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

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

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

Solar incentives are intended to make renewable energy usage more affordable via financial incentives for those who install solar panels on their homes. You might qualify for different types of incentives, including cash back, discounts 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 state of Ohio and others from the federal government. You might qualify for any of the following types of solar incentives:

• Rebates: Rebates, or cash back after a purchase, are normally given before any solar tax credits are calculated. Rebates might be provided by your local utility company, by your state or by your county.
• Tax Exemptions: Your solar panel system may qualify for exemptions on both sales and property tax. Sales tax exemptions come into effect at the time of purchase. Property tax exemptions let you ignore the added value of the solar panels when calculating property taxes on your home.
• Net Metering: You may be able to sign a net metering contract with your Riverside utility company. This agreement may apply to all or a percentage of the excess electricity that is generated by your solar panels. They will then deduct this value from your monthly utility bill.
• Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC): SRECs are credits that can be sold to your utility company (or other buyers) for money that typically becomes part of your taxable income. Typically, there is a small threshold of energy production to meet before your solar system is eligible for SRECs or other performance-based incentives. SRECs and similar incentives are generally handled by your state government.
• Tax Credits: Tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, how much income tax you owe the federal government. Tax credits are different from tax deductions.

Federal Solar Incentives

Federal solar incentives are likely to be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about solar incentives. It's likely that you've heard of the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC. This incentive is a tax credit that reduces your taxes by a certain percentage of the money you spend on your solar system.

The ITC applies to the value of solar panels installed on your primary or secondary residence in the United States. The solar system has to have been installed after January 1, 2006, on a property owned by you for you to be eligible for the credit. Originally, the ITC covered 30% of all system costs (panels, labor, equipment and accessories), although the amount has fluctuated slightly over time between 26-30%. The installation date of your solar system will determine what percentage you are eligible for. There is no cap on the amount you can claim.

Wondering how the ITC applies to your specific situation? Contact your local Riverside solar panel installer to get more information.

The ITC was both renewed and expanded by the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022. It's also now called the Clean Energy Credit. The Clean Energy Credit runs until 2035. Your solar installation project undertaken between 2022 and 2032 may qualify for a 30% tax credit. This amount will be decreased slightly on a yearly basis until the end of the current program. Starting in 2023, the program expansion will also make claiming credit for energy storage systems easier than ever before.

Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. Your local Riverside solar panel installer can answer any questions you have and explain how the new Clean Energy Credit may apply to you.

State & Local Solar Incentives

Some solar incentives are often also provided at the state and local level. Like with federal incentives, these might include rebates, tax credits and more. Certain incentives are ongoing, while others may only be available for a limited time. They might be given by the Ohio government, or by your county or municipality.

Next Steps for Installing Solar in Riverside

You can apply for solar incentives from the federal government and the Ohio government, as well as from your local utility company. Growing availability of solar initiatives over the last 15 years has helped increase nationwide solar energy use enormously. Call your local solar panel installer today to learn more and to save as much money as possible on a solar system for your Riverside home.