Solar Panel Cost in Illinois (2023 Local Savings Guide)

How Does the Current Cost of Solar in Illinois Compare to the National Average?

Homeowners in the Prairie State pay an average of $2.73 per watt for solar panels, which is around 2.6% higher than the U.S. average. As such, your money won’t go as far in Illinois as in most other states when converting to solar.

However, local energy consumption is below average in Illinois. The typical Illinois home consumes around 728 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month — comparatively, the average home energy consumption in America is 893 kWh.¹ If your Illinois home has lower energy needs, you may be able to opt for a smaller solar system size.

Despite the higher per-watt cost, Illinois residents pay less for solar overall — $14,333 — than most Americans — around $16,758.

How Are Solar Costs Trending in Illinois?

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the cost of photovoltaic (PV) equipment has come down by around 53% in the past 10 years.² This price decrease is thanks to an increase in solar conversion rates in Illinois, as well as advancements in solar technology and manufacturing processes.

While solar prices are decreasing in Illinois, electricity rates have been rising. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, electricity rates have increased by nearly 20% over the past four years.³ The energy price hikes in the U.S. over that same period have been slightly higher, at closer to 21%.

With the cost of solar equipment declining and the price of electricity consistently on the rise, there has never been a more opportune time to convert to solar in Illinois.

Average lifetime savings are already over $16,500 in your area, and that number is expected to climb in the future based on past trends. Recent estimates suggest that utility costs have risen around 24% in the past year alone in Illinois, and future price hikes will likely make solar installation even more appealing.

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How Much Can You Save by Going Solar in Illinois Today?

If you convert to solar in Illinois and pay cash for your system, you can expect your panels to pay for themselves in 12 years and save an additional $16,585 on utility bills, on average.

These savings are conservative and don’t take into account future increases in energy costs. And as we’ll discuss later, taking advantage of local solar benefit programs can increase your savings even further.

It’s important to note that the way you pay for your panels will affect your upfront costs, but it can also eat into your long-term savings. The three primary ways to pay for access to solar are:

• Cash purchase: You pay for your entire system before installation
• Solar loans: You finance your equipment and pay it off over time
• Solar leases: You lease the equipment and use the energy produced to offset your electricity bills

We’ll explain how each of these payment options works in the chart below. We’ll also discuss some pros and cons of each option and the average savings you can expect when choosing how to finance your solar system.

*These are conservative estimates intended to represent base-level averages. In many cases, customers can see an even higher return on investment (ROI) and shorter payback timelines.

Cash Purchase of Solar System

Paying for your equipment in cash is the most straightforward financing option. It doesn’t require that you have good credit, and it doesn’t require any additional paperwork to get approved for a loan or a lease.

Cash purchases are our recommended way to invest in solar because they let you avoid financing charges. As such, you’ll experience the shortest payback timeline (around 12 years in Illinois) and see the maximum possible energy savings.

The major downside to a cash purchase is you’ll need to pay the entire cost of your solar system before your panel installation. This may not be realistic for all Illinoisans, who see average installation costs of over $20,000 — keep in mind that the ITC is not applied until you file your taxes after your solar installation.

But unlike other options, like leases, you can make the most of the solar incentives available in Illinois when you opt for a cash purchase.

Below are some of the pros and cons of using a cash purchase to acquire your solar energy system.

Pros of a Cash Purchase in Illinois

• Maximizes long-term energy savings
• No need for good credit
• Leads to the shortest possible payback period
• Lets you take advantage of most solar incentives in Illinois

Cons of a Cash Purchase in Illinois

• Requires a large, upfront outlay of cash

Solar Loan

A solar loan is a popular financing option for solar PV systems. Provided you get approved for a loan — which requires at least decent credit — this option lets you pay off your system in monthly installments over several years.

Solar financing options — like the BluePower Plus+ program from Blue Raven Solar — are becoming increasingly appealing. Many financiers offer $0-money down options and low interest rates, which help make owning solar equipment more accessible than ever before.

Solar loans are popular in Illinois, where a cash purchase might not be realistic for residents. Instead, most financing agencies and solar panel companies provide monthly payments that sit at or below your current monthly energy charges. For most Illinois residents, that would be around $93.98.

But loans come with interest payments, which means you’ll pay more for your system over time and see lower savings as a result.

Below are some upsides and downsides to choosing a loan for your solar equipment in Illinois.

