Engineering Services
Micro-Generation and Net Metering: For Projects 10 kW or Less
What is Micro-Generation and Net Metering?
Micro-generation is small-scale electricity production by residential and commercial customers using renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind turbines, biomass, geothermal and fuel cells. Burlington Hydro customers who are interested in generating electricity, not exceeding 10 kilowatts, may follow these steps to apply for net metered micro-generation.
Net metering enables Burlington Hydro customers who generate power to sell the electricity they don’t use to the grid. Net metering customers receive a credit on their electricity bill for all surplus power delivered to the grid.
For all generation projects, contact Burlington Hydro at
Net Metering Application Process
Step 1 – Preliminary Consultation with Burlington Hydro (optional)
Prior to submitting an official application, the Applicant has the option to submit:
- Pre-Generation Consultation Application
- Permission to Release Account Information form (only required if the request is submitted by a third party).
The application gives Burlington Hydro some high-level details about the project and initiates a search for connection details and available capacity.
Burlington Hydro then responds to the Applicant via email. The Applicant can then review their options and decide if they would like to move forward with an official application for their net metering project.
Step 2 – Connection Application
The Applicant must complete and submit:
- Net Metering Connection Application Form
- Single Line Diagram
It is the Applicant’s responsibility to make sure the project adheres to the most current technical requirement documents available including:
- Burlington Hydro’s standards and specifications as provided in the Connection Proposal Package
- Technical requirements as listed in the Electrical Safety Authority Electrical Guidelines for Inverter-Based Micro-Generating Facilities (10kW and smaller)
- Burlington Hydro’s Conditions of Service
- Ontario Regulation 541/05 for Net Metering
Step 3 – Burlington Hydro Review and Connection Proposal Package
After reviewing the application, Burlington Hydro will confirm capacity for the requested project is a available and provide the Applicant with a Connection Proposal Package within 30 days that includes an Offer to Connect letter and outlines the requirements and construction costs to connect the generator.
Consult the Net Metering Restricted Area Map to view areas in Burlington where there is restricted capacity for micro-generation. If there is no capacity available, Burlington Hydro will notify the Applicant and cancel the project.
Net Metering Restricted AreaStep 4 – Customer Acceptance of Project
As per the instructions listed in the Connection Proposal Package, the Applicant will then sign and return the Net Metering Connection Agreement, pay all necessary fees listed in the Offer to Connect letter, and complete a pre-construction meeting with a Burlington Hydro technician. Note that Burlington Hydro requires four weeks advance notice to book the pre-construction meeting.
Step 5 – Construction and Connection
At this stage the Applicant may proceed with construction as per the instructions in the Connection Proposal Package. The Applicant has 180 days from the date listed on the Offer to Connect letter to energize the project. When the project is ready to be energized, Burlington Hydro must be provided with:
- ESA Connection Authorization
- Signed Offer to Connect
- HST Form
- Payment
The Applicant must contact Burlington Hydro to schedule the installation of the new meter. Once the meter is installed, it is the responsibility of the owner to energize their equipment.
Step 6 – Account Maintenance and Ongoing Generation
Burlington Hydro’s Billing Department will process all account changes and begin issuing net metering credits as applicable, beginning on the date the new bi-directional meter was installed provided that all required permits and commissioning has been completed.
It is important to note that it is the responsibility of the project owner to monitor the status of the generation project. Burlington Hydro is not responsible for reporting generation data or notifying the project owner if generation stops
Questions About the Process
Where can I apply?
Forms are available from this webpage (see links above) and submitted to
What is the approval process? Who are the governing bodies?
All application documents are reviewed and approved by Burlington Hydro in conjunction with any other involved utilities. All projects must be approved by the Electrical Safety Authority, as well.
What supporting documentation is required?
Necessary supporting documentation includes:
- Single line diagram
- Specification sheets for inverters and generators (i.e. solar panels, wind generators, etc.)
- Connection Agreement
- ESA Connection Authorization must be provided before the final energization can take place
What are the phases/stages and deadlines of the application process?
