2025 Solar Incentives Guide for Kankakee, IL - Tax Credits & Rebates

What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Kankakee?

Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/

Solar incentives are designed to make renewable energy usage more affordable through financial incentives to help people install solar panels on their homes. Incentives may include things like discounts, cash back or credit on your utility bill each month. Some incentives are provided by the federal government, while others are handled by the state of Illinois or by your utility company, county or municipality. You might qualify for any of the following types of solar incentives:

• Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC): In general, solar systems that produce over a threshold (generally small) amount of electricity can qualify for SRECs or other similar performance-based incentives. SRECs and performance-based incentives in general are typically offered by your state government. SRECs can be sold to your utility company or another buyer, and this is usually considered part of your taxable income.
• Rebates: A rebate is a partial refund after the purchase of your solar panels. These could 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 tax credits are calculated.
• Tax Exemptions: Sales tax exemptions go into effect at the time of purchase for your solar panels. Property tax exemptions allow you to ignore the value added by your solar system when you calculate how much property tax you need to pay on your home.
• Tax Credits: Unlike tax deductions, tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, the amount of income tax that you owe the government.
• Net Metering: Net metering becomes relevant after your solar panels are up and running. If you have in place a net metering agreement with your Kankakee utility company, the company will subtract the value of the excess energy produced by your solar system from your utility bill each month. In some areas, this credit is dollar-for-dollar, while in other areas you might receive a refund equivalent to a percentage of the value.

Federal Solar Incentives

Federal incentives are the type of incentives that you are most likely to have some knowledge of. The solar incentive that you're most familiar with is probably the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which provides a credit on your taxes equal to a percentage of the cost of your solar system.

The ITC can be applied to solar systems installed after January 1, 2006, and under this program you can deduct from your taxes a percentage of the total cost of solar panels, equipment, accessories and labor. You can claim this credit for a solar panel system installed on a primary or secondary residence that you own in the United States. The original amount you could claim was 30% of the total cost, although certain projects may qualify for only 26%, depending on the details. There is no maximum amount you can claim.

To find out exactly how much the ITC could save you, talk to your local Kankakee solar panel installer.

In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act made revisions to the ITC, now referred to as the Clean Energy Credit. For solar system installations that begin after January 1, 2022, and are completed by the end of 2032, homeowners may be eligible for a credit for 30% of the total cost. After 2033, the percentage will decrease annually until the Clean Energy Credit ends in 2035. Starting in 2023, the program expansion will also make claiming credit for energy storage systems easier than ever before.

Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. The best way to fully understand how the new Clean Energy Credit applies to you is to reach out to your local Kankakee solar panel installers with your questions.

State & Local Solar Incentives

Tax credits, rebates and more might be provided at multiple levels. On top of federal solar incentives, there are often state and local ones, too. Some incentives are ongoing, while others are only available for a limited time. They might be provided by your county or municipality, or by the Illinois government.

Next Steps for Installing Solar in Kankakee

The expanding number of available solar incentives has enormously increased the nationwide adoption of solar energy over the last 15 years. You can get solar incentives from the federal government, the Illinois government or from your local utility company. Speaking with your local Kankakee solar panel installer is an excellent first step towards getting all the incentives you qualify for when you switch to solar energy.