Wedding & Event Venue Near Aiken, SC

As of December 2024, the average solar panel system costs $2.53/W including installation in Aiken, SC. For a 5 kW installation, this comes out to about $12,654 before incentives, though prices range from $10,756 to $14,552. After the federal tax credit, the average price drops by 30%.

You'll probably pay even less than what we show here. It doesn't include the federal ITC or Aiken, SC state incentives, which will lower this price by at least a few thousand dollars.

It may seem obvious but larger solar panel systems cost more money. We use cost per watt ($/W) so you can easily compare quotes, controlling for slight variations in system size.

While a 5 kW system will only cost you $12,654 in Aiken, SC, doubling the system size effectively doubles the price, so you'll pay about twice that for a 10 kW system. The higher the price tag, though, the more you'll get back as a credit towards your federal tax bill.

Average solar cost by system size in Aiken, SC

If you can't shell out $12,654 in cash to pay for solar, don't sweat it. You can choose to finance your system with a loan instead. Some companies even offer $0-down loans so you can start saving on day one if your loan payments are less than your current electric bills. Just keep in mind that your long-term savings will be lower with a loan due to interest rates.

The numbers we're showing are averages. The price you'll pay for solar depends on many factors unique to you and your home:

If you're looking for solar companies in SC, here are some popular suggestions:

Solar is a major purchase, but you can get the price tag to come down a bit by being an educated shopper. Taking advantage of incentives and rebates and shopping around for quotes can bring down your cost of solar in Aiken, SC.

As long as your federal tax bill is high enough, you can take advantage of the federal tax credit in Aiken, SC. This incentive allows you to apply 30% of your solar installation and equipment costs toward your federal tax bill. If the amount exceeds your tax bill, you can roll over the remaining credit to the following year. Many states also offer great local incentives and rebates.

Comparing multiple solar quotes can save you money through competition and transparency. Each additional quote you receive for solar will help you find the right solar panel system at the right price.

This is where EnergySage can help. With funding from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Prize, EnergySage opened the country’s first (and now the largest) marketplace for home solar panel installations. We gather custom solar quotes from local installers on your behalf and put them in an easy-to-compare format. When you compare quotes for solar panels on the EnergySage Marketplace, you can expect to see prices up to 20% lower than if you work with a single solar company.

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Aiken County continues to go back and forth on a burn ban.

Late last month, Belvedere firefighters called on the Aiken County Council to enact an emergency burn ban after a weeks-long drought and debris piles stacked high.

The council agreed, and last week, they implemented a county-wide burn ban that was supposed to be in effect until November 19.

But over the weekend, emails and Facebook posts saying otherwise caused some confusion.

It’s now still in effect, but we explain why some firefighters say it’s still needed.

Belvedere firefighters received nearly 60 calls in October — all from debris-related fires.

Local group helps clean up biking trails after Helene

If you mountain bike around the CSRA, you know about SORBA — the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association.

That’s why Chief Chad Hyler asked the Aiken County Council for the emergency burn ban.

“We have neighbors who don’t want to go to sleep at night because they’re worried about people burning 24 hours a day,” said Hyler.

Aiken County Department of Emergency Management and the Aiken County government shared a Facebook post over the weekend saying the ban was lifted even though the council had not voted on it.

Gary Bunker is the Aiken County council chairman, and he says there was confusion among senior management.

Hyler and the Forestry Commission say bans are implemented based on rain, wind and other weather conditions.

“Now, we’ve got all this rain, people are wanting to burn. Some are still scared of it because stuff does dry out,” said Hyler.

But Hyler says rain, or lack of rain, isn’t necessarily their main problem.

Nonprofits work to regroup after Helene

Local non-profit organizations are left figuring out what’s next after having to cancel large fundraisers because of Hurricane Helene.

Their main issue is not being able to access resources.

He also says for many of them, this isn’t their only job.

“Most folks are working eight to five shift jobs. Without having those volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” said Hyler.

Bunker says he wasn’t aware of the Facebook posts saying the ban was lifted.

After we spoke with him and the EMS director, the post on Facebook was deleted.

Belvedere isn’t the only fire station battling this issue.

Wagener Fire Chief Tillman Rushton said: “Was riding down the road and just saw a bunch of smoke behind the house, and then when speaking to the homeowner, he let us know that he was cleaning up storm debris and burning it, and when he came back home today his whole backyard was back on fire.”

Hyler says some streets are still hard for them to get to because of the debris.

They’ve also seen nearly $50,000 worth of property damage since October, which is why he wants to make sure you know the ban is still in place.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Blame Mother Nature.

Because of the damage caused by Tropical Storm Helene in late September, there will be some changes to a local Thanksgiving Day tradition this year.

The Blessing of the Hounds won’t be held at Memorial Gate in Hitchcock Woods, and it won’t be open the public.

Instead, the ceremony will take place at an undisclosed location on private property Nov. 28.

Hurricane Wire

“We’re saddened that the citizens of Aiken can’t participate,” said Larry Byers on Nov. 12. “It is such a pleasure to share our sport with the public, but the circumstances are such that we can’t.”

The Blessing of Hounds annually kicks off the official foxhunting season for the Aiken Hounds.

Thomas Hitchcock Sr. and his wife, Louise, founded the hunt club in 1914, and the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America officially recognized the Aiken Hounds in 1916.

Byers is the senior master of foxhounds and also a joint master of foxhounds for the Aiken Hounds. The other joint masters are Karl McMillan and Sarah Greenhill Wildasin.

During the drag hunts conducted by the Aiken Hounds in Hitchcock Woods, the hounds follow the trail of an artificially laid scent instead of chasing a live fox.

