Can You Really Get Free Solar Panels in Ohio?
One of the biggest myths about rooftop solar panels is that the government will give them to you for free. We wish this were true, but unfortunately, no one is giving out free solar panels.
There are, however, several legitimate solar incentives available in Ohio that can bring your installation costs down significantly.
In this guide, we explain what’s up with all those free solar panel ads you’ve been seeing lately and share the best ways to save on solar with real incentives.
Free Solar Panels Are a Scam
If you can’t get rooftop solar panels for free, why are there so many ads that say you can?
Most companies that claim to install solar panels for free are trying to sign people up for predatory loans that come with high interest rates, expensive fees, and unfavorable terms.
Predatory lenders use aggressive sales tactics, like promising free solar panels, to coerce borrowers. Other free solar panel ads are concealed attempts to collect your personal data by promising a too-good-to-be-true offer.
More Ways to Save on Solar Panels
Make Energy Efficiency Upgrades First
Reducing your home’s overall energy consumption is the first step you should take when planning for a solar panel installation. The more electricity your house consumes, the more solar panels you will need and the more expensive your system will be. By making energy efficiency improvements first, you can reduce the amount of power you need, and therefore the number of solar panels you need.
At Sustainergy Cooperative, our goal is to make these low-cost, high-impact upgrades before installing solar panels so you can cover your electricity needs with a smaller, more affordable system.
Some of the best energy efficiency upgrades to make before going solar include:
Sell Power to Your Utility Company with Net Metering
Net metering won’t reduce the upfront cost of your solar installation, but it helps you save on your electric bills for the lifetime of the system, decreasing the payback period for installing solar.
Net metering is a billing agreement between you and your utility company that allows you to “sell” the excess power your solar panels produce to the grid. In return, you’ll receive a credit to your account that you can use to offset the cost of electricity you buy from the grid when your solar panels are not producing power, at night, for example.
Net metering is, unfortunately, not available everywhere. In Ohio, investor-owned utility companies are required to offer net metering, but municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives are allowed to create their own net-metering rules and may or may not offer a net metering program.
