Is Rooftop Solar Worth It in Ohio?

It depends on your electric rate, roof, and how you pay. In Ohio Edison territory a cash-bought system typically breaks even in roughly 10–14 years and turns a positive net return over its 25–30 year life — but the math got tougher in 2026 because the 30% federal residential tax credit expired on December 31, 2025, and Ohio credits exported solar at only the wholesale generation rate, not the full retail rate. This calculator models all of that so you can see your own break-even year.

For homeowners who buy their system (cash or loan), yes — the Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) was repealed effective January 1, 2026 under the 2025 budget law, dropping from 30% to 0% with no phase-down. The 30% credit does still apply to third-party-owned systems (solar leases and PPAs), where the installer claims it and passes some savings through in your rate. You can toggle the credit on in this tool to see the difference it makes.

Ohio is a deregulated state, so excess solar you export is credited at the unbundled generation rate (roughly $0.09–$0.11/kWh) rather than the full retail rate (~$0.17/kWh). That means a kWh you use the moment it's produced is worth far more than one you export. Sizing your system to match your daytime usage — and not massively oversizing — gives the best return. Residential net metering is capped at 10 kW.

Modern panels carry a 25-year performance warranty and degrade only about 0.5% per year, so they still make 85–90% of their original output at year 25 and often keep producing past year 30. The weak link is the inverter: a string inverter usually needs a ~$2,000–$2,500 replacement around year 12–15. This tool builds that replacement, ongoing maintenance, and annual degradation into the break-even math.

For lifetime savings the order is usually cash > loan > lease/PPA, because owning captures the full value of the power. A loan spreads the cost so your payment is partly offset by bill savings from day one. A lease or PPA is $0 down and the installer keeps the 30% credit, so you save a smaller, guaranteed slice (often ~10–20%) with no maintenance risk. Switch between them in the calculator to compare the payment curves.