Ohio
Ohio solar in 2026
Ohio solar has a math problem, and pretending otherwise is not helpful. The rule lets monthly excess credits roll forward, but those credits are based on the energy component of the standard service offer, not the full retail bill. Your panels can produce a useful kWh. Exporting that kWh is a much weaker proposition.
An Ohio bill has a retail price and a much weaker export price
The headline household rate obscures the split in this rule. Generation that avoids a retail purchase does useful work. Generation sent out for the energy-only credit belongs in a separate, less generous calculation.
| Energy source | Type | Average price | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio statewide blend | Electricity | 19.52¢ per kWh | EIA's Ohio residential aggregate through May 2026. |
| Residential natural gas | Natural gas | $22.83 per Mcf | May 2026 Ohio household gas data from EIA, about 7.5 cents per thermal kWh. |
| Rooftop solar, owned | Electricity | ~8.4¢ per kWh | Twenty-five-year cost estimate using EnergySage state pricing and our PVGIS output model. Grid-bound generation can have less value than power consumed at home. |
The electric input is from EIA Table 5.6.A, May 2026. For Ohio residential gas, use the May figure in EIA's price series. One Mcf equals about 304 kWh of thermal energy. The solar figure is calculated using the process on our methodology page.
Ohio resource is not the limiting factor
The modeled resource does not rule Ohio out. Cincinnati and Toledo are credible cases, with Cleveland serving as the conservative end. The tighter discussion is not about sun. It is about the value assigned to exported output.
| Representative city | Annual modeled kWh per kW | Yearly generation at 13.3 kW |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 1,292 | 17,177 kWh |
| Cleveland | 1,232 | 16,391 kWh |
| Cincinnati | 1,305 | 17,350 kWh |
| Toledo | 1,296 | 17,242 kWh |
Method: PVGIS v5.2 model runs by Solar Learning Lab on August 18, 2026, using the NSRDB radiation database. Assumptions: fixed roof mount, south facing, 30 degree tilt, 14 percent losses. Your roof will differ. The example matches the EnergySage Ohio average system of 13.3 kW.
Ohio's carry-forward credit is deliberately narrow
Under Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-28, monthly surplus earns the energy portion of the utility's standard service offer and remains available as a later credit. The word "net metering" can hide the key omission: delivery and other retail components do not travel with the exported kWh.
PUCO finished the statutory five-year review on January 7, 2026 in docket 25-0349-EL-ORD without changing the rule. Predictability is welcome, but it is not generosity. Use interval consumption to size the array, and challenge a forecast that values every exported kWh at 19.52 cents.
Policy source: Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-28.
A property-tax exemption will not repair oversizing
| Item | Value | Fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Qualified Energy Property tax exemption | Qualifying facilities up to 250 kW AC | The permanent exemption applies to eligible public-utility tangible personal property and real-property tax, including interconnection equipment (program summary) |
| Federal 25D | Ended December 31, 2025 | Lease and PPA providers may claim 48E and incorporate part of it into their offer (CRS) |
Ohio has no verified residential solar rebate or income-tax credit in our research. The property-tax rule is meaningful where taxable value exists, yet it cannot rescue a proposal that prices exports at retail.
In Ohio, the credit and the avoided purchase are different things
The rule in OAC 4901:1-10-28 does not erase a monthly surplus. It carries the credit forward, which is better than losing it immediately. But the credit comes from the energy component of the standard service offer. The full 19.52-cent statewide residential price is not the right value to place on a kWh that leaves the house, because the bill includes more than that energy component.
That distinction changes the question an installer needs to answer. Do not settle for gross annual production. Ask how much of the modeled output will offset usage in the same billing period and how much will become a carried-forward credit. A system can look productive on a roof sketch while still producing a thin financial result if the household is away when it makes power.
PUCO's January 7, 2026 order in docket 25-0349-EL-ORD declined changes after its five-year review. That makes the present treatment easier to model. It does not broaden it. Separately, the Qualified Energy Property exemption is permanent for eligible facilities up to 250 kW AC and includes interconnection equipment. For a residential project, that is a tax classification point, not a substitute for right-sizing.
The most useful request is not "Will I have net metering?" It is "What is the standard-service-offer energy component for my utility, and how does the proposal apply it?" Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-28 sets the rule for electric distribution utilities, but the proposed design should connect it to the serving utility and the household's consumption pattern. A cash quote can be perfectly reasonable and still be the wrong array size. When the forecast shows a large surplus, ask whether panel count, orientation, or load timing is doing the damage before accepting the claimed savings.
Rule: OAC 4901:1-10-28. Review order: PUCO review summary. Tax treatment: Qualified Energy Property summary.
Put Ohio self-consumption at the center of the model
Use the calculator as a first pass, then examine how much generation the household actually consumes. In Ohio, that share is central to the economics, not a footnote.
Bounds use four Ohio PVGIS runs. Cleveland is the low case; Cincinnati is the high case.
Cash quotes in Ohio cluster near $2.70 per watt, against a $3.50 national 2024 median (LBNL). Use your quote.
Assumptions you can change
Use the rate on your actual lease or PPA quote. There is no published statewide average we trust enough to hardcode.
Cash purchase
$17,550 after state credit
- Year 1 benefit
- $135/mo
- Payback
- 10 years
- 20 year net position
- $21,892
Ohio has no verified residential state rebate or income-tax credit in our research. The relevant state benefit is the qualifying property-tax exemption.
Solar loan
$228/mo 15 yr payment
- Year 1 net
- -$92/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- -$1,571
We price loans at $3.90 per watt: the EnergySage cash figure plus the $1.20 national loan-over-cash spread LBNL documents, since dealer fees get built into loan pricing.
Lease / PPA
$0 down you buy the power
- Year 1 net
- -$31/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- -$6,722
A lease or PPA provider may still claim 48E, but that does not repair the weak export credit under Ohio rules.
Estimates, not quotes. Inputs use the Ohio average rate from EIA (Table 5.6.A, May 2026), our own PVGIS production runs, and EnergySage August 2026 cost data. Qualified Energy Property tax exemption for qualifying facilities up to 250 kW AC, including interconnection equipment. We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. See our disclosures.
Four Ohio questions to put in writing
- Require the proposal to show the utility's energy-component credit in cents per kWh, not just the label "net metering."
- Request interval or load-profile data. A house vacant through sunny hours needs more caution with array size.
- PUCO retained the rule after its five-year review. A stable low-value export rule is still a low-value export rule.
- Keep the property-tax exemption separate from cash savings. It applies only when there is taxable value to remove.
Ohio installer screening starts with utility territory
Several utility territories cross Ohio, so a serious proposal names the territory before projecting savings. These companies are interview candidates, not a ranking or endorsement.
Gold Path Solar
Dublin, OH
5.0(253 Google reviews)
American Dream Solar and Window
Amelia, OH
4.5(306 Google reviews)
EcoHouse Solar
Columbus, OH
4.9(75 Google reviews)
Icon Solar
Milford, OH
4.7(80 Google reviews)
Kokosing Solar
Athens, OH
4.8(78 Google reviews)
Google Maps ratings are from an August 2026 DataForSEO SERP feed. Zero companies paid us and none are endorsed by us. Confirm contractor licensing and local permitting requirements before contract execution.
Get an Ohio-oriented solar estimate
Answer four questions for an Ohio estimate based on this page's EIA and PVGIS figures. We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. Details in our disclosures.
What does your monthly electric bill look like?
Ohio average is $135 per month (EIA, 2024).