What a code-complete kit actually contains
Not four plates. A grid-tied Ontario house on microinverters takes fifteen distinct labels across twenty-two pieces — and the number moves with five things about the job.
Kits advertised as “four plates per install” are built to the American NEC — 690.31(D) and 690.56(C). Those rules don’t govern in Canada. An inspector working from C22.1:24 Section 64 and your utility’s interconnection standard is looking for a different set, different wording, and in British Columbia a different colour entirely.
Five questions decide the kit
Not the system size. Two 9 kW rooftops one street apart get identical kits. The same rooftop moved from Burlington to Kelowna gets a different kit and a different colour.
The province sets the base rule set. The local distribution company adds its own plates on top, and in one case overrides the colour.
Grid-tied pulls in the whole interconnection block. Off-grid drops all of it and adds the stand-alone power system notice — roughly half the area.
The biggest swing in the kit. String or central means a DC ratings plate and ungrounded warnings; micro or AC modules takes them out. 356 sq-in vs 228.
Storage adds a self-contained 8–11 label block. Multi-part ESS in Ontario adds the UL 9540 evaluation label.
CEC 2-306 arc-flash marking applies “other than dwelling units.” A house never gets one; a commercial rooftop always does.
Inverter count, points of interconnection, combiners, disconnecting means, transformers, generators with transfer switches.
The four plate sizes
| Size | Metric | Area | Each | What it carries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6″ × 4″ | 152.4 × 101.6 mm | 24 sq-in | $27.36 | Single-line diagram plates and the first-responder placard — the tags that carry real content. |
| 6″ × 2″ | 152.4 × 50.8 mm | 12 sq-in | $13.68 | Main service warnings and the two-power-source plates at the meter base. |
| 4″ × 2″ | 101.6 × 50.8 mm | 8 sq-in | $9.12 | Multi-line warnings and equipment data plates. Thirty labels in the catalogue use it. |
| 4″ × 1″ | 101.6 × 25.4 mm | 4 sq-in | $4.56 | Equipment identification — the most common size on a solar job. Forty labels use it. |
Worked kits
| Job | Labels | Pieces | Sq-in | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario residential — microinverters, no storage | 15 | 22 | 228 | $259.92 |
| Ontario residential — micro, meter at service equipment | 14 | 17 | 136 | $155.04 |
| B.C. residential — microinverters | 16 | 23 | 232 | $264.48 |
| Alberta off-grid cabin — string + storage | 15 | 20 | 228 | $259.92 |
| Ontario residential — string inverter + battery storage | 26 | 38 | 356 | $405.84 |
| Ontario commercial rooftop | 28 | 67 | 596 | $679.44 |