Solar panel rebate program opening again for multi-unit buildings

Edmonton is reopening its residential solar panel rebate program, this time to owners of multi-unit properties. 

Starting July 2, the city will accept applications for rooftop installations for buildings with four or more units, including new and existing row houses, townhomes and apartment buildings. 

 

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Successful applicants could receive $0.50 per watt of installed solar power, up to $4,000 per unit. 

A total of $1.3 million is available until Dec. 16. 

"We heard that when we announced the residential solar program, it was gone immediately," Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz said Tuesday of the program available to single-family home owners from 2019 to 2023. 

"This was a chance to take a pause, look at some of the gaps where we're trying to induce more implementation and make (an) adjustment here."

While he acknowledged the rebate amount is "relatively small," he called it a "catalytic investment" large enough to sway owners from simply considering the option to making a purchase. 

Suzanne LeValley, who used to run a condominium management company and now works as a consultant through her company All Things Condo, agreed there is interest, driven by both consumers and government incentives like Edmonton's program, which she said was not insignificant. 

"If there's any cautions right at the moment, I think we're still in, more or less, the infancy stages of figuring this all out and getting better at producing products and services that are viable and sustainable long term," she said, pointing to a property she previously managed. 

"Now, this was probably five years ago. It was very confusing for the average consumer to do all of this investigation and figure out who they should go to to work with in providing electricity. And so that was one stumbling block."

Applications will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Matt Marshall and Miriam Valdes-Carletti