2024 Solar Incentives Guide for Brecksville, OH - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in Brecksville.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2024 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
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What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Brecksville?
Hamilton County - Home Improvement Program
Local Option - Special Energy Improvement Districts
Energy Conservation for Ohioans (ECO-Link) Program
Solar Renewable Energy Certificates Program (SRECs)
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
The phrase "solar incentives" refers to a wide range of financial incentives implemented to make installing and using solar panels more affordable. This is done to encourage people to switch to renewable energy. Different kinds of incentives, such as cash back, discounts or monthly utility bill credits, may be available to you. Certain incentives may be handled by the Ohio government, by your utility company or by county or municipality, while others are federal. Types of solar incentives might include:
- Net Metering: Net metering is an incentive you can get after your solar panels are up and running. If you've signed a net metering agreement with your Brecksville utility company, they will subtract the value of the excess energy produced by your solar system from your monthly utility bill. In some locations, this credit is dollar-for-dollar, while in other areas you may make back a percentage of the value.
- Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC): SRECs and similar other performance-based incentives may be available to you if you have a solar system that produces more than a specified (generally small) amount of electricity. These types of incentives are usually handled by the state government. You can sell any SRECs you have to your utility company or other buyers, and the money you make is generally considered part of your taxable income.
- Tax Credits: Different from tax deductions, tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, the amount of income tax that you owe the government.
- Rebates: Solar rebates might be offered by your state or county, or by your local utility company. These rebates are essentially partial refunds that are applied after you pay for solar panels and before tax credits are calculated.
- Tax Exemptions: Sales tax exemptions go into effect at the time of purchase for your solar panels. Property tax exemptions let you exclude the value that your solar panels add when you're calculating how much property tax you need to pay on your house.
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Federal Solar Incentives
Federal solar incentives are likely the first thing that you think of when thinking about solar incentives. The Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC, is probably the most commonly known federal solar incentive. The ITC offers a tax credit for a set percentage of your solar system's cost.
The ITC applies towards solar systems installed after January 1, 2006, and lets you deduct from your taxes a percentage of the total cost of solar panels, equipment, accessories and labor. This credit can be claimed on a solar panel system installed on a primary or secondary residence in the United States that you own. The original amount you could claim was 30% of the total cost, although certain projects may qualify for only 26%, depending on the details. There is no maximum claim amount.
To better understand how the ITC will apply to you, contact your local Brecksville solar panel installer and request more information.
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August 2022, expanded and extended the ITC (as well as renaming it to the Clean Energy Credit). Under the new program, solar installation projects that are completed between 2022 and 2032, can qualify for a 30% tax credit. This percentage will then decrease slightly each year until the current Clean Energy Credit expires in 2035. Beginning in 2023, it will also be easier to claim credits for energy storage systems under this new program.
Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. Your local Brecksville solar panel company can answer any questions you have and explain how the new Clean Energy Credit applies to you.
State & Local Solar Incentives
Some solar incentives are often also provided by state and local governments. Similar to federal incentives, these can include tax credits, rebates and more. Incentives may be provided by your county or municipality, or by the state of Ohio. Certain incentives may be available for only a limited time, while others are ongoing.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in Brecksville
There are many types of solar incentives: those provided by the federal government, those offered by the Ohio government and those provided by local utility companies, to name a few. Solar energy use has grown tremendously in the last 15 years, thanks to these incentives. Your local Brecksville solar panel installation expert can provide you with more details about which incentives you should apply for, and get you on track to switch to renewable energy today.
EcoWatch's Brecksville, OH Solar Incentives FAQs
If I already have a solar system installed on my house, can I still claim incentives?
You should plan to talk to the company that installed your system – or reach out to a local Brecksville solar installer — to learn about which incentives you may qualify for. If your solar panels were installed after January 1, 2022, you likely qualify for the recently increased 30% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. Systems installed between 2006 and 2021 may qualify for a tax credit of 26-30%.
What are some of the environmental benefits of switching to solar energy?
You can decrease your carbon footprint by 400 pounds of CO2 annually when you switch to solar panels. This adds up to approximately 8,000 pounds over 20 years. In addition, solar power is a renewable energy source, meaning that switching your home over lessens the drain on our planet's resources.
How long until the federal solar tax credit ends?
The Clean Energy Credit (previously referred to as the federal solar tax credit, or the ITC), is scheduled to end on January 1, 2035. Currently set at 30%, the credit will drop to 26% in 2033 and to 22% in 2034.
Can I receive incentives both towards the initial cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
The order your incentives will be applied in may vary depending on which incentives you are claiming but usually yes, you can receive multiple types of incentives for your solar project. Get in touch with your solar installer or a local tax professional to be sure you are claiming all the incentives you're eligible for and applying them in the correct order.
What if I am planning to add solar panels to a vacation home, rental property or commercial property? Do I still qualify for incentives?
Many solar incentives apply to a property you own that is located within the United States; most secondary residences fall into this category. There may be other solar incentives available for commercial properties, depending on the specifics. We recommend speaking with your local solar installer and/or tax professional to fully understand what incentives may apply to your specific situation.
Our goal is to reach as many people as we can with sensible solutions like solar energy. Our team of full-time local researchers collects solar price and installation data for every city in America then compiles it to create these digestible city guides. If you want to read our solar expert's opinion on the top solar companies featured here, follow this link.
Solar incentive research was conducted by Melissa Smith and Karsten Neumeister. Local data analysis was conducted by James Savino. See something we missed or could do better? Email the editor.