Pros of a Solar Loan in Illinois

• Often comes with no down payment requirement
• Makes solar far more accessible in Illinois
• Lets you take advantage of most local solar incentives in Illinois
• Still provides ownership of your system over time

Cons of a Solar Loan in Illinois

• Interest charges will lead to higher overall system costs
• Longer payback period and lower savings than cash purchases
• Credit check is required

Solar Lease

A solar lease is an agreement you make with a solar installation company to rent an array of panels. In exchange for a monthly payment, you get to use all of the energy produced by the panels to offset your energy charges. A lease essentially lets you swap your utility bill for a slightly lower payment to your solar company.

Solar leases used to be a popular option when large companies like Vivint and Sunrun pitched them. However, they have fallen out of favor as financing options become more accessible.

Leases can still be a good option for individuals who cannot claim the federal credit, as leasing doesn’t let you access that incentive.

Since you’ll never own your panels with a PV equipment lease, you likely won’t see the same savings as you would with other financing options. Your long-term savings are significantly lower — usually around 33% of what you’d see with a cash purchase.

An alternative to solar leases is the Illinois Solar for All program, which provides income-eligible households in Illinois with solar equipment at low or no upfront costs. This local incentive can help you save money and support the clean energy movement by offsetting home energy costs. Note that eligibility for the program is limited, but other state incentives are available.

Power purchase agreements (PPAs) are similar to leases and offer opportunities to avoid putting money down, but they also tend to cost more in the long run.

Below are some of the benefits and drawbacks of choosing a lease to pay for your solar equipment in Illinois.

Pros of a Solar Lease in Illinois

• No upfront costs
• You never pay for maintenance or repairs
• Lets you support the clean energy movement

Cons of a Solar Lease in Illinois

• You never own your panels
• Long-term savings are lower than any other payment option
• Doesn’t let you claim the federal credit and other incentives

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How Do You Get the Best Solar Prices in Illinois?

The best way to ensure you pay as little as possible for your panels in Illinois is to take advantage of solar incentives. Perks like the federal credit, local benefit programs and solar rebates can reduce your upfront and total system costs by thousands of dollars.

Below are some of the best options to keep your installation price down and your energy savings maximized in Illinois:

• Make sure you file for the federal tax credit
• Accrue and sell solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs)
• Participate in net metering if you can
• Get multiple quotes for your solar power system

We’ll explain why each of these steps is important in the following sections.

File for the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit

In our opinion, the best way to pay less for your solar PV equipment is to take advantage of the federal solar tax credit. This perk has been offered by the federal government for years, but thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, the credit rate recently increased from 22% to 30% of your entire system value.

The credit is applied to your income tax liability for the year your solar system is installed and commissioned. In Illinois, the average credit amount is $6,143. If you can claim the entire credit, you’ll bring down your system total quite significantly. But if you can’t, you can roll over any unused credit to future tax bills for up to five years.

Filing for this credit is also super simple, so it’s well worth your time and energy. You or your accountant just need to include IRS form 5695 when you file your taxes, which is the form for reporting Residential Energy Credits. You only need basic information to fill it out, like the value of your system and your installer’s name and contact information.

You can get a copy of the appropriate IRS form and more information about the incentive on the Department of Energy’s website.⁴

Sell Your SRECs

Illinois residents can also take advantage of the state’s solar renewable energy certificates (SREC) market, called the Illinois Shines program. To help achieve the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goal — 25% of all energy from clean sources by 2026 — the program incentivizes local utility companies to provide energy credits for solar production.⁵

If you opt into the program, you’ll earn credits for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) your panels produce, and you can sell those credits on the local SREC market for a profit. You can then put the money you earn toward paying off your solar system. Ultimately, this incentive helps you reduce your repayment timeline and maximize energy savings.

Taking advantage of SRECs is automatic, provided you have an installer who can opt you into a contract.

Opt Into Net Metering

Another outstanding incentive in Illinois that can help reduce the cost of your PV system is net metering. Also called net energy metering (NEM), this program lets you overproduce energy with your panels and use that overproduction to reduce future bills. This is useful for offsetting utility bills at night or on cloudy days when energy production is lower.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in Illinois mandates NEM for several of the largest utility companies in Illinois. These include:

• Commonwealth Edison
• Ameren Illinois Utilities
• MidAmerican Energy Company

All excess energy production is credited at the full retail rate, and your credits carry over for an entire year.⁶

The process of opting into NEM can vary based on your electricity provider, but there is no charge for taking advantage of this perk. You can reach out to your utility company for more information.

