Certasun Review
Solar, battery and EV charger installerBased in Buffalo Grove, IllinoisProfile updated October 13, 2026
Is Certasun a good choice?
Certasun fits Chicago-area and northern Illinois homeowners who want one local crew for panels, a battery and an EV charger. It says it was founded in 2018, uses its own crews and no subcontractors, and names its equipment: REC panels, Enphase microinverters and Tesla or FranklinWH batteries. Its own pages give two different production guarantee descriptions, so get the exact guarantee and the roof terms in writing.
- Price
- Fixed quote after a consultation; its pages give only a broad typical range. Costs
- Coverage
- IL and WI: Chicago, its suburbs, northern Illinois and southeast Wisconsin. Service area
- Warranty
- 10-year workmanship warranty on every system, plus a production guarantee; panel maker terms from REC. Warranty
Your request goes to companies that serve your ZIP. It may not include Certasun. To reach Certasun directly, use the contact details on this page.
On this page
Why choose Certasun, and why you might not
What Certasun does well, and where to be careful, compared with the installers it competes with most.
Reasons to choose Certasun
It names its equipmentCertasun says it uses REC panels and Enphase parts on solar-only homes. With a battery, it uses a Tesla Powerwall 3 or FranklinWH aPower 2. You can look these up before a sales visit.
It covers its own work for 10 yearsCertasun backs its own work for 10 years on every system. Eagle Point lists 5 years, and All Energy lists no term. Wolf River lists 25 years.
It has a prepaid planWith its Prio plan, you pay up front in three parts for 15 years of solar power. Certasun owns, insures and repairs the system. It is for ComEd customers only.
One crew does panels, battery and car chargerCertasun says its own crews do every job, with no outside companies. It also adds mesh around the panels to keep squirrels out.
Reasons to look at others
No warranty for roof leaks listedCertasun lists no warranty for leaks where the panels are bolted to the roof. Wolf River lists 25 years. Ask who fixes a leak there, who pays, and for how long.
Its output promise is unclearCertasun says it pays you if the system makes less than 90% of its estimate. Its pages describe this promise two different ways. Ask for the exact terms in writing.
It names no lender or license numbersCertasun does not name its loan or leasing company. It prints no Illinois or Wisconsin license number. Ask who you will pay, and ask for its license numbers.
Some reviews describe delays and damageIts negative reviews describe a contract cancelled after seven weeks, a system error left for weeks, and a hole left in a roof. Ask who your single contact will be.
Certasun reviews: what customers say
We found no Google or Trustpilot reviews for Certasun when we checked in October 2026. Ask the company for references from recent customers in your area.
How much does Certasun cost?
Certasun gives only a broad typical range on its cost page and says it quotes a fixed price for your home after the consultation. Ask for an itemized quote with the cash price, system size, equipment models, the incentive amounts it guarantees and, for a loan, the financed total with APR and fees. For a prepaid or lease plan, compare the total you pay over the term. For state price ranges, see our solar panel cost guide; for how the plans compare, see loans, leases and PPAs.
Purchase
You own itYou pay in stages as the work moves along.
Solar loan
You own itA short-term loan spreads out the cost. The lender is not named.
Prio prepaid solar
Certasun owns itYou prepay once, in three installments, for 15 years of solar electricity. Certasun maintains, insures and repairs the system. You can buy it after five years or at the end of the term. ComEd customers only.
Lease
A leasing company owns itMonthly payments for 15 years. The company says the lease includes a battery. At the end you can extend, buy the system or have it removed.
Plans as listed on Certasun’s home solar page, Prio page and lease page, read October 13, 2026.
Certasun says it installs REC panels and Enphase microinverters on solar-only systems. With a battery, it uses a Tesla Powerwall 3 or FranklinWH aPower 2, and the battery’s own inverter replaces the microinverters (home solar page). It says it adds mesh around the array edge on every system to keep squirrels out. Your written proposal should still list the exact models, the system size in kilowatts (kW) and the forecast yearly production in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
What does Certasun’s warranty cover?
Coverage | What Certasun publishes | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
Solar panels | REC maker’s warranty of at least 25 years, which the company says includes parts, labor and shipping | Your REC panel model and its exact warranty term. |
Panel output | Production guarantee: the company says it pays you if the system produces less than 90% of its estimate; one page calls it a 25-year guarantee | Confirm in your proposal: the guarantee’s term, payout and which plans it covers (the company says purchase, loan and Prio). |
Inverter | Not published | Confirm in your proposal: the Enphase or battery inverter’s maker term and who pays labor to replace it. |
Battery | Maker’s warranty: the company lists 10 years for Tesla Powerwall 3 and 15 years for FranklinWH; a leased battery is covered for the lease term | Which battery you get and that its maker’s term applies. |
Labor and workmanship | 10 years, with every system (the company also lists 10 years for battery installs) | What the workmanship warranty excludes. |
Roof penetrations | Not published | Confirm in your proposal: whether the 10-year workmanship warranty covers leaks at panel mounts. |
Company-published terms from Certasun’s home solar page, equipment page and battery comparison, read October 13, 2026. It has no separate warranty page. Your signed agreement decides what applies.
Under Prio and the lease, Certasun or the leasing company owns the system and handles repairs; check the agreement for who services it.
Where does Certasun operate, and which licenses were checked?
Certasun’s home solar page says it installs in Chicago, its suburbs and southeast Wisconsin, and its about page names northeast Illinois and southeast Wisconsin (read October 13, 2026). Its homepage says Chicago and northern Illinois. Prio prepaid solar is limited to ComEd customers in northern Illinois. A listed area does not mean every address qualifies or that EcoGen can connect you with Certasun there.
Showing Buffalo Grove, IL (headquarters)
Office address (1)
- Buffalo Grove, IL (headquarters)1582 Barclay Blvd, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089Show on mapOpen in Google Maps
Address from Certasun’s website, read October 13, 2026.
Licenses
We have not checked Certasun’s licenses in a state registry yet, and its website does not list license numbers we could match. Check the license yourself under the exact business name on your contract. A license check confirms registration, not workmanship quality.
Illinoisno number publishedNot published
- License
- Contractor or electrical license
- Number
- Not published
- Registry check
- Not checked by us
- Note
- No license number appears on the pages we read (October 13, 2026). Illinois sets electrical licensing locally. The company says it is an Illinois Shines Approved Vendor, which is a program status, not a license.
Wisconsinno number publishedNot published
- License
- Electrical contractor license
- Number
- Not published
- Registry check
- Not checked by us
- Note
- No Wisconsin license number appears on the pages we read (October 13, 2026). Ask for it before you sign.
Certasun’s site footer says Certasun LLC is an Illinois Shines Approved Vendor and was the first one. It also shows its Google and SolarReviews ratings. These are company statements; we did not verify them.
Certasun compared with three other installers
These three are the only alternatives that serve both of Certasun’s states, Illinois and Wisconsin. Every fact comes from the company profiles linked below.
| CertasunThis page | All Energy Solar | Eagