In short: Lorain has about 65,800 people and sits in Lorain County. Ohio Edison Co, Cleveland Electric Illum Co and Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc serves different parts of Lorain County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 16.18¢ to 17.26¢ per kWh (EIA). FEMA rates Lorain County strong winds “relatively high”. Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,080 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is on the modest side, so price and incentives matter more.
This page covers what is local to Lorain: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our Ohio energy guide and the wider area is covered in the Cleveland guide.
Lorain at a glance
- Place: Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio; about 65,751 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: Ohio Edison Co (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 16.18¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 114 minutes of power on normal days and 234 counting major storms, with 1.0 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Lorain).
- Utility: Cleveland Electric Illum Co (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 16.76¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 150 minutes of power on normal days and 1,918 counting major storms, with 1.1 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Lorain).
- Utility: Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 17.26¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 158 minutes of power on normal days (utility-wide, not just Lorain).
- Sun: 3.68 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 1.23 in December to 6.01 in July (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,080 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 740 cooling degree-days and 5,970 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating is the big load.
- Top hazards in Lorain County: strong winds “relatively high”, ice storms “relatively high” and tornadoes “relatively high” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively moderate”).
- Public charging: 12 ports at 2 locations in Lorain, none of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Ohio Edison Co is an investor-owned utility and served about 251,751 home customers in 2024; its 16.18¢ average was below the 19.45¢ statewide average for July 2026. Cleveland Electric Illum Co is an investor-owned utility and served about 131,370 home customers in 2024; its 16.76¢ average was below the 19.45¢ statewide average for July 2026. Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 15,234 home customers in 2024; its 17.26¢ average was below the 19.45¢ statewide average for July 2026. Those are utility-wide averages, not a quote for your address; your own bill is the real number.
For reliability, Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc reported 158 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, more than the statewide figure of 133 (EIA-861). Utility-wide numbers hide a lot: a home at the end of a long rural line usually has more outages than the average.
Net metering, export rates and incentives are set at state level and by each utility. Start with the Ohio guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Lorain
- Strong winds (relatively high): High winds knock out lines on ordinary days. A battery or portable power station handles the common short outages; add a generator for multi-day repairs.
- Ice storms (relatively high): Ice storms bring down lines for days. A standby generator with a transfer switch, or a battery sized for the fridge, furnace blower and well pump, matters more than a small power station.
- Heating load: a winter outage can stop a furnace blower, boiler pump or heat pump. List what your heat needs to run before choosing a generator or battery.
- Short outages: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights; a home battery switches over automatically.
Size your setup with the generator sizing tool and the battery backup calculator, and compare options in backup power. Generator safety (CPSC): outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage, and battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside. A licensed electrician should install any transfer switch, with a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in Lorain
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,080 kWh a year in Lorain (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at Ohio Edison Co’s 2024 average of 16.18¢, that is about $175 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: July is the sunniest month at 6.01 and December the dimmest at 1.23, a 4.9-to-1 gap, so a battery or a bigger system helps in winter.
Check your own roof with the solar potential tool, see solar costs and net metering vs net billing, and read the steps in solar installation. Hail and storm exposure are worth raising with installers and your insurer.
Batteries and EV charging
A home battery earns its place when outages are frequent, when your utility pays little for exported solar, or when evening prices are high; compare in home batteries and battery costs. Lorain has 12 public charging ports in the federal station list (none of them DC fast), but home charging is cheaper and easier: see the EV charging cost calculator and EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Lorain: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Solar, generator transfer switches and EV chargers normally need an electrical permit from the Lorain building or permitting department, or from Lorain County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Lorain, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the Ohio guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: Cleveland energy guide, Elyria, Lakewood, Strongsville and Parma, or the whole Ohio energy guide.
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Lorain energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Lorain?
Ohio Edison Co, Cleveland Electric Illum Co and Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc all serve parts of Lorain County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (Ohio Edison Co 16.18¢, Cleveland Electric Illum Co 16.76¢, Lorain-Medina R E C, Inc 17.26¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in Lorain?
About 1,080 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 6,480 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Is a generator or a battery better for strong winds in Lorain County?
It depends how long the outage lasts. A battery is quiet, automatic and good for short outages and for pairing with solar; a standby generator keeps going as long as it has fuel, which suits multi-day events. Many homes use a battery for everyday outages and add a generator for the rare long one.
Will a home battery keep my heat on in an outage?
It can keep a furnace blower, boiler pump or a heat pump running for a while, but long cold outages drain a battery fast without solar to recharge it. Pair it with a generator or wood or propane heat if outages here run for days.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in Lorain?
Almost always an electrical permit for a transfer switch, solar or an EV charger, issued by the city or county where you live. Your licensed electrician or installer normally pulls it. Never connect a generator to your house wiring without a transfer switch.
Sources: EIA Form 861 (2024) for utility prices and outages; NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2025) for sun and degree-days; FEMA National Risk Index for county hazards; AFDC station locator for public charging; Census Bureau for population. Estimates are ours and are not promises; see our editorial policy. Prices and programs change, so check each program page.