2025 Solar Incentives Guide for Gahanna, OH - Tax Credits & Rebates

What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Gahanna?

Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/

The phrase "solar incentives" refers to a range of financial incentives designed to make installing and using solar panels more affordable. This is done to encourage people to switch to renewable energy. You might qualify for several kinds of incentives, such as discounts, cash back or credit towards your monthly utility bill, depending on your situation. Some incentives come from your specific utility company, county or municipality, some from the Ohio government and others from the federal government. Some broad categories of solar incentives include:

• Net Metering: You can sign a net metering agreement with your Gahanna utility company that will apply to all or a percentage of the excess electricity that is generated by your solar panels. Your utility company will then deduct this value from your monthly utility bill.
• Tax Exemptions: These may come in the form of property tax exemptions, which would allow you to exclude the value of your solar system when calculating the taxes you pay on your home. You may also qualify for an exemption on sales tax at the time of purchase.
• Tax Credits: Tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, the total amount of tax you owe the government. Tax credits are different from tax deductions.
• Rebates: Solar rebates might be offered by your local utility company, or by your county or state. These rebates work as partial refunds that are applied after you purchase a solar system and before tax credits are calculated.
• Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC): Typically, solar systems that produce more than a predetermined (normally small) amount of electricity will qualify for SRECs or similar performance-based incentives. SRECs and similar incentives are typically provided at the state level. You can sell SRECs to your utility company or another buyer, and the money you receive is normally considered part of your taxable income.

Federal Solar Incentives

Federal incentives are the kind of incentives that you are most likely to have some knowledge of. The Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC, is probably the most well-known federal solar incentive. The ITC provides you with 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 under this program you can deduct from your taxes a percentage of the total cost of solar panels, labor, accessories and equipment. This credit can apply towards solar panels installed on a primary or secondary residence that you own in the United States. 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.

Your local Gahanna solar panel installer can provide you with more information about the ITC and how it might apply to your situation.

In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act expanded and extended the ITC, now dubbed the Clean Energy Credit. Now, solar installation projects begun after January 1, 2022, and finished by December 31, 2032, can qualify for a 30% tax credit. This percentage will then see a slight annual decrease until the end of the current Clean Energy Credit in 2035. Starting in 2023, it will also be easier to obtain credits for energy storage systems under this new program.

Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. To better understand how the new Clean Energy Credit might apply to you, speak with your local Gahanna solar installers.

State & Local Solar Incentives

There are often also state solar incentives in addition to those provided by the federal government. Rebates, tax credits and more may be available at a more local level. Certain incentives are ongoing, while others are offered for only a limited time. Your local solar incentives could come from your county or municipality, or from the Ohio government.

Next Steps for Installing Solar in Gahanna

The expanding number of solar incentives available has enormously increased the nationwide adoption of solar energy over the last 15 years. You might qualify for solar incentives from the Ohio government, the federal government or your local utility company. We recommend talking to your local Gahanna solar installation expert for more information about these incentives and to be sure that you're getting the largest number possible for your solar system.