Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Shines prices for 2026-27. Updated October 14, 2026.
A typical Illinois system is 9.23 kW and costs about $28,152 in cash at $3.05 per watt. In our ComEd example it pays for itself in about 5.3 years when the full Illinois Shines payment comes off your price, and about 18.3 years when it does not. Ask who gets that payment before you sign.
Free for you. Solar providers pay us when you ask for quotes. How we make money
Illinois Shines buys 15 years of the clean energy credits (RECs) your panels will make. The state pays that money to an Approved Vendor, often your installer, not to you. It lowers your cost only if the vendor takes it off your price.
| Who gets the Shines payment | Off your price | Your cost | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| You: the full payment lowers your price, plus the ComEd rebate | $20,809 | $7,343 | 5.3 years |
| The company keeps it: ComEd rebate only | $2,769 | $25,383 | 18.3 years |
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Both rows save the same $1,390 a year after upkeep. Only the price you pay changes, so a quote that passes on part of the payment lands between the two.
The name at the top of your electric bill decides three things: your bill credit for power you send out, whether you get a $300 per kW rebate, and the price per REC.
Chicago and northern Illinois, about 69% of Illinois homes. Credits the supply part of the bill only. $80.77 per REC.
Next: ask for savings priced at the supply credit, not your full rate.
Central and southern Illinois, about 20% of Illinois homes. Credits supply and transmission. $70.37 per REC.
Next: ask for an Ameren case, not a ComEd example.
MidAmerican serves the Quad Cities area and credits supply only (Rate NEM). Co-ops and city utilities set their own credit rules.
Next: get the credit rules in writing before you size a system.
| Utility | Bill credit covers | Utility rebate | Price per REC, you own | Shines payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ComEd | Supply | $2,769 | $100.77 | about $18,040 |
| Ameren Illinois | Supply and transmission | $2,769 | $90.37 | about $16,180 |
| MidAmerican | Supply (Rate NEM) | None | $90.37 | about $16,180 |
| Co-op or city utility | Its own rules | None | $100.77 in the PJM grid (north), $90.37 in MISO | Depends on grid |
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Prices per REC are the 2026-27 Illinois Shines prices for systems up to 10 kW AC ($80.77 or $70.37), plus the $20 owner adder. With a lease or PPA the ComEd figure is about $14,460, and the company keeps it. The rebate is $300 per kW from ComEd and Ameren only.
ComEd’s credit tracks its price to compare, 10.103¢ from October 1, 2026, plus a monthly adjustment: minus 1.551¢ in October 2026, so about 8.55¢ that month. The state regulator expects the adjustment to average near zero over the year, so we use 10¢. Ameren’s figures are its price to compare from October 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027. Home shares count every home each utility delivers power to (EIA Form 861, 2024).
Since that date, ComEd, Ameren and MidAmerican credit the power you send out at the supply part of the bill, not the full price. Delivery charges stay on your bill.
Saves your full price; 18.79¢ is the state average. It never reaches the meter.
ComEd’s supply credit over a year. It moves month to month: about 8.55¢ in October 2026.
Homes with solar switched on before 2025 keep full credits for 30 years (ComEd: the life of the system).
At ComEd, taking the solar rebate for new panels ends an older system’s full credits. A battery-only rebate does not.
With smaller export credits, a system sized to your own daytime use usually pays off better than an oversized one. A quote that prices exports at your full rate is using the rules from before 2025.
At the September 2026 benchmark of $3.05 per watt, $0.16 above the US average. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
Size | Cash price | Power a year | Rebate |
|---|---|---|---|
5 kW | $15,250 | 6,680 kWh | $1,500 |
8 kW | $24,400 | 10,688 kWh | $2,400 |
9.23 kW (typical) | $28,152 | 12,331 kWh | $2,769 |
12 kW | $36,600 | 16,032 kWh | $3,600 |
No tax credit lowers the price in 2026. Illinois never had a state solar tax credit, and the federal one ended for systems you own placed in service after December 31, 2025.
ComEd and Ameren pay it to you after switch-on: $2,769 on a typical system. Ameren pays within 60 days of a complete application.
$4,050 for a 13.5 kWh battery. You must move to an hourly or time-of-use plan, and the battery joins the utility’s dispatch program for 5 years.
File it with your county assessment office, with receipts. Your home is then valued no higher than with a normal heating and cooling system.
For incomes at or below 80% of the area median: no upfront cost, and yearly payments of no more than half the value of the power.
Way to pay | Who owns the panels | Shines price per REC | Illinois check |
|---|---|---|---|
Cash | You | With the $20 owner adder | The Disclosure Form value matches your discount |
Loan | You | With the $20 owner adder | Cash vs financed price: a dealer fee can cancel out the Shines payment |
Lease | The company | No adder; the company keeps it | Yearly increase; transfer rules if you sell |
PPA | The company | No adder; the company keeps it | Compare the PPA rate with your supply-only credit |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Illinois incentives guideWhat $0-down solar means in Illinois
Four companies that list Illinois service, A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites and the Illinois Commerce Commission installer list, read October 13 and 14, 2026.
The order is alphabetical, not a ranking. Ask each company for its Illinois Shines Approved Vendor name before you compare prices. How we make money.
Put each Disclosure Form next to its contract price and compare what you actually pay.
See if solar fits your Illinois homeEcoGen America does not sell or install solar. When you request quotes, we pass your request to solar providers serving your area, and they pay us for the introduction. Providers can include installers, solar marketplaces and lead exchanges, and more than one may contact you. You never pay us. This is not an application to Illinois Shines. Privacy policy
CEO of EcoGen America. Since 2021 he has connected homeowners with residential solar installers in all 50 states.
About Dean
Founder of EcoGen America. He has worked in residential solar since 2016 and maintains the EcoGen Solar Cost Index.
About TrevorEditorial standardsCost Index methodologyVerified Installer methodology