Solar in Mentor, OH
With Cleveland Electric Illum's electricity at about 17.6¢ per kWh and 1,215 kWh of sun per kW, solar is a close call for a typical Mentor home today: about a 14.7-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 14.7 yrsOhio: 12.8 yrs
- 25-year net
- $16,160after paying $17,250
- Sun
- 1,215kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 17.6¢2% below U.S. average
A typical Mentor home, by the numbers
| Utility | Cleveland Electric Illum |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 694 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5.5 kW, about 13 panels, 6,682 kWh a year (80% of use) |
| Cost | $17,250 |
| First-year savings | $1,115 |
| Payback | 14.7 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 Mentor
- Owner-occupied homes
- 85%
- Single-family detached
- 76%
- Median home value
- $248k
- Median year built
- 1974
- Population
- 47,171
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 78%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 15,157 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 Mentor
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 Mentor
Is solar worth it in Mentor, OH?
For a typical home in Mentor, solar is a close call at 2026 prices: a 5.5 kW system costs about $17,250 after state incentives, saves about $1,115 in year one and pays back in about 14.7 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Mentor?
About 1,215 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 5% less than the Ohio average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Mentor?
Most homes in Mentor are served by Cleveland Electric Illum, at about 17.6¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Mentor?
A fair cash price is around $3.00 per watt before incentives, so about $17,250 for a 5.5 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Euclid 14.7 yrs
- Cleveland Heights 14.1 yrs
- Shaker Heights 14.6 yrs
- Cleveland 15 yrs
- Garfield Heights 14.5 yrs
- Lakewood 13.9 yrs
- Parma 14.2 yrs
- North Royalton 14 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.