Where HRM has gone solar: 4,357 homes since 2021
We mapped every completed residential rooftop solar permit in Halifax Regional Municipality from 2021 to today, to see where homeowners are going solar and how fast.
A record year in 2023
HRM issued completed residential solar permits for 546 homes in 2021 and 710 in 2022. Then 2023 jumped to 1,115, up 57% in a single year, and 2024 held close to that pace at 1,031.
2025 came in at 713, about 31% below 2024. And 2026 is at 242 so far, but that's a partial year: it only counts permits completed to date.
Permits show when the work was finished, not why people decided to do it, so we're not going to guess at the reasons for the ups and downs. What they do show is that thousands of HRM homeowners have already made the switch.
Every community, not just the city
Halifax (720) and Dartmouth (576) lead the count, which you'd expect from HRM's two largest communities. Together they make up just under 30% of all installs.
The other 70% is spread right across the municipality. Cole Harbour comes third with 306 installs, ahead of Bedford (266), Middle Sackville (238), Hammonds Plains (211) and Lower Sackville (197). Fall River, Timberlea and Upper Tantallon round out the top 10 at over 100 each.
- Halifax720
- Dartmouth576
- Cole Harbour306
- Bedford266
- Middle Sackville238
- Hammonds Plains211
- Lower Sackville197
- Fall River154
- Timberlea109
- Upper Tantallon108
How we kept it private
Each permit is tied to a real home, so the map never shows a house. We counted installs in areas about 750 m across and left out any area with fewer than 3. When you filter to a single year, the same rule applies to that year. Nothing your browser downloads can be traced back to an address.
Is your roof next?
Seeing panels on your street is one thing; knowing what they'd do for your own power bill is another. Our free estimate uses satellite data for your actual roof and your monthly bill to show what a system would cost, what you'd save, and how long it takes to pay for itself. It takes about a minute. If the numbers work, you can book a 15-minute call with Tri-County Solar, a licensed Nova Scotia installer.
Does solar make sense for your house?
Source: HRM open data, issued construction permits. Completed residential solar permits, 2021 to 2026 (to date), aggregated for privacy.