Ohio has no rebate and no state tax credit for home solar. What it has is a credit on your electric bill for extra solar power, called net metering, and a property tax exemption. The bill credit is set by your utility and changes every June. It covers only one part of the price you pay for power, so the size of the system in your quote matters.
Recently changed: the credit rates on this page started on June 1, 2026. AEP Ohio’s net metering schedule was reissued with effect from April 10, 2026. Since August 14, 2025, the property tax law’s definition of an energy facility includes energy storage.
Which Ohio solar incentives are real in 2026?
Two. One is a credit on your electric bill. The other is a tax you do not pay.
| Benefit | What you get | How it reaches you | Who can get it | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net metering bill credit | Extra power is credited at 7.2774 cents per kWh to about 10.86 cents per kWh, depending on the utility. Example: 100 extra kWh earn $7.28 to $10.86 | A dollar credit on a later electric bill | Customers of AEP Ohio, AES Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison | Open. The rate changes each June 1. |
| Property tax exemption | The solar system adds nothing to your property tax | Nothing to pay. If your county adds the system to your home’s value, you file Form DTE 23 | Any Ohio home system of 250 kW or less | In force. No end date in the law. |
Ohio has no state rebate and no state tax credit for home solar. The federal tax credit ended for systems switched on after December 31, 2025. We found no rebate for panels or home batteries at AEP Ohio, the FirstEnergy utilities, AES Ohio or Duke Energy Ohio when we checked.
What do AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy, AES Ohio and Duke credit for extra solar power?
Net metering means your utility measures the power it sends you and the power you send back, then bills you for the difference. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), the state’s utility regulator, sets the rule for the six large utilities it regulates.
Inside one billing month, the power you send out cancels the power you take in, unit for unit. You pay the normal per-kWh charges only on what is left.
If you send out more than you take in over the month, the extra becomes a dollar credit. The credit uses only the energy part of the utility’s standard offer. The standard offer is the default power price for homes that have not picked another supplier. The charges for delivering power are not part of the credit.
Example: 100 extra kWh earn $7.51 at AEP Ohio, $7.28 at a FirstEnergy utility and $10.86 at AES Ohio. For comparison, the average Ohio home pays 17.88 cents per kWh with every charge included.
Utility | Credit per extra kWh since June 1, 2026 | 100 extra kWh earn | Unused credits |
|---|---|---|---|
AEP Ohio | 7.508 cents per kWh | $7.51 | Carry to later bills. You can ask in writing for a refund of up to 12 months of credits. |
Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison (the FirstEnergy utilities) | 7.2774 cents per kWh | $7.28 | Carry to later bills. You can ask in writing for a refund of up to 12 months of credits. |
AES Ohio | about 10.86 cents per kWh | $10.86 | Carry to later bills. The price sheet lists no refund. Credits may be lost if you do not use them or if you stop service. |
Duke Energy Ohio | Its retail energy charge, called Rider RE. We could not read Duke’s current price sheet. Ask Duke for the rate in writing. | Ask Duke | Carry to later bills. You can ask in writing for a refund of up to 12 months of credits. |
The rates come from each utility’s tariff, its official price sheet filed with PUCO. Your utility’s name is at the top of your electric bill.
Watch out: A capacity charge pays for keeping enough power plants ready. It is a separate line from the energy charge. AEP Ohio’s tariff credits its “generation-related energy charges” and “all applicable generation-related riders”. It does not say if that includes its capacity charge of 2.659 cents per kWh. The FirstEnergy tariff credits the energy charge only. At Ohio Edison that leaves out a capacity charge of 2.7479 cents per kWh. Ask AEP Ohio which charges your credit uses.
Why the credit changes every June 1
Each utility buys standard offer power through auctions. The new price starts on June 1 and runs for a year. The credit for extra solar power moves with it, up or down.
A quote that uses one credit rate for the whole life of the system is a guess. Ask which rate the installer used and what date it is from.
The 120% sizing rule
PUCO’s rule says a net-metered system must be sized to no more than 120% of the electricity you need. Your need is your average yearly use over the past three years. The system must also be on your own property.
A typical Ohio home system is 7.68 kW and makes about 10,150 kWh a year. Extra power earns only the energy rate. So ask your installer how much of the system’s output you would use within each month, and how much would be left over.
What if you buy power from a supplier or a city aggregation?
Ohio lets you buy your power from a company other than your utility. Many towns also sign up their residents as a group. That is called a community aggregation. In both cases your utility still delivers the power and sends the bill.
The rates in the table above are for homes on the utility’s standard offer. AES Ohio says its credit uses the standard offer rate “unless you have a net meter contract with an alternate generation supplier”.
Under PUCO’s rule a supplier may offer its own net metering contract, on its own terms. It does not have to offer one.
Look at the supply section of your electric bill before you sign a solar contract. If it names a supplier, ask that supplier in writing how it credits extra solar power. Ask your utility the same question. Compare the two answers with the standard offer credit.
