Cleveland, OH Solar Panels
Solar Power in Cleveland
If you live in Cleveland and have watched your electric bill climb, you’re not alone. Ohio electricity prices have increased 31% from 2020 to 2024, with residential rates now averaging 16.07 cents per kWh. Many Northeast Ohio homeowners are searching for a way to take control of their energy costs, and solar installation offers a practical path forward.
At Palmetto, we make going solar easy to understand. Whether you’re just curious or ready to learn more, our guide on home solar panels can help you explore what solar could mean for your Cleveland home.
How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in Cleveland, OH?
See real solar costs for Cleveland homes, built from our actual installation data across neighborhoods like Lakewood, Parma, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland Heights. This calculator uses firsthand local numbers—not estimates—to help you understand what solar could look like for your home. Explore your options with confidence.
System
- No upfront investment
- Palmetto handles all maintenance
- 90% Production Guarantee
- Comprehensive protection program included
Key Takeaways
- Cleveland homeowners save around $62,000 over 25 years with solar, as rising Ohio electricity rates—up 31% since 2020—make generating your own power increasingly worthwhile.
- Ohio offers helpful solar incentives like Cleveland’s 15-year property tax abatement and the ECO-Link program’s reduced-interest loans, helping lower the cost of going solar.
- Leasing solar means no upfront cost through LightReach—Palmetto owns and maintains the system while you enjoy the savings from day one.
Cleveland Electricity Prices
If you live in Cleveland and feel your electric bill creeping higher each year, you are not imagining it.
Electricity in Ohio keeps climbing. Residential rates rose from 12.8 cents per kWh in 2021 to 16.1 cents in 2024. That steady increase adds up on every Cleveland household’s monthly bill.
Solar offers a way to manage these rising costs. By generating power from your own roof, you rely less on the grid and gain more predictability, even when utility rates in Northeast Ohio continue to move upward.
Over time, that stability matters. As electricity prices rise year after year, a solar system can help Cleveland homeowners lock in more consistent energy costs and protect their household budget for decades to come.
Price of Energy: Ohio vs National Average
Cleveland Area Utility Providers
If you live in Cleveland and have watched your electric bill climb, you’re not alone. In 2023, The Illuminating Company charged 14.4¢ per kWh—and many Northeast Ohio homeowners are exploring solar installation in Cleveland to take control of their costs.
That 2023 rate sat below the state average of 15.40¢ and the national average of 16.0¢ per kWh. Local rates reflect Ohio’s grid mix and delivery costs, but utility prices tend to rise over time.
Solar panel installation lets you generate your own power and depend less on shifting utility rates. Our guide on home solar panels can help you explore what solar could mean for your Cleveland home.
Cleveland Utilities Electricity Rates
Ohio Solar Incentives
Going solar in Cleveland is more affordable thanks to several solar incentives in Ohio that help offset installation costs.
These state and local programs come in a few forms. Cleveland offers a property tax abatement that exempts up to 100% of your home’s added value for 15 years. Loan programs like ECO-Link provide reduced-interest financing for panels and battery storage.
The federal 30% residential tax credit ended under the Big Beautiful Bill, but state and local incentives remain. Leasing through LightReach simplifies things, as Palmetto handles the commercial ITC and passes savings along.
| Incentive | Type | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECO-Link Program (Energy Conservation for Ohioans) | Rebate | The Ohio Treasurer’s ECO-Link program offers homeowners reduced-interest loans — up to 3% below market rate — for solar panel and battery storage installations, with loan amounts up to $50,000. | Learn More |
| Cleveland Property Tax Abatement for Solar | Property Tax Exemption | Cleveland homeowners can receive a property tax abatement that exempts up to 100% of the increased property value resulting from a solar installation for 15 years. |
The ECO-Link (Energy Conservation for Ohioans) program is administered by the Ohio Treasurer of State and helps homeowners finance solar panel and battery storage installations at reduced interest rates. The program works through Ohio’s Linked Deposit Program: the state deposits funds with participating banks at a below-market rate, and those banks pass the savings on to borrowers in the form of an interest rate reduction of up to 3% below the prevailing market rate.
Eligible homeowners in Cleveland can borrow up to $50,000 through the program. Loans up to $25,000 are available on 5-year terms, while loans between $25,000 and $50,000 are available on 7-year terms. At least 50% of the loan must be used for solar energy improvements. This reduced-rate financing can meaningfully lower the monthly cost of going solar, especially for homeowners who do not have access to other low-cost financing options.
To apply, contact the Ohio Treasurer’s Office for a list of participating lenders in your area. Because the program is administered through a network of local banks and financial institutions, availability and specific terms may vary by lender. Visit the Ohio Treasurer of State’s website or call their office directly for the most current program details and a list of eligible financiers.
The City of Cleveland offers a Property Tax Abatement program that exempts up to 100% of the increased assessed value of a property resulting from a solar installation. Under this program, property owners only pay taxes on the pre-improvement value of their property for 15 years, meaning the added value that solar panels bring to your home will not increase your property tax bill for a decade and a half.
This abatement is one of the most generous local solar property tax programs in Ohio, providing significant long-term savings for Cleveland homeowners who go solar. The financial benefit will vary depending on your home’s value and the size of your solar installation, but the exemption on the full increased value can translate to hundreds of dollars in annual tax savings over the 15-year abatement period.
