Columbus Division of Power Solar

Who This Page Is For

Use this guide only if your electric bill is from the City of Columbus Division of Power (DOP) — the municipal utility that serves parts of Columbus. Many Columbus-metro homes are AEP Ohio instead. The processes are different. AEP customers should use AEP Ohio solar and AEP Ohio net metering, not this page.

Place-level Columbus context (permits, suburbs, both utilities) is on solar in Columbus, Ohio. Confirm service with the bill header and the City’s Division of Power service-area maps before assuming DOP interconnection rules apply.

Other Ohio utilities: AES Ohio solar, Duke Energy Ohio solar, Ohio Edison solar, Toledo Edison solar, and Illuminating Company solar.

Not AEP Ohio — Municipal Rules Apply

Columbus Division of Power is a municipal electric utility. It is not governed by AEP Ohio’s Schedule NEMS packet or AEP’s PowerClerk interconnection queue. DOP reviews customer-owned solar and other distributed generation case by case under City documents and Columbus City Code.

If a contractor hands you an “AEP NEMS” form for a DOP meter, stop and check the bill. Wrong utility paperwork delays projects.

DOP Interconnection (25 kW or Less)

The City’s consumer page Solar and Other Distributed Generation requires you to apply before you install. You must be a customer in good standing. Published steps:

1. Review and submit the Interconnection Service Application (the City’s Interconnection Standards PDF includes the application and certification forms).
2. DOP evaluates whether the proposed equipment meets eligibility, technical, and safety requirements.
3. After DOP approval, you may install the system.
4. After successful post-field verification, DOP installs an AMI meter and notifies you to submit a signed interconnection agreement.

DOP’s Interconnection Standards — 25 kW or Less (effective July 1, 2025) apply to inverter-based distributed generation using advanced energy resources (including solar). For larger facilities, DOP directs applicants to email DOPInterconnect@columbus.gov.

Eligibility highlights from those standards: an existing DOP account on Residential, Small Commercial, or Commercial rates; account in good standing; inverter-based facility sized not to exceed 100% of the customer’s annual kWh needs, with a maximum total generator rated capacity of 25 kW or less when including storage, behind a single metered service (no load aggregation across meters); located on the customer’s premises; intended to offset the customer’s own requirements; automatic disconnect when utility service is interrupted. The customer pays actual costs of attachment facilities, distribution upgrades, and required testing. Questions: DOPInterconnect@columbus.gov. Division office: 3500 Indianola Avenue, Columbus, OH 43214 · 614-645-8276.

Columbus City Code Net Metering (1163.24)

Net metering for Division of Power customers is established in Columbus City Code § 1163.24 (Ordinance 0550-2024, passed April 2024). The City’s Powering a Greener Columbus page states that customers with an approved Interconnection Agreement are automatically enrolled in net metering unless they are on combined billing — combined-billing customers can request separate billing to participate.

Under § 1163.24, monthly energy charges use net energy. If net energy is positive (DOP delivered more than the customer exported), the energy charge uses that net amount; other charges still apply. If net energy is negative (customer exported more), only the energy charge is offset by that net export; other charges still apply; negative net energy accumulates as a credit to offset energy charges in future billing months. The City’s consumer page describes extra kWh credits rolling to the next month’s bill.

Credit math belongs on your DOP rate schedule in Chapter 1163 and your actual bill. Building permits and zoning remain separate City processes from DOP interconnection.

Options We Compare for Division of Power Customers

We compare Propel, cash, loan, and PPA for DOP homes the same way we do for other Ohio utilities — always against the municipal bill and City interconnection path. See solar financing in Ohio and solar batteries in Ohio.

IRC 25D does not apply to property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Statewide program notes: Ohio solar incentives. Panels overview: Ohio solar panels.

Columbus Division of Power Solar — FAQs

Can I file AEP’s NEMS paperwork for a Division of Power meter?

No. DOP uses its own Interconnection Standards and City Code § 1163.24. AEP’s Schedule NEMS applies only to AEP Ohio accounts.

How big can a residential DOP system be under the 25 kW standards?

DOP’s July 1, 2025 standards for this path limit inverter-based facilities to not more than 100% of the customer’s annual kWh needs and a maximum total generator rated capacity of 25 kW or less including storage, on one metered service.

Do leftover credits expire at month-end?

City Code § 1163.24 and the City’s greener-power page describe negative net energy / extra kWh credits carrying forward to offset future energy charges. Confirm current treatment on your bill and with DOP customer service if you are on combined billing.

Official Sources

• City of Columbus — Solar and Other Distributed Generation (how to apply)
• DOP Interconnection Standards 25 kW or Less (effective July 1, 2025)
• Powering a Greener Columbus (net metering enrollment notes)
• Columbus Ordinance 0550-2024 enacting City Code § 1163.24 Net Metering

Last reviewed: September 2026. City of Columbus Division of Power documents and rates can change.