Solar Panels & Battery Backup in Long Sault & Ingleside, ON

Solar and home backup for South Stormont, installed personally by an ESA-licensed Master Electrician.

Long Sault and Ingleside grew up along the St. Lawrence after the Seaway flooded the original Lost Villages in 1958. Today most of South Stormont is a mix of quiet suburban streets, waterfront lots along the river and the Long Sault Parkway, and larger rural properties back toward the 401.

That mix is good for solar. Many homes here are newer builds from the last few decades with simple, unshaded roofs, and lots tend to be big enough that a ground-mount array is an option when the roof isn't ideal. Waterfront homes often have excellent southern exposure across the river.

Because you're a short drive west of Cornwall, Ontario, people sometimes assume the same rules apply here as in the city. They don't. South Stormont homes are on Hydro One, which opens the door to Ontario's rebate program — and that changes how we'd design your system.

Your utility and the rebate: Hydro One

Most homes in Long Sault and Ingleside are served by Hydro One. That matters, because Hydro One customers can use the Ontario Home Renovation Savings Program (HRSP): up to $5,000 toward solar, and up to $5,000 toward a battery installed together with new solar.

The trade-off is real and worth understanding before you decide: a system that uses the rebate can't be net metered. Instead of sending surplus power to the grid for bill credits, the system is set up for load displacement — your solar and battery power the house first, and you buy less from Hydro One. With a battery, daytime surplus is stored and used in the evening rather than exported.

For many homeowners the rebate is the better deal, especially when backup power is part of the goal. For others with large daytime surpluses, net metering without the rebate can make more sense. We run both scenarios with your actual Hydro One usage data and show you the numbers side by side, so you can choose with the full picture.

One practical note for South Stormont: if your bill says Cornwall Electric rather than Hydro One (a handful of properties near the city boundary are), the rebate doesn't apply. We confirm this from your bill before we quote anything.

Backup power for South Stormont homes

The suburban streets of Long Sault and Ingleside usually get power back faster than the back concessions, but they aren't immune. The 1998 ice storm hit this stretch of the river hard, and summer storms off the water still bring down lines and trees across County Road 2.

Homes here are more likely to be on municipal water than further north, but many have finished basements with sump pumps — and a sump pump that stops during a spring thaw outage is how basements flood. A battery set up to back up the sump pump, fridge, furnace blower, lights and internet keeps the basics running without anyone touching a switch.

Compared to a standby generator, a battery is silent, needs no natural gas line or propane tank, and has no engine to service. That matters on tighter suburban lots where a generator would sit a few metres from a neighbour's bedroom window. For waterfront and rural properties on wells, we size the backup to include the well pump, which takes a bigger surge to start than most household loads.

Why a Master Electrician

On a typical South Stormont job we look closely at panel capacity. Many homes from the 1980s and 1990s have 100- or 125-amp services, and adding solar, a battery and maybe an EV charger later has to fit within what the panel and service can safely carry. Sorting that out properly is electrical work, and it's where having a Master Electrician on the job pays off.

True Beacon Solar is owner-operated. The owner is a Master Electrician licensed in Ontario and personally does the installs, so the person who designs your system is the person on your roof and in your electrical panel.

We work under ESA Licensed Electrical Contractor #7016796. Every system gets the permits and Electrical Safety Authority inspection it needs, and we handle that paperwork for you.

Built by our in-house crew — the same four-person team on every install, led on site by Master Electrician Nicholas Piche. You have one point of accountability from the first site visit to the day the system is switched on, and after that if you ever need service.

Frequently asked questions

Are Long Sault and Ingleside homes eligible for the solar rebate?

Most are, because they're served by Hydro One. The HRSP offers up to $5,000 for solar and up to $5,000 for a battery installed with new solar. Systems using the rebate can't be net metered. If your bill says Cornwall Electric, you're not eligible.

Does solar work well near the river with all the winter fog?

Yes. Fog and short winter days lower production in December and January, but annual output is driven mostly by spring, summer and fall. We model production for your exact roof angle and location.

How long does an install take?

Most residential rooftop systems take a few days on site. The full process, including design, permits, ESA inspection and utility paperwork, typically takes several weeks.

Will a battery keep my sump pump running during an outage?

Yes, if it's on a backed-up circuit. We set up the backup panel around the loads you care most about, and sump pumps are near the top of the list for most South Stormont homes.

Do I need a permit?

Every install requires an ESA inspection, and some need a building permit from South Stormont depending on the system. We handle the applications.

Can I put solar on the ground instead of my roof?

Often, yes, especially on larger rural lots. Ground-mount arrays can face due south at the ideal angle and are easy to clear of snow.