a rate for the details.

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See also: Off-grid solar calculator · Find my system · FAQ

How we calculate

Everything the calculation takes into account, and what it leaves out. Your consumption, the sun source, the number of events and the price level follow your choices on the page.

Your calculation in short

  • Suggested: 20 panels to produce about your yearly consumption (beyond that, surplus is only paid 4.73¢ per kWh), and no battery: with net metering they earn no money and their cost is not paid back.
  • Without net metering, 40% of a day’s consumption happens while the panels produce; the battery moves the rest of the surplus to the evening. Battery: 90% usable, 90% efficiency.
  • Hydro-Québec rates in effect April 1, 2026 (3% increase). They change every April 1.
  • Rate DT (dual energy): only with a fuel backup heating system; not included here.

  1. Your consumption

    • 22,500 kWh per year, spread by month according to heating (electric): 51% from December to March.
    • Within a month, every day uses the same amount; cold days only count for peak events.

  2. Sun and panels

    • Source: CWEEDS cautious.
    • 600 W panels; production already includes system losses (heat, cables, inverter, dust), about 20%.
    • CWEEDS cautious: winter production reduced for snow on the panels; CWEEDS raw: without this margin.
    • Your roof: Due south, 12/12 or ground (45°) pitch, i.e. 100% of the production of panels facing due south at 45°. Month-by-month factors computed with the real sun of Quebec City (1998-2020) and the same model (Hay-Davies, snowy ground in winter).
    • Flat or nearly flat, snow stays longer on the panels: winter production may be lower than calculated.

  3. Hydro-Québec rates (April 1, 2026)

    • Rate D: 46.154¢ per day access charge, 7.065¢ per kWh for the first 40 kWh of each day, then 11.142¢.
    • Net metering: each kWh sent to the grid is credited 1 for 1 in a bank; the balance is paid 4.73¢ per kWh every 24 months. The system is assumed to be already running (summer’s bank covers the next winter).
    • Flex D: December to March, 4.886¢ then 9.103¢ off-peak, 46.463¢ during events; the rest of the year, like rate D.
    • Winter credit: 58.49¢ per kWh reduced during events; closed to new customers since March 31, 2026.
    • Flex D and the winter credit exclude net metering: solar surplus is lost.

  4. Batteries and peak events

    • 25 4-hour events per winter (at most 30), spread: December 20%, January 40%, February 30%, March 10%.
    • An event uses 20% of a cold day’s consumption (30% above the monthly average).
    • Batteries: 90% of capacity usable, 90% round-trip efficiency; full at the start of each event, recharged off-peak.
    • Without net metering, 40% of a day’s consumption happens while the panels produce; the battery moves the rest of the surplus to the evening.
    • With net metering, the battery earns no money: it is a backup during outages (value not counted).

  5. Installation cost

    • median Quebec prices in 2026, before taxes: panels $3,500 + $1,950 per kW; LiFePO4 batteries and hybrid inverter $10,500 + $550 per usable kWh.
    • With batteries, the hybrid inverter replaces the panels’ inverter: $400 less per kW.
    • GST and QST added: 14.975%. A quote entered on the page replaces the estimate.
    • Sources: quotes aggregated by BranchéQC (968 requests, May 2026), Green Building Canada (2026), Canadian battery and inverter prices (2026).

  6. LogisVert subsidy

    • $1,000 per kW of panels, at most 40% of their cost, computed before taxes (cautious: the guide does not specify); 5% more for a grouped application.
    • Batteries are not subsidized. The amount may change with the installation date.

  7. Payback and wear

    • Over 25 years, no discounting (a dollar in 20 years is worth a dollar today) and no loan interest.
    • Electricity prices rise 3% per year (adjustable; 3% by default, the legal cap on Hydro-Québec increases until 2028). Savings follow this increase.
    • Panels: 0.5% less production every year (performance depreciation, NREL); usual warranty of 25 to 30 years.
    • Batteries: 2% less capacity per year, 12-year service life (usual warranties of 10 to 15 years), then no more savings (no replacement counted).
    • Upkeep and insurance: $10 per kW of panels per year (estimate), indexed at 3%.
    • Inverter replaced once, in year 13: $300 per kW of panels, plus taxes, at today’s price.
    • No resale value at the end, and no added home value counted.