Watch out: An aggregation can enroll you without you doing anything. Check your bill again just before the system is switched on.
See quotes sized to your own Ohio electric use
Your ZIP code starts a quote request with installers who serve your utility. Ask them to size the system to your use and to show the credit rate in effect today.
- Size matters hereExtra power earns less than the power you use yourself. A quote should show both amounts.
- Your utility sets the rateAEP Ohio, FirstEnergy and AES Ohio credit different amounts. A quote should name yours.
- No cost to compareQuotes are free, and you never have to sign.
Do solar panels raise your Ohio property tax?
No, for a home system. Here is the rule and the one form to know.
Ohio law exempts a solar system from property tax when the whole system is 250 kW or less and was finished on or after January 1, 2010. The law is Ohio Revised Code 5709.53(B). It has no end date. A home system is far below that size: the typical one is 7.68 kW.
The exemption covers the solar equipment. Your house and land are taxed as before.
The law does not say how a county applies it to a home. Ask your county auditor, the office that sets property values, if the system was added to your home’s value. If it was, file Form DTE 23 with the auditor by December 31 of the tax year you want exempted. The form says to file in the year after you got the system.
Watch out: Batteries and leased systems are less clear. Since August 14, 2025 the law’s definition of an energy facility includes energy storage systems. Ask your county auditor whether it treats a home battery, and a system you lease, as exempt before you count on it.
Ohio has no income tax credit for solar
The Ohio Department of Taxation’s 2025 income tax instruction booklet lists every state income tax credit. None is for solar. The federal credit ended for systems switched on after December 31, 2025. A quote that still subtracts a tax credit from the price is out of date.
Source: Ohio Department of Taxation, 2025 IT 1040 instructions
SRECs and ECO-Link: two Ohio extras you should not count on
Older guides and some quotes still list these. Neither is money you can plan around.
- Renewable energy credits (RECs, once sold as SRECs): a REC is the proof that 1,000 kWh of power came from a renewable source. A typical Ohio system makes about 10 RECs a year. Ohio has had no solar-only requirement since 2020, so solar credits sell as ordinary renewable credits. The state’s renewable requirement is 8.5% for 2026, and the law sets none after that. No official market price is published. To sell, you must certify the system with PUCO and register it in PJM GATS, the regional system that tracks credits. Leave REC income out of your math.
- ECO-Link loan discount: this was an Ohio Treasurer program that lowered the interest rate on home energy loans. It was not on the Treasurer’s website when we checked, and its old web address leads to the home page. Do not plan on it.
Cleveland Public Power, co-ops, associations and a Hamilton County loan
- Cleveland Public Power: this city utility is outside PUCO’s rule and has its own. Extra power earns kWh credits that carry to later months. If you close your account, any credit left is erased with no payment. The customer must own the system. These terms come from the utility’s posted procedure. Confirm them with Cleveland Public Power before you sign.
- Other city utilities and electric co-ops: each sets its own solar rules. PUCO’s rule and the rates on this page do not apply. Ask for the solar terms in writing.
- Homeowner and condo associations: since September 13, 2022, Ohio Revised Code 5312.16 lets you install solar unless your association’s declaration, its founding document, specifically prohibits it. One of two things must also be true: you pay for your own roof, or the declaration sets rules for solar. The association may set reasonable rules on size and placement. For condos, a separate section covers only units with no unit above or below.
- Hamilton County homes: the county’s Home Improvement Program offers a five-year loan of up to $50,000 at 3% below the bank’s lowest normal rate. The home must be valued under $350,000. Solar panels are an allowed project. It is a loan, not a grant.
When the credit in an Ohio quote will not reach your bill
- The quote values every kWh at your full electric price. Power beyond your monthly use earns only the energy rate: 7.2774 cents per kWh to about 10.86 cents per kWh, depending on the utility.
- Your bill names a supplier or an aggregation. The standard offer credit may not apply. The supplier’s own terms decide, and it need not offer any.
- The system is larger than 120% of your average use. It does not meet PUCO’s sizing rule for net metering.
- You are an AES Ohio customer who builds up credits. Its tariff lists no refund. Unused credits may be lost, also when you stop service.
- Your power comes from a city utility or a co-op. These set their own rules. Cleveland Public Power erases leftover credit when you close the account.
- The quote counts SREC income, ECO-Link or a federal tax credit. The federal credit ended for systems switched on after December 31, 2025. The other two are covered above.
Ohio solar paperwork: utility application, meter, county auditor
- Before you sign: read your electric bill. Find the utility at the top and the company in the supply section. They decide which credit you get.You.
- Before switch-on: the utility application. Your installer applies to your utility for interconnection, the utility’s permission to connect, and for net metering.Your installer.
- The meter. Net metering needs a meter that counts power in both directions. If yours cannot, the utility changes it at your cost. AES Ohio charges $95 for the meter exchange and says its charges for a home average $130 in total.Your utility does the work. You pay.
