2023 Solar Incentives Guide for Chatham, IL - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in Chatham.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2023 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
Solar installers are experts in maximizing your solar tax credits and rebates.
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Updated May 04, 2023
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What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Chatham?
Special Assessment for Solar Energy Systems
Solar Renewable Energy Credits
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
Solar incentives help mitigate the cost of installing solar panels on your home. Financial incentives like these are designed to encourage more people to make the switch to renewable energy. Various types of incentives, such as discounts, cash back or monthly utility bill credits, might be available to you. Some incentives may be offered by the Illinois government, by your utility company or by county or municipality, while other incentives are federal. Types of solar incentives might include:
- Tax Exemptions: Sales tax exemptions are applied at the time of purchase for your solar panels. Property tax exemptions allow you to ignore the value that your solar panels add when calculating the amount of property tax you need to pay.
- Tax Credits: Tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, the total amount of tax you owe the federal government. Tax credits are different from tax deductions.
- Net Metering: You can sign a net metering contract with your Chatham utility company that will apply to all or a percentage of the excess electricity your solar panels generate. They will then subtract this value from your utility bill each month.
- Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC): SRECs and similar performance-based incentives might be available to you if the solar system on your home produces over a specified (typically small) amount of electricity. This category of incentives is usually handled by the state government. You can sell your SRECs to your utility company or other buyers, and the money you make is normally considered part of your taxable income.
- Rebates: A solar rebate is a partial refund given after you've purchased your solar system. These might be offered by your local utility company, your state or your county. The discount that rebates offer is normally applied to the price of solar panels before calculating tax credits.
Federal Solar Incentives
Federal solar incentives are likely the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about solar incentives. The solar incentive that you may be most familiar with is the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which provides a credit on your taxes equal to a predetermined percentage of your solar system's cost.
The ITC is applied to the total cost of solar panel installation, including the panels themselves as well as accessories, labor and equipment. This credit can be claimed for panels installed after January 1, 2006 on a primary or secondary residence located in the United States that you own. From its original value of 30% of the total cost, the credit has fluctuated slightly between 26-30%, and you may qualify for varying percentages depending on when your project was completed. There is no maximum claim amount.
To better understand how the ITC could apply to you, contact your local Chatham solar panel installer and request more information.
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August 2022, added more provisions to the ITC (as well as renaming it to the Clean Energy Credit). The Clean Energy Credit bolsters the current credit, increasing it up to 30% for solar installations undertaken between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2032. After this, the credit percentage will decrease slightly each year until the program expires in 2035. The expansion also makes credits for energy storage systems even easier to claim, beginning in 2023.
More information about the new Inflation Reduction Act can be found here. Your local Chatham solar panel installation expert is the best person to answer your questions about the new Clean Energy Credit and how it may apply to you.
State & Local Solar Incentives
Tax credits, rebates and more might be claimed at multiple levels. On top of federal solar incentives, there are often state and local ones, too. The incentives — which may be handled by the state of Illinois, or by your county or municipality — might be offered on an ongoing basis, or for only a limited time.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in Chatham
There are many types of solar incentives: those provided by the federal government, those provided by the Illinois government and those provided by local utility companies, to name a few. The use of solar energy has increased tremendously in the last 15 years, thanks to these incentives. Call your local solar panel installation company today to discover more about the various programs and to save as much money as possible on solar panels for your Chatham home.
Best Solar Financing
Blue Raven Solar
- Industry-leading in-house financing
- Competitive pricing
- Excellent reputation
- Doesn't offer solar batteries
Best Warranty Coverage
Sunpro Solar
- Industry-leading warranty coverage
- Expansive service area
- Some reported communication issues
- No leases or PPAs
EcoWatch's Chatham, IL Solar Incentives FAQs
Can I claim incentives for adding solar panels to a vacation home, rental property or commercial property?
While we recommend getting in touch with your local solar installer and/or tax professional to fully understand what solar incentives apply to you, many incentives can be claimed on a second home, so long as that home is in the United States and owned by you. There may be other incentives available for commercial properties specifically, depending on the details.
My home already has solar panels installed. Are there any incentives that I qualify for?
An excellent idea would be to talk to someone from the company that installed your solar system — or get in touch with a local Chatham solar installer — to better understand which incentives you might qualify for. If your system was installed after January 1, 2022, you likely qualify for the newly increased 30% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. Systems installed between 2006 and 2021 may qualify for a tax credit of 26-30%.
What are the best solar panel installation companies near me?
To discover the best solar panel installation companies near you, read our article on Chatham's best solar panel companies.
Can I qualify for incentives both towards the initial cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
Yes, you can claim both tax credits and rebates towards the cost of solar panels. Depending on which incentives you are applying for, they may apply in a different order. Make sure that you talk to your solar installer or a local tax professional to confirm that you are claiming incentives correctly and that you're getting the most money you can.
Can I use multiple types of renewable energy to power my home?
You can power your home with multiple types of renewable energy, or a combination of renewable and non-renewable energy. Make sure you talk through your plan with your local Chatham solar installation expert. They can help you as you plan for your project and give you an understanding of various incentives that you may or may not qualify for.
Our goal is to reach as many people as we can with sensible solutions like solar energy. Our team of full-time local researchers collects solar price and installation data for every city in America then compiles it to create these digestible city guides. If you want to read our solar expert's opinion on the top solar companies featured here, follow this link.
Solar incentive research was conducted by Melissa Smith and Karsten Neumeister. Local data analysis was conducted by James Savino. See something we missed or could do better? Email the editor.