2026 incentives · Aiken, SC
Solar incentives in Aiken, SC
Aiken solar incentives start with Dominion Energy: it pays about 2.8–4.1¢ per kWh for exported power. After that comes the 25% SC credit ($6,151 over 2 tax years on a 9.5 kW system).
The 30% federal credit ended on December 31, 2025.
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.
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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.
Start here, it matters most
What Dominion Energy South Carolina pays you for solar in Aiken
In Aiken, Dominion Energy South Carolina's export terms are worth more over 25 years than any one-off credit: 13,780 kWh a year from a 9.5 kW system, every year.
| Item | Current position (July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Programme | Solar Choice |
| 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 around Aiken.
Quoted a rebate for Aiken? Check it on Dominion Energy South Carolina's own site first.
Statewide rules
The parts that are the same everywhere in SC
Statewide, the strongest remaining incentive is the 25% state credit on Form TC-38.
In Aiken, a 9.5 kW system's credit of $6,151 arrives over 2 tax years because of the $3,500 yearly cap.
South Carolina solar incentives in full →
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
9.5 kW at the $2.59 per watt Aiken benchmark, July 2026. Illustrative, not a quote.
| 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 projects in Aiken follow different rules from homes, including federal commercial provisions that your CPA, not an installer, should confirm. Daytime business load on Dominion Energy uses most solar output on site.
Permits and approvals
What approval takes in Aiken
6 approvals for a Aiken system. We file every one.
- 01A building permit and a separate electrical permit for a rooftop system
- 02Permits from the City of Aiken if you are inside city limits, from the City of North Augusta if you are inside its limits, or from Aiken County Planning & Development if you are in the unincorporated county, which are three different processes
- 03A Certificate of Appropriateness from the City of Aiken Design Review Board where the property sits in the Historic Overlay or Old Aiken Overlay district
- 04A zoning review as well for any ground-mounted array
- 05An additional electrical permit where battery storage is included
- 06Interconnection approval from whichever utility serves your meter, Dominion Energy South Carolina or Aiken Electric Cooperative
Local factors
What changes the net value of Aiken solar incentives
- 01
Shade in Aiken
The Winter Colony streets and the blocks around Hitchcock Woods carry heavy mature canopy, which is a real production constraint rather than a cosmetic one. The newer development further out from the historic core is substantially more open.
- 02
Approvals that shape the layout
Inside the city, the Design Review Board reviews work in the Historic Overlay and Old Aiken Overlay districts and issues the Certificate of Appropriateness. It is a quasi-judicial body and its decision on a Certificate is final, with appeal only to a court, so a design that assumes no review can come back materially smaller after one meeting. Properties carry a landmark, contributing or noncontributing designation, and which one applies changes what may be altered.
- 03
When incentives will not rescue it
Your roof needs replacing within about five years.
- 04
Also worth knowing
Your power bill is under roughly $90 a month.
Aiken sun, month by month
What Aiken solar incentives are worth on real output
About 13,780 kWh a year from a south-facing roof with no shade. May is the strongest month at about 1,315 kWh and December the weakest at about 866 kWh.
Your roof will differ. The Winter Colony streets and the blocks around Hitchcock Woods carry heavy mature canopy, which is a real production constraint rather than a cosmetic one.
Estimate: NASA POWER sun data for Aiken, PVWatts model, south-facing, no shade.
Homes in Aiken
Who can claim Aiken solar incentives
- 9,032owner-occupied homes (70% of 12,961)
- 1987median year homes were built
- 74%of homes are single-family detached
- $262kmedian owner-occupied home value
- Half of Aiken homes are more than 39 years old, so the roof check matters here: a roof with under ten years left should be replaced before solar goes on, or at the same time.
- 74% of homes are single-family detached, the usual rooftop candidate, and HOA review is the main approval to plan for.
- 9,032 Aiken households own their home, the ones who can install and claim the state credit.
- A 9.5 kW system at about $24,605 is roughly 9% of the median $262k Aiken home value.
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates for Aiken city. Estimates, rounded.
Our work
Real systems our crews have installed
Our own job photos, not stock or renders. Inland, so salt exposure is not a factor and wind loading is well below the coast.
ResidentialMulti-facet metal roofWooded aerial view
Off-GridCabin porch viewFull-slope roof array
Off-GridOff-grid lake cabinGround-tilt metal roof array
ResidentialFull black-on-blackPoolside single-story home
CommercialCommercial rooftopTilt-mounted rooftop system
ResidentialStanding-seam metal roofLakeside multi-facet install
Photo locations are not published.
Free assessment · Aiken, SC
Get a straight answer for your Aiken roof
We read your bill, confirm your Dominion Energy South Carolina export terms, and tell you what your roof in Aiken County will actually carry, and say so if it will not pay.
- Most addresses here are on Dominion Energy South Carolina, but Aiken Electric Cooperative serves a substantial share of Aiken County, including addresses inside city limits. We confirm yours from your bill before we quote anything
- A building permit and a separate electrical permit for a rooftop system: we pull it and manage the inspections
- Inside the city, the Design Review Board reviews work in the Historic Overlay and Old Aiken Overlay districts and issues the Certificate of Appropriateness.
Prefer to talk? (843) 310-1128
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.
What Aiken solar incentives can a homeowner claim in 2026?
South Carolina's 25% state credit, worth $6,151 over 2 tax years on a 9.5 kW system, plus the Aiken County property-tax treatment covered below. Dominion Energy South Carolina runs no upfront residential rebate.
Do Aiken solar incentives include net metering?
One-for-one net metering closed to new applicants on 1 June 2021, and new Dominion Energy South Carolina systems are credited under Solar Choice instead, at roughly 2.8–4.1¢ per kWh for exports. Dominion Energy households paid about 14.6¢ per kWh on average in 2024.
Do Aiken solar incentives cover batteries?
A battery charged by your solar can count toward the SC credit as part of the system; confirm with a tax professional. In Aiken, a 9.5 kW system's afternoon surplus (up to about 1,315 kWh in its best month) is what a battery would hold.
Keep reading
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