- First bills: check the credit. Look for the power delivered, the power received and the net amount. At AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy and Duke, a refund of built-up credits needs a written request.You.
- The year after: ask the county auditor. If the system was added to your home’s value, file Form DTE 23 by December 31.You.
- Every June 1: look up the new rate. The credit for extra power changes with the standard offer.You.
Compare Ohio quotes that show your utility’s credit rate
Enter your ZIP code to request quotes from installers in your area. Ask each one which credit rate it used for extra power, and whether it checked who supplies your power.
The form asks about your home first, then your contact details. EcoGen or its installer partners may contact you.
- A quote request by ZIP codeThe form asks installers near you for quotes. It does not apply to your utility or your county.
- Home questions firstA few questions about your home come first. Your name, email and phone come last.
- Free, and your choiceRequesting quotes costs nothing. You decide if you go ahead.
More Ohio solar guides
Ohio solar incentive questions
Does Ohio Have a Solar Tax Credit?
No. The Ohio Department of Taxation’s 2025 income tax instruction booklet lists no income tax credit for solar. The federal credit ended for systems switched on after December 31, 2025. Ohio’s help is a bill credit and a property tax exemption.
Is Net Metering Available in Ohio?
Yes, for customers of AEP Ohio, AES Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison. Power you send out cancels power you take in within the month. Extra power beyond that becomes a dollar credit at the energy part of the standard offer. City utilities and co-ops set their own rules.
What Is the Net Metering Rate in Ohio?
Since June 1, 2026, extra power earns 7.508 cents per kWh at AEP Ohio, 7.2774 cents per kWh at the three FirstEnergy utilities and about 10.86 cents per kWh at AES Ohio. We could not read Duke Energy Ohio’s current rate. The rates change each June 1.
Do Solar Panels Increase Property Taxes in Ohio?
No, for a system of 250 kW or less finished on or after January 1, 2010. The law is Ohio Revised Code 5709.53(B). If your county adds the system to your home’s value, file Form DTE 23 with the county auditor by December 31.
Are There Solar Rebates in Ohio?
There is no state rebate. We found no rebate for panels or home batteries at AEP Ohio, the FirstEnergy utilities, AES Ohio or Duke Energy Ohio when we checked.
Can You Still Sell SRECs in Ohio?
You can sell renewable energy credits, but do not plan on the income. Ohio has had no solar-only requirement since 2020. A typical system makes about 10 RECs a year, and no official market price is published.
Can an HOA Stop You From Installing Solar Panels in Ohio?
Only if the declaration specifically prohibits solar. Since September 13, 2022, Ohio Revised Code 5312.16 lets owners install solar when they pay for their own roof or when the declaration sets rules for solar. The association may set reasonable rules on size and placement.
Sources (17)
- Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-28, net metering (read September 29, 2026): codes.ohio.gov
- Ohio Power Company (AEP Ohio) tariff P.U.C.O. No. 22, Generation Energy Rider, Generation Capacity Rider and Schedule NEMS, PUCO tariff library (checked September 30, 2026): dam.assets.ohio.gov
- Ohio Edison tariff P.U.C.O. No. 11, Rider GEN and Net Energy Metering Rider (checked September 30, 2026): firstenergycorp.com
- The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company tariff, Rider GEN and Net Energy Metering Rider (checked September 30, 2026): firstenergycorp.com
- Toledo Edison tariff, Rider GEN and Net Energy Metering Rider (checked September 30, 2026): firstenergycorp.com
- AES Ohio tariff P.U.C.O. No. 17, Sheet G10, Standard Offer Rate (checked September 30, 2026): vault.aes.com
- AES Ohio tariff P.U.C.O. No. 17, Sheet D5, Billing and Payment, net metering (checked September 30, 2026): vault.aes.com
- AES Ohio, Net metering (checked September 30, 2026): aes-ohio.com
- Ohio Revised Code 5709.53, property tax exemption for energy facilities of 250 kW or less (read September 29, 2026): codes.ohio.gov
- Ohio House Bill 15, 136th General Assembly, as enrolled (read September 29, 2026): lis.state.oh.us
- Ohio Department of Taxation, 2025 Ohio IT 1040 instructions and Schedule of Credits (checked September 30, 2026): tax.ohio.gov
- IRS, Residential Clean Energy Credit (checked September 30, 2026): irs.gov
- FirstEnergy, Renewable Energy Credits (checked September 30, 2026): firstenergycorp.com
- Ohio Treasurer of State, programs listed on the home page (checked September 30, 2026): tos.ohio.gov
- Ohio Revised Code 5312.16, solar in planned communities (read September 29, 2026): codes.ohio.gov
- Cleveland Public Power, Residential Solar Generation and interconnection procedure (read September 29, 2026): cpp.org
- Hamilton County, Home Improvement Program (read September 29, 2026): hamiltoncountyohio.gov