  8. Not counted

    • An electrical service upgrade (200 A: $2,000 to $4,500), roof repairs, engineering plans.
    • Rate DT (dual energy), and rate DG proposed for 2027 (not approved).
    • Income tax (a subsidy for personal property is generally not taxable: to be confirmed), financing.
    • Outages avoided thanks to the batteries.
    • LogisVert’s special conditions in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Anticosti Island, Opitciwan and Nunavik.

Sources: Hydro-Québec, Electricity Rates 2026; Régie de l’énergie, D-2026-033 and D-2026-036; LogisVert guide 1.10 (September 15, 2026); Environment and Climate Change Canada (CWEEDS); BranchéQC (May 2026); NREL (panel degradation).

Hydro-Québec LogisVert program: solar panels ↗

What the calculation doesn’t see

The calculation is an estimate: it doesn’t know everything about your home. Here is what it assumes, which way your result can move, by how much, and what you can do to make it more precise.

  • −$ Negative
  • +$ Positive
  • ±$ Positive or negative

Effect: −$ (negative), your real savings could be lower than calculated; +$ (positive), higher; ±$, either way.

Impact: how much it can change your savings or the time to pay back. 1: under 3% · 2: 3 to 5% · 3: 5 to 10% · 4: 10 to 20% · 5: 20% or more.

Sort by
What we assumeWhat you can do
Your consumption
Your consumption each month Your yearly consumption, spread over the months with a typical profile (electric or other heating).±$ Positive or negative4/5Compare with the history in your Hydro-Québec Customer Space; a quote will use your real months.
Your plans (electric car, heat pump, air conditioning) The same consumption for 25 years.±$ Positive or negative3/5Adjust your yearly consumption: an electric car adds about 2,500 to 3,500 kWh.
Your roof and the sun
Shade on the roof (trees, chimney, neighbouring buildings) No shade.−$ Negative5/5An installer measures shade on site: often 5 to 25% less production.
Room on the roof The panels fit on the roof (about 2.7 m² per 600 W panel, not counting clearances).−$ Negative3/5If the roof is too small, reduce the number of panels.
Snow on your panels In prudent mode, the same winter reduction for every pitch; snow slides off quickly at 45° but stays on a flat roof.±$ Positive or negative2/5Flat or low-pitch roof: expect a weaker winter than calculated.
The sun in any given year The average of 23 years of real sunshine; a single year gives about 7% more or less.±$ Positive or negative1/5Nothing: the average holds over several years.
Batteries
The power of the battery inverter During a peak event, the batteries power the whole house if they hold enough energy; a home heated with electricity can draw 7 to 15 kW.−$ Negative3/5Check with the installer how much power the inverter can deliver (Flex D and winter credit).
Power outages avoided No value counted for backup.+$ Positive2/5Only you can judge what power during an outage is worth.
Hydro-Québec’s rules
Future rates and rules The rates of April 1, 2026; Flex D and net metering can’t be combined (a question under study by the Régie de l’énergie).±$ Positive or negative3/5Run the calculation again after each April 1 or a change in the rules.
Rate increases after 2028 3% per year (the legal cap until 2028), then the same.±$ Positive or negative4/5Change the yearly increase on the page to see the effect.
Rate DT (dual energy) Not calculated.±$ Positive or negative3/5Dual energy: the result doesn’t apply to you; contact us.
Money
Extra work None: a 200 A electrical service ($2,000 to $4,500), roof repairs, engineering plans and permits are not included.−$ Negative3/5Enter a complete quote on the page: it replaces the estimate.
Borrowing and the value of money No interest; a dollar saved in 20 years is worth a dollar today.−$ Negative5/5If you borrow, compare your loan rate with the return of your savings.
Value added to the home No resale value counted.+$ Positive2/5An appraiser may take it into account when you sell.

Overall, the calculation leans to the optimistic side when the roof is shaded, extra work is needed or you borrow. A visit and a quote settle all of this.

Your solar project, step by step

Question 1 of 10

What type of home do you have?

The type fills in a typical consumption; correct it with your Hydro-Québec bill (“consumption over the last 12 months”).

Your payback

Electricity prices up 3% per year; panels: 0.5% less production per year; batteries: 12-year service life, 2% less capacity per year; upkeep $10 per kW per year; inverter replaced in year 13 ($300 per kW plus taxes). No discounting.