Aiken Area News

But the urban forest has been closed to visitors indefinitely since Helene, and “it was getting so close [to Thanksgiving], that we had to make other arrangements [for the Blessing of the Hounds],” Byers said. “We’re hoping that Hitchcock Woods is reopened as soon as possible, so we can safely return and resume hunting where we’ve hunted for 110 years.”

Until then, “we have two good places to hunt outside the woods,” Byers added.

The purpose of the Blessing of the Hounds is “to invoke the blessing of a supreme being to protect the horses and the hounds and the people who participate in the sport,” according to Byers.

As of Nov. 12, the Hitchcock Woods Foundation wasn't "ready to set a date” for the reopening of the urban forest to the public, said the nonprofit’s executive director, Mary Katherine Philipp.

Helene “really devastated” Hitchcock Woods, she told the Aiken Standard.

During the cleanup process, “we’re working feverishly, as fast as we safely can,” Philipp said. “It’s by far worse than the ice storm of 2014. Trees came up by the roots or were snapped in half, and many of them are caught up on other trees.”

Outside professionals are providing assistance to the Hitchcock Woods Foundation’s staff.

“We’ve had a lot of people volunteer to help, but it’s just too dangerous, so we’re asking people to support us with financial donations,” Philipp said.

For more information about the foundation, which preserves and manages Hitchcock Woods, call 803-642-0528 or visit hitchcockwoods.org.

The Aiken Hounds didn’t invite the public to the Blessing of the Hounds in 2020 and 2021 because of concerns about COVID-19. Also in 2021, the South Boundary Avenue entrance to Hitchcock Woods, which many Blessing of the Hounds spectators had used in the past, was closed to visitors because of the work involved in a project to address problems caused by stormwater runoff in the urban forest.

Liz Morris was elected to the Aiken County Board of Education in a special election Nov. 12, defeating Jim Oremus by 96 votes.

Morris will fill the District 6 seat vacated by Dwight Smith, who resigned in August.

Unofficial results show that ballots were cast by 547 voters in 10 precincts, a turnout of 4.45% of 12,289 eligible voters.

Morris works as a student services manager in the Career Readiness Center of the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice.

Interviewed after her victory at her campaign headquarters in Aiken, she said her priorities as a board member will be school safety, student achievement, teacher retention and student access to mental health resources.

She said she’ll work with district superintendent Dr. Corey Murphy and other board members to increase the number of school resource officers in the schools.

She said improving student achievement means for all students. “I’m not just talking about students who struggle. For those students who are excelling, how do we push them to that next level?” Morris said. Technical training is an important aspect of student achievement that should not be neglected, she said.

She also said too many teachers leave the field after five years. “We need to figure out how retain great teachers, because our students need them.”

Morris said the district should make sure students have access to quality mental health services, “because it’s really stressful for young people right now.”

She said she’s looking forward to building relationships with other members of the board of education, “so they will see my heart, but also see that I am here to govern and to support Aiken County Public Schools.”

“I will advocate for every student,” she said. “Students first.”

Oremus said he went to nine polling places after precincts closed at 7 p.m. in order to get the results as quickly as possible.

“The first one I went to was the precinct that I lost at the worst, which was the one at the Graniteville Community Church. When I saw that, I kind of had the picture,” Oremus said.

Oremus, who is married to S.C. State Rep. Melissa Oremus, R-Graniteville, congratulated Morris and said he won’t seek office again.

“I’ve been my wife’s campaign helper for these last five years and I will go back to doing that for her. She’s the politician in the family, and I will just go back to being a community person. I’m very active in the Midland Valley community through different organizations,” Oremus said.

“I felt that running for school board is something that I was doing for the Midland Valley area and I’m very proud of the Midland Valley community. They came out and voted for me and I really appreciate it,” he said.

The Board’s District 6 seat represents the public school district’s Administrative Area Three, which includes Byrd Elementary, Clearwater Elementary, Gloverville Elementary, Graniteville Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Warrenville Elementary, Highland Springs Middle, Langley Bath Clearwater Middle, Leavelle McCampbell Middle and Midland Valley High.

Smith, who was vice chairman of the school board, was elected in 2022. He cited personal reasons for his resignation.

Morris’s campaign was managed by Christopher Emanuel, who attributed the victory to “everybody coming from these different walks of life, with different wisdom and different experiences and truly being able to collaborate to get the results we did today. It was truly a team effort.”

What is the best internet provider in Aiken?

The fiber internet coverage in Aiken is increasing and if your home has access to it, fiber internet is the best choice for most. AT&T Fiber is CNET's pick for the best internet service provider in Aiken. It gets the top spot because it offers speeds going up to 5,000Mbps at reasonable prices, and also has high reliability. You also don't have to face the hassles of contracts or data limits, nor do you have to pay for equipment rental, making it a great deal.

If you live outside the coverage areas of AT&T, you can opt for one of the other options like Breezeline, Xfinity or T-Mobile, especially if affordability is a factor. Breezeline and Xfinity have some affordable internet plans starting at just $20 and $30, respectively. Xfinity offers a slightly higher speed of 150Mbps compared to 100Mbps from Breezeline, but equipment costs may be higher with Xfinity and a 1.2TB data cap may apply.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Aiken

The best internet deals and top promotions in Aiken depend on what discounts are available at the time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Aiken internet providers, such as Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including AT&T Fiber, Breezeline and T-Mobile Home Internet, run the same standard pricing year-round.

For a more extensive list of deals, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate video conferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Aiken, South Carolina

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Aiken, South Carolina, FAQs