Once an official Net Metering application has been submitted, Burlington Hydro will follow up with a Connection Proposal Package within 30 days. The Applicant then has 180 days (6 months) from the date of the Connection Proposal Package to complete all necessary actions and energize the project. After the 6 month period, the Connection Proposal Package is no longer valid.
How long will the whole process take?
The total application to energization process can take up to 8 months (240 days).
What are the technical requirements?
It is the Applicant’s responsibility to make sure they refer to the most current technical requirement documents available.
- Burlington Hydro’s standards and specifications will be provided in the Connection Proposal Package.
- Technical requirements are listed in the Electrical Safety Authority’s document Electrical Guidelines for Inverter-Based Micro-Generating Facility (10kW and Smaller).
- The project must also adhere to Burlington Hydro’s Conditions of Service
- Ontario Regulation 541/05 for Net Metering
Are there any conditions that could void the application?
The application could be rejected at any time if the Applicant does not meet the necessary requirements or deadlines.
Questions About Net Metering Accounts
How does my Net Metering account work?
The crediting system for net metering is solely based on generation versus consumption each month. The generated power is directly subtracted from consumed power on the statement - based on dollars. If the project generates more power than it consumes, a dollar credit bank is created and is carried over to the next month and so on for up to 12 rolling months. Generally, projects generate more electricity than they use in the summer and use up the credit carried forward through the winter months.
Please note that income is never generated for net metering accounts; if there is a credit surplus left over after the rolling 12-month period, it is zeroed out.
These accounts have the option to choose from three RPP plans: Time-of-Use, Tiered, and Ultra-Low Overnight. For more information, visit our price plan page.
Time-of-Use rates do not apply to net metering accounts. These accounts will be based on Tiered prices under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP).
What requirements are there?
In order to activate a Net Metering account, you must have an active load account with Burlington Hydro and your generation project must have a bi-directional meter installed. A bi-directional meter can only be installed after the Net Metering application process is complete.
What about Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)?
As part of the process outlined above, you are required to provide an HST registration number, if applicable. If you do not have an HST registration number, please indicate this on the connection application form. Note that after your generation credits are subtracted from your monthly bill, any amount owing to Burlington Hydro each month will still have HST included in the final total.
If I move, who should I notify and what happens to my account?
If you should sell your property and leave the net metering project installed at the location, the generation credits will be issued to your account until your final date as the account holder for that address. At that point the account is zeroed out.
On the property transfer date (closing date) and moving forward, the generation credits will begin to be allotted to the new generation account for that address which is created by the new property owner. The new property owner will need to enter into a new Connection Agreement with Burlington Hydro.
How often will I receive an account statement?
Just as you did with your original Burlington Hydro account, you will receive a monthly statement.
Common terms used or related to Net Metering
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Distributed Generation | Employs small-scale renewable energy technologies to produce electricity close to the end users of power. |
| Generation Credit | Once a Net Metering contract has been fully executed, the local distribution company will credit the supplier’s account for the electricity generated by the facility where that electricity is supplied to the grid (surplus energy). |
| Inverter | An electrical device that converts direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). Inverters are commonly used to supply AC power from DC sources such as solar panels or batteries. |
| kW | Kilowatt. A unit of electric power. |
| Local Distribution Company | This term refers to your local hydro utility (i.e. Burlington Hydro). |
| Nameplate Capacity | A project’s total installed rated capacity to generate electricity based on connected inverter size. |
| Renewable Fuel | Wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), battery storage, renewable biomass, biogas, landfill gas or water power are all renewable fuels. |
| Renewable Generating Facility | A facility that generates electricity exclusively from a Renewable Fuel (i.e. solar). |
| RPP/Tiered Pricing | When billed with Tiered prices under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP), Time-of-Use rates no longer apply. Instead, a customer can use a certain amount of energy each month at a lower rate. Once that limit is exceeded, the rate goes up. Visit the Ontario Energy Board for more information about electricity pricing in Ontario. |
| Solar Array | A linked collection of solar panels. |