Get Multiple Quotes for Your System

Finally, we recommend getting a few different quotes for your solar energy system. Illinois is home to nearly 100 solar installers, all of which charge different prices for their services.⁷

We suggest requesting free quotes from at least three providers in your area and comparing them based on the overall cost and value provided. Keep in mind that some companies that carry high-efficiency and high-quality equipment — like Maxeon panels and Tesla Powerwalls — will naturally be more expensive.

What Factors Affect the Cost of Solar Panel Systems in Illinois?

Most Illinois residents pay between $9,500 and $21,000 for their solar arrays. As you can see by the range we’ve provided, your total cost can vary based on several factors. The best way to get an accurate estimate is to use a customized solar calculator or have an installer provide a quote for you.

We’ll discuss some of these factors below and explain how each one brings your installation costs up or down.

Solar Equipment

As you may have guessed, the type of equipment you install and the overall size of your system are two of the most significant factors when it comes to price.

All solar systems include solar panels, but not all panels are created equal. Some panels — like Maxeon brand panels — have a higher efficiency than others and are suitable for areas that get minimal sunlight, but they tend to be more expensive than other brands.

Illinois sees an average of 198 sunny days per year, so lower-efficiency panels should still be suitable, which means you could save some money by opting for more affordable panel brands.

Illinois residents contend with severe weather regularly, with intense thunderstorms and tornadoes occurring frequently throughout the year. The state’s climate means power outages are more common than in many other states, so coupling your solar panels with solar battery storage to provide power through blackouts is a good practice.

But note that adding solar battery storage will increase the average cost of your solar system.

Lastly, the number of panels you need — which can depend on many factors — will affect your pricing. You can expect higher costs if you have

• A larger home
• A home with heavy shading on the roof
• A home with an east or west-facing roof, which might require more panels or more efficient panels

Solar Financing in Illinois

The payment method you use for your solar panels can also impact your cost. Paying with cash requires having the full amount of money upfront, but it will also lead to more energy bill savings over time and leave you with the lowest system cost possible.

A solar loan, which most solar customers choose, reduces your up-front payment considerably or entirely, but you’ll end up paying more in interest over time, which will cut into your overall savings.

Illinois has Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs, which limit interest rates and loan terms for solar loans. Note that PACE financing is only available for commercial customers in Illinois.

But Illinois also has the Illinois Solar for All Low-Income Community Solar program, which seeks to provide access to community solar to allow households with below-average income to get behind renewable energy.

Your Solar Installation Company

As is the case with other home improvement companies, the company you choose for your solar project can bring your price above or below the average in the area. This can happen for two reasons.

First, every solar installer will have unique pricing for labor, and each company can also charge different prices for equipment. This means the same exact system could cost thousands less from one company than it does from another based on demand, customer service, warranty coverage, upcharges, discounts and more.

Second, not every solar installer offers the same equipment. For example, Windfree Solar, a local solar company in Illinois, installs a variety of equipment brands that you can choose from to suit your budget.

SunPower, a national solar company that services Illinois customers, only installs Maxeon panels. These panels are some of the most expensive in the industry, so choosing SunPower will naturally cost more than choosing a company like Windfree Solar.

It’s important to remember that panels differ in quality and performance, not just in cost. For this reason, it’s best to compare solar panels based on both value and price.

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Are There Any Maintenance Costs for Going Solar in Illinois?

Solar equipment might be expensive initially, but there are no ongoing maintenance costs in most cases.

One of the most common maintenance requests from solar customers is panel removal and reinstallation to address roof repair. In most cases, this costs between $500 and $1,000, although different installers may charge different prices for the removal and storage of your equipment.

Illinois does experience some intense weather, including extreme thunderstorms, some of the deadliest tornadoes in the U.S. and well-above-average rainfall per year.⁸,⁹ These conditions can result in more frequent roof damage and leaks, which might require you to carry out roof repair more often than in other states.

In some areas, washing your panels to remove dirt, debris and pollen will help boost efficiency. In turn, this can increase your energy production and savings. Panel washing usually costs between $50 and $100 and is done around twice a year — or you can do it yourself if you’re comfortable climbing onto your roof.

However, most homeowners in Illinois don’t need this service. The Prairie State sees above-average rainfall that should help keep your panels clean.

Typical Costs of Solar Providers in Illinois

With nearly 100 solar installers servicing homes throughout Illinois, you can save money by choosing one that provides great value and still fits your budget. Below are some of the best solar panel companies we recommend in Illinois, along with relative pricing information.