Summary of Ohio solar incentives 2021
Although the Ohio Public Utilities Commission recently reduced the amount of credit you get when you send unused solar power back to your utility, solar power still makes a lot of sense here for homeowners.
In the future, we'd like to see more support from Mike DeWine for homeowners who want to go solar, and on a strengthened renewable portfolio standard. Ohioans deserve to be part of a profitable renewable energy future for us all.
On this page, you can:
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Learn what solar incentives are available to Ohio homeowners
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See what Ohio solar incentives you qualify for based on your utility company and city
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Find out how much these incentives and/or Ohio solar tax credits will reduce your cost to go solar and add batteries
Federal solar investment tax credit
The federal solar investment tax credit will have the biggest impact on the cost you will face to go solar in Ohio
This perk is commonly known as the ITC, short for “Investment Tax Credit”. If you install your photovoltaic system in 2020, the federal tax credit is 26% of the cost of your solar panel system. This is 26% off the entire cost of the system including equipment, labor and permitting.
Example: If your solar energy system costs $20,000, your federal solar tax credit would be $20,000 x 26% = $5,200.
The federal tax credit falls to 22% at the end of 2022.
Net energy metering in Ohio
With net metering in some states, you get full retail rate credit for the amount of electricity you send back into the grid with your solar panels.
Net Metering requires your utility to monitor how much energy your solar power system produces and how much energy you actually consume, and make sure you get credit for the surplus.
Ohio used to have one of the strongest net metering policies in the country. However, now any net excess generation your system produces on a monthly basis will be credited to your bill, but only at the per-kWh generation charge, which averages between 4 and 5 cents per kWh across the state. While that’s still a credit, it’s less than half of current retail electricity rates of $0.12/kwh.
Therefore, it’s important to size your solar energy system well, so you aren’t feeding in a whole bunch of credits back to your utility when you aren’t able to use the power onise.
Ohio separates itself from the pack as one of the handful of states that allows you to request a check for any credits accumulated over the course of a 12-month billing cycle. That’s right – if you run a surplus for the year, the utility company will actually pay you.
Ohio solar rebates
While Ohio does not have a dedicated state rebate for solar panel installation, some manufacturers like LG offer their own solar rebates. These programs are usually time sensitive. For example, LG offers a $600 solar rebate on their equipment, which your installer can help you redeem over the next year.
Tax exemptions
Here’s some great news: the value of your home goes up when you install solar panels. Here’s some okay news: The cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati will let you keep that extra home value off the property tax rolls for many years to come. Here's some not-so-good news: the rest of the state has property tax relief only for commercial solar installations.
Ohio does have a sales tax exemption for solar energy though! That means you’ll save 5.75% on the purchase of your new system. On an investment of tens of thousands of dollars, that’s nothing to sneeze at.
Cost of solar panels in your part of Ohio after all applicable solar incentives
Showing data for:
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Prices based on a 10.8kW system, after 26% federal tax credit
Solar prices near you
Payback period
10.1-12.4 years
Net profit (savings less system cost)
$29,850-$36,484
Average size system installed in OH in 2021
10.8kW
Solar panel cost calculator
Best 10 solar companies in Ohio
22 solar companies in Ohio provide pricing on SolarReviews. Here are the best rated companies near you.
4.81 49 Reviews
Latest review
Extremely satisfied. Everyone wa, 1 week ago
Extremely satisfied. Everyone was extremely professional and personable. Quick responses whenever I had questions.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$16,000 ($3.20 per watt)
Latest review
Extremely satisfied. Everyone wa, 1 week ago
Extremely satisfied. Everyone was extremely professional and personable. Quick responses whenever I had questions.
4.69 39 Reviews
Latest review
RSJ, 3 weeks ago
The company is very prompt with any issues or questions. They get you set up in a timely manner. They walk you thru the whole process and explain how everything works. If you don't understand something they will explain it and they don't have a answer they will find out and get back with you.
Read more
Latest review
RSJ, 3 weeks ago
The company is very prompt with any issues or questions. They get you set up in a timely manner. They walk you thru the whole process and explain how everything works. If you don't understand something they will explain it and they don't have a answer they will find out and get back with you.
4.60 1,052 Reviews
Latest review
Kristen , 1 day ago
So far so good. We just had them installed yesterday and so far it’s been great. The installers were so great and went through everything with me before they left. They did leave a sign in my yard. It doesn’t bother me much, that was just one little thing they didn’t tell me they were going to do or ask if they could. Other than that I have had great communication from the corporate office in Utah and the installers were great with communication as well.
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Latest review
Kristen , 1 day ago
So far so good. We just had them installed yesterday and so far it’s been great. The installers were so great and went through everything with me before they left. They did leave a sign in my yard. It doesn’t bother me much, that was just one little thing they didn’t tell me they were going to do or ask if they could. Other than that I have had great communication from the corporate office in Utah and the installers were great with communication as well.
4.59 48 Reviews
Latest review
Tom, 1 day ago
Loved working with Third Sun. They did a great job.
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Latest review
Tom, 1 day ago
Loved working with Third Sun. They did a great job.