For current eligibility requirements, application procedures, and program details, contact the City of Cleveland’s Department of Building and Housing or the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer’s office. As with all local abatement programs, it is important to apply in a timely manner — ideally before or shortly after your solar installation is complete — to ensure the abatement is properly recorded and applied to your property tax account.
Ready to start saving with solar?
Speak with a Palmetto solar expert to find out exactly how much you can save with Ohio incentives.
Get a Free QuoteCleveland Solar Irradiance
Solar panel production varies throughout the year based on daylight hours, weather patterns, and sun intensity. Understanding how seasons affect your solar system helps set realistic expectations for your investment.
Cleveland’s lake-effect clouds and snowy winters may seem challenging for solar. But like Seattle and Boston, Cleveland gets plenty of usable sunlight, and cooler temperatures actually help panels work more efficiently year-round.
Solar Production in Cleveland by Month
What Can Your Solar System Power?
Summer Production (July)
In July, your 10 kW system could power:
- 3.6 average homes (15 kWh/day per home)
- or Run central AC for 18 hours AND power all other appliances
- or Fully charge 5.4 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles
Winter Production (December)
In December, your 10 kW system could power:
- 2 average homes (15 kWh/day per home)
- or Keep your home heating system running for 15 hours
- or Fully charge 3 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles
Annual Production
Over a year, your 10 kW system could:
- Offset 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
- or Equal the environmental benefit of planting 175 trees
- or Save approximately $4,234 in electricity costs
Want to know exactly how much solar can power your home?
Get a personalized solar analysis based on your actual home, energy usage, and roof characteristics.
Get My Custom EstimateSolar Panel Systems in Cleveland
We’ve mapped solar installations across the United States, right down to the neighborhood level. Explore this interactive map to see how many of your Cleveland neighbors have already switched to solar. Click any hexagon to discover the number of installations in that area, and see clean energy growing across your community.
Leasing Solar Panels
In Cleveland, most homeowners are served by the Illuminating Company (Cleveland Electric/FirstEnergy), and Palmetto offers a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in this area. With a PPA, you don’t buy the system. Instead, you pay a set price for each kilowatt-hour of solar power your panels produce, often less than your utility charges.
A PPA removes the upfront cost of buying solar with cash, and it removes the maintenance burden too. Palmetto owns and maintains the system, so repairs and monitoring are handled for you. Because Ohio panels produce more in summer, your solar bills may be higher then, but savings even out across the year.
To compare your options, see our guide on whether to buy or lease solar, or explore LightReach.
Go solar without the investment
With LightReach, there are no investment costs to recoup, loan payments to manage, or maintenance needs to take on. As soon as your panels are active, your solar savings are too!
Explore LightReach LeasingFrequently Asked Questions
Yes, Cleveland, OH has net metering. Most Cleveland homeowners are served by The Illuminating Company (Cleveland Electric/FirstEnergy), which offers monthly net metering. Each month, the solar energy your panels send to the grid is credited on a 1:1 basis against your total consumption for that billing cycle.
If your panels produce more than your home uses in a month, that excess is carried forward to the next billing cycle at the generation rate (roughly 5–12 cents/kWh), rather than the full retail rate.
Yes. In Cleveland, solar panels that you purchase or own outright can add value to your home. A Zillow study found that homes with solar panels sell for approximately 4.1% more than comparable homes without them.
This applies to owned systems, not leased or PPA systems. With a leased system, a buyer may assume the lease agreement, so it can affect resale differently rather than directly adding value.
With Palmetto’s LightReach lease, Cleveland homeowners can go solar for a low fixed monthly payment—as little as around $101/month—with no upfront cost. Palmetto owns and maintains the system, so you start saving from day one.
If you prefer to buy, a cash purchase for an average Cleveland home starts near $23,814. Note that following the 2025 federal law change, the 30% tax credit is no longer available for residential cash purchases. See the calculator above for pricing based on your home size.
With Palmetto’s LightReach solar lease, there’s no upfront cost. You make one simple monthly payment covering the system, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and a 90% Production Guarantee. For a typical 8.36 kW system in Cleveland, that’s about $101/month.
Because Palmetto owns the system, it claims the commercial tax credit and passes those savings to you through lower payments—an advantage cash buyers no longer get. Since your lease payment is often less than your current electric bill, you can start saving from day one.
At Palmetto, we combine national experience with a local focus for Cleveland homeowners. Since 2020, we’ve completed 1,899 installations across Ohio, helping families in neighborhoods like Lakewood, Parma, and Shaker Heights generate their own power.
When choosing a solar company, consider financing options, install quality, and long-term support. We offer some of the industry’s best financing along with a trusted install network, so Cleveland residents can go solar with confidence and clarity.
Cleveland homeowners can take advantage of state and local solar incentives. The city’s property tax abatement exempts up to 100% of the added home value from solar for 15 years, and Ohio’s ECO-Link program offers reduced-interest loans (up to 3% below market) for panels and battery storage.
The federal 30% residential tax credit ended for cash purchases after the 2025 federal law change. However, with a LightReach lease, Palmetto claims the commercial ITC and passes those savings through to you.
For many Cleveland homeowners, solar can make financial sense—especially as Ohio electricity rates have climbed 31% since 2020. With a LightReach lease, there’s no upfront investment, and your monthly payment is typically less than your current electric bill.
That means you can start saving from day one. Palmetto owns and maintains the system, so you avoid repair costs while relying less on rising utility rates and gaining more predictable energy expenses.