OhioSolar Incentives 2026: Tax Credits, Rebates & Net Metering

Ohio does not offer a state income tax credit specifically for residential solar. Most homeowners rely on the 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit as the primary up-front incentive.

Ohio requires investor-owned utilities to offer net metering on residential solar systems. The credit rate is the full retail electricity rate.

In practice, this means a properly sized Ohio system can drive net annual electricity costs to within tens of dollars of zero. Top utilities operating under OH net metering rules include AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy, Duke Energy OH.

3 major utilities operate in Ohio: AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy, Duke Energy OH. Specific rebate availability varies year to year and is typically distributed first-come, first-served until annual budget caps are reached.

Before scheduling any installation, verify current rebate status directly with your utility — programs open and close throughout the year. Most Ohio installers will pull up-to-date rebate data during a site assessment.

Ohio does not currently offer a property tax exemption for solar. The added home value from a solar installation is generally included in the next assessment cycle.

Ohio does not exempt solar equipment from sales tax, so installation invoices include standard sales tax on hardware components.

Ohio has an active Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) market. Homeowners earn one SREC for every megawatt-hour produced and sell them on the OH compliance market.

At current clearing prices, the average OH homeowner earns approximately $7,800 in SREC income over the first five years of operation. SREC values are volatile and depend on the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard compliance demand each year.

Compare Ohio's solar incentive package side-by-side with adjacent states to see whether you live in a relatively high- or low-incentive market.