4.47 30 Reviews
Latest review
Dan, over 1 month
I suspect I'm picky about customer service, and know I'm picky about how things are done and how they look on my house. These guys were knowledgeable, and just great to work with. Did a very nice job. Professional, quality work. I'm very pleased.
Read more
Latest review
Dan, over 1 month
I suspect I'm picky about customer service, and know I'm picky about how things are done and how they look on my house. These guys were knowledgeable, and just great to work with. Did a very nice job. Professional, quality work. I'm very pleased.
4.46 14 Reviews
Latest review
Anonymous, over 1 month
We hired Bold Alternatives to do a 3KW array on our house (no storage). They pulled all permits and passed inspection the first time. The array looks beautiful. They worked with a roofer who seems to have done a good job with our cedar shingle roof. Overall a highly recommended company.
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Latest review
Anonymous, over 1 month
We hired Bold Alternatives to do a 3KW array on our house (no storage). They pulled all permits and passed inspection the first time. The array looks beautiful. They worked with a roofer who seems to have done a good job with our cedar shingle roof. Overall a highly recommended company.
4.40 42 Reviews
Latest review
Marc Wallace , 5 days ago
From the initial call through the build and with following up on the switch on, everyone has been good to work with and positive. They even sent a team to fill in a trench in the yard with soil and grass seed. Seeing the energy production on the app is gratifying too.
Read more
Latest review
Marc Wallace , 5 days ago
From the initial call through the build and with following up on the switch on, everyone has been good to work with and positive. They even sent a team to fill in a trench in the yard with soil and grass seed. Seeing the energy production on the app is gratifying too.
4.38 18 Reviews
Latest review
ARP - The best Solar system out , over 1 month
I am not sure where to start. I saw a huge difference in the various installers out there. ARP-Solar is EXCELLENT. I looked seriously at four different providers and Gary Easton at ARP-Solar was by far the best; best design, most knowledgeable about the products in the industry and the industry in general, fastest response time to questions, best references, and yes, the best price. His installation team was very pleasant to work with and top notch. They even re-stacked my fire wood next to where they installed one of the disconnect boxes. I can’t wait to tell everyone in my network about them. The only issues I really had all were dealing with Duke Energy and getting the bi-directional meter in. We had issues with them reading it correctly and entering the data correctly. It should be fixed now – my last Duke energy bill was $5.36 for November. I still need to find a way to keep the snow and ice off the panels and to clear out these clouds! I can’t wait to see my production numbers this coming spring and summer!
Read more
Latest review
ARP - The best Solar system out , over 1 month
I am not sure where to start. I saw a huge difference in the various installers out there. ARP-Solar is EXCELLENT. I looked seriously at four different providers and Gary Easton at ARP-Solar was by far the best; best design, most knowledgeable about the products in the industry and the industry in general, fastest response time to questions, best references, and yes, the best price. His installation team was very pleasant to work with and top notch. They even re-stacked my fire wood next to where they installed one of the disconnect boxes. I can’t wait to tell everyone in my network about them. The only issues I really had all were dealing with Duke Energy and getting the bi-directional meter in. We had issues with them reading it correctly and entering the data correctly. It should be fixed now – my last Duke energy bill was $5.36 for November. I still need to find a way to keep the snow and ice off the panels and to clear out these clouds! I can’t wait to see my production numbers this coming spring and summer!
4.35 23 Reviews
Latest review
Anonymous, over 1 month
SunLight Solutions has solved our high energy bills. Our electric bills keep increasing and now after our solar panels have been installed our first bill has shown a nearly 50% decrease. Everyone at Solar Energy has been so friendly and helpful throughout the whole process. Keeping in touch with us and letting us know what to expect with every step was so helpful and we found it to be very comforting.
Read more
Latest review
Anonymous, over 1 month
SunLight Solutions has solved our high energy bills. Our electric bills keep increasing and now after our solar panels have been installed our first bill has shown a nearly 50% decrease. Everyone at Solar Energy has been so friendly and helpful throughout the whole process. Keeping in touch with us and letting us know what to expect with every step was so helpful and we found it to be very comforting.
4.35 26 Reviews
Latest review
AGoldstein, over 1 month
Ecohouse solar installed a 7.68 kw system on the roof of our home. Jeff gave a very detailed proposal specific to our property, and the system should cover 98% of our electric usage. He answered all of our questions, explained the entire process, and showed up for every appointment, whether it was with ecohouse or not (city inspection, electrical work, monitoring equipment installation). From signing the contract to completing the installation took about 4 months, with the installation itself taking less than a day. Our home needed some electrical upgrades due to an old breaker, and were completed without difficulty. We are looking forward to using our solar panels for years to come!
Read more
Latest review
AGoldstein, over 1 month
Ecohouse solar installed a 7.68 kw system on the roof of our home. Jeff gave a very detailed proposal specific to our property, and the system should cover 98% of our electric usage. He answered all of our questions, explained the entire process, and showed up for every appointment, whether it was with ecohouse or not (city inspection, electrical work, monitoring equipment installation). From signing the contract to completing the installation took about 4 months, with the installation itself taking less than a day. Our home needed some electrical upgrades due to an old breaker, and were completed without difficulty. We are looking forward to using our solar panels for years to come!
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