Is solar worth it in Columbus in 2026?
A roof in Columbus produces about 1,266 kWh a year per kW of panels. For a home with a $150 monthly bill, a 7.6 kW system costs about $27,372 at Ohio's median price and pays for itself in roughly 24.9 years, with no federal tax credit.
1,266kWh per kW a year
Source: PVGIS, NSRDB data
18.7¢per kWh
Source: EIA, 2026 year to date
$3.60per watt
Source: Berkeley Lab
Calculator · 2026 data, no federal tax credit
How long would solar take to pay for itself?
Simple payback
24.9 years
- System size
- 7.6 kW
- Installed cost
- $27,372
- Savings, year one
- $1,098
- Net over 25 years
- $-1,507
Sized to cover your yearly use at today's price. Panels lose 0.5% a year; prices held flat. Method
How Columbus homes get paid for solar
Export rules are set at the state and utility level, not by the city. Columbus is under Ohio's net billing: Ohio utilities credit exports at the energy part of the standard service offer only, carried forward as a bill credit; the rule has stood since 2017 (revised 2019, 2024). The full rules, incentives and sources are on theOhio page.
Why the city matters
Two things change from one city to another in the same state: the sun, which sets how many panels you need, and the utility, which sets what exported power is worth. Columbus gets 1,266 kWh per kW a year on a south-facing roof at a 20° tilt, so covering a year of use for a $150 bill at 18.7¢ takes about 7.6 kW, roughly 20 panels of 400 W. Electricity prices in the calculator are the Ohio residential average; your utility's rate can be higher or lower, so put your own bill in.
Method: how we calculate payback. Compare all states in theranking or size a system with the panel calculator.