2026 incentives · Aiken, SC
Solar incentives in Aiken, SC
Two things changed for Aiken in 2026: the 30% federal credit ended on December 31, 2025, and Dominion Energy South Carolina moved new solar customers onto Solar Choice. Here is what is actually left, and what it is worth on a real roof.
The short answer · as of July 2026
Aiken homeowners can claim South Carolina’s 25% state tax credit (Form TC-38), capped at $3,500 per tax year with a 10-year carry-forward, plus property-tax exemption on qualifying systems of 20 kW or less and sales-tax exemption on equipment. Dominion Energy South Carolina credits exported power at roughly 2.8–4.1¢ per kWh under Solar Choice. The 30% federal credit is no longer available.
Local incentive reality
The incentive picture in Aiken
Aiken is the clearest example in our territory of why "what incentives can I get" is the wrong first question. South Carolina’s 25% credit on Form TC-38 applies the same whichever utility bills you, capped at $3,500 in any one tax year with a ten-year carry-forward. What differs, and differs materially over twenty-five years, is what your utility pays you for the power you export. That is the larger number, and it is decided by your address.
The mechanism worth understanding is statutory. South Carolina’s net energy metering chapter governs “electrical utilities”, and an electric cooperative is not one. The 2014 act instead directed every distribution cooperative board to adopt its own net energy metering policy and report it to the Office of Regulatory Staff, so Aiken Electric sets its own export credit under its distributed-generation rider rather than crediting at retail. There is nothing wrong with that arrangement. It is just a different one, and almost every national page covering Aiken quietly assumes it does not exist.
Neither utility here offers a meaningful upfront residential rebate, so there is no cash incentive to chase and nobody should be telling you otherwise. Qualifying systems of 20 kW or less remain exempt from South Carolina property tax and solar equipment is exempt from state sales tax. The federal residential credit is gone for systems placed in service on or after 1 January 2026, and any Aiken quote still applying 30% is running on tooling nobody has updated.
Written for Aiken specifically. Your own roof, bill and meter still decide the answer, which is what the free assessment settles.
Start here, it matters most
What Dominion Energy South Carolina pays you for solar in Aiken
People search for incentives and mean tax credits. In Aiken the bigger lever is what your utility credits you for the power you send back, because that applies every month for 25 years rather than once at tax time.
| Item | Current position (July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Programme | Solar Choice, which replaced one-for-one net metering for new residential systems from January 1, 2026 |
| Retail rate you avoid | about 14.4¢ per kWh for power you use as you generate it |
| Export credit | roughly 2.8–4.1¢ per kWh for power you send back, on a time-of-use basis |
| Monthly rider | about $14 a month |
| Annual true-up | Leftover credits settle each November at an avoided-cost rate |
| Upfront utility rebate | None. There is no residential cash-back programme in this territory. |
| Who confirms your territory | We do, at the assessment. In and around Aiken, Aiken Electric Cooperative serves a substantial share of Aiken County, including addresses inside city limits, and terms differ. |
The practical consequence: a kilowatt-hour you use yourself is worth roughly three to five times a kilowatt-hour you export. That is why we size to your consumption rather than to your roof area, and why load shifting or storage now matters more in Aiken than it did two years ago.
Rebates
Why Aiken has no utility rebate, and who does
There is no upfront residential solar rebate in Dominion Energy South Carolina territory. We say that plainly because it is one of the most common false expectations we meet, usually set by a national page that lists every programme in the state without saying which utility each one belongs to.
For context, and so you can check anything you have been told: Santee Cooper, which serves much of the Grand Strand, runs a per-kW rebate of $950 up to $5,700, requiring a NABCEP-certified crew and Trade Ally participation, with a 6 kW-AC lifetime cap per meter and an annual funding waitlist. Duke Energy has run PowerPair for solar plus battery, but its Progress territory closed to new applications in late 2025 and Carolinas has been at or near capacity, so it should not be counted on without checking your address.
None of those apply in Aiken. If a salesperson has quoted you a utility rebate here, ask which programme and which utility, and check it against the utility's own page before you sign anything.
Statewide rules
The parts that are the same everywhere in SC
Three incentives apply identically across South Carolina, so we explain them once rather than eighteen times. In short: a 25% state income tax credit on Form TC-38 capped at $3,500 per tax year with a 10-year carry-forward, property-tax exemption on qualifying systems of 20 kW or less, and sales-tax exemption on equipment. The 30% federal credit expired for systems placed in service on or after 1 January 2026.
The cap is the part that catches people out. Because you can only claim $3,500 a year, a system whose 25% credit is $6,000 arrives across two tax returns rather than as one payment, and low state tax liability stretches it further still.
Full mechanics, worked examples and the utility-by-utility comparison →
Eligibility depends on your circumstances and none of this is tax advice, so confirm with a tax professional. Property-tax treatment is administered locally, see Aiken County below.
Aiken County
What the exemption is worth in Aiken County
An eligible rooftop system of 20 kW or less should not increase your assessed value in Aiken County, so you are not paying annually for an improvement that is reducing your power bill.
The exemption's cash value scales with local millage, so it is worth more in higher-millage jurisdictions. We do not publish a millage figure for Aiken County without an auditor-current schedule on file, because a wrong number here is worse than no number. Your assessment walks through how the exemption works for your parcel instead.
The 20 kW threshold matters if you are considering a large system in Aiken. Sizing past it can cost you the exemption entirely, which is another reason right-sizing beats maximising, and another reason Dominion Energy South Carolina's export rate of roughly 2.8–4.1¢ per kWh should shape the design.
Adding it up
What a Aiken homeowner actually nets in 2026
An illustrative stack on a 9.5 kW system at the local benchmark. An example to show the shape of it, not a quote and not a promise.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| 9.5 kW system at $2.59 per watt | $24,605 |
| State sales tax | Exempt |
| Federal credit | $0, expired for 2026 installs |
| Dominion Energy South Carolina rebate | $0, no programme in this territory |
| SC 25% credit (TC-38) | −$6,033, claimed across 2 tax years |
| Net cost | about $18,454 |
| Annual property tax added | $0 on qualifying systems ≤20 kW |
For what that net figure means as a payback period, and why the answer depends far more on when you use power than on which panels you buy, see solar panel cost in Aiken.
Businesses
Incentives for Aiken businesses
Commercial solar is treated differently from residential. Federal commercial provisions and depreciation treatment may still apply where the residential credit does not, and the structuring genuinely matters.
We are installers, not tax advisers, so we will not model your commercial position for you. What we will do is scope and build the system, document it properly for your accountant, and route the tax questions to your CPA rather than guess at them.
Commercial solar in Aiken · how we approach commercial projects
Aiken incentives FAQ
Common questions about solar incentives in Aiken
What solar incentives can I get in Aiken, SC in 2026?
South Carolina offers a 25% state income tax credit on Form TC-38, capped at $3,500 in any one tax year and at 50% of your annual state liability, with a ten-year carry-forward. Qualifying residential systems of 20 kW or less are exempt from South Carolina property tax. Solar equipment is exempt from South Carolina state sales tax. The 30% federal credit expired for systems placed in service on or after January 1, 2026.
Does Aiken still have net metering?
Not in the original form. One-for-one net metering closed to new applicants in South Carolina before the current programme took over, and new customers are enrolled in Solar Choice instead. Under that programme exported power is credited at roughly 2.8–4.1¢ per kWh rather than at the about 14.4¢ per kWh retail rate, with a rider of about $14 a month and an annual true-up in November.
How do I claim South Carolina’s 25% state tax credit?
You claim it on South Carolina Form TC-38 with your state income tax return for the year the system is placed in service. Because the credit is capped at $3,500 per year and at 50% of your state tax liability, most systems are claimed across two or three returns using the 10-year carry-forward. Keep your final invoice and commissioning documentation. Confirm your own eligibility with a tax professional.
Is there a Dominion Energy South Carolina rebate for solar in Aiken?
No. Dominion Energy South Carolina does not offer an upfront residential solar rebate, so there is no cash-back programme to stack here. Rebates in South Carolina are set by individual providers rather than statewide, so the answer genuinely depends on which utility serves your meter.
Will solar panels increase my property taxes in Aiken?
Qualifying residential systems of 20 kW or less are exempt from South Carolina property tax. Confirm your own position with Aiken County and a tax professional, since eligibility depends on your circumstances.
Are there solar incentives for Aiken businesses?
Commercial solar is treated differently from residential and federal commercial provisions such as 48E and depreciation may still apply. We do not give tax advice on commercial structuring, and we will route those questions to your CPA rather than guess. See our commercial solar page for how we scope the work itself.
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Free, no-pressure assessment
See which incentives you actually qualify for in Aiken
We will confirm your utility and territory, size a system to your real usage, and show you what the state credit is worth in your tax position, with no guaranteed-savings math.
Mon–Sat, 10am–6:30pm ET · We typically follow up within the hour.