Solar in Garfield Heights, OH
With Cleveland Electric Illum's electricity at about 17.6¢ per kWh and 1,232 kWh of sun per kW, solar is a close call for a typical Garfield Heights home today: about a 14.5-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 14.5 yrsOhio: 12.8 yrs
- 25-year net
- $16,391after paying $17,000
- Sun
- 1,232kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 17.6¢2% below U.S. average
A typical Garfield Heights home, by the numbers
| Utility | Cleveland Electric Illum |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 694 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5.4 kW, about 13 panels, 6,655 kWh a year (80% of use) |
| Cost | $17,000 |
| First-year savings | $1,114 |
| Payback | 14.5 years |
| Exported power | Reduced export credit (Cleveland Electric Illum) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 2.8% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Garfield Heights
- Owner-occupied homes
- 59%
- Single-family detached
- 74%
- Median home value
- $110k
- Median year built
- 1955
- Population
- 29,269
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 85%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 10,296 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Older housing stock. Many homes here were built before 1975. Have the roof and electrical panel checked before signing; a roof or panel upgrade can add thousands. Roof first?
Installers working in Garfield Heights
Public installation records for Ohio don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Ohio.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Garfield Heights
Is solar worth it in Garfield Heights, OH?
For a typical home in Garfield Heights, solar is a close call at 2026 prices: a 5.4 kW system costs about $17,000 after state incentives, saves about $1,114 in year one and pays back in about 14.5 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Garfield Heights?
About 1,232 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 4% less than the Ohio average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Garfield Heights?
Most homes in Garfield Heights are served by Cleveland Electric Illum, at about 17.6¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by City of Cleveland, Ohio Edison.
How much do solar panels cost in Garfield Heights?
A fair cash price is around $3.00 per watt before incentives, so about $17,000 for a 5.4 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Shaker Heights 14.6 yrs
- Cleveland 15 yrs
- Cleveland Heights 14.1 yrs
- Parma 14.2 yrs
- North Royalton 14 yrs
- Lakewood 13.9 yrs
- Euclid 14.7 yrs
- Strongsville 14.2 yrs
- All of Ohio
Data: PVWatts (National Laboratory of the Rockies), EIA-861 2025 adjusted to 2026, U.S. Census ACS, LBNL Tracking the Sun, state policy research as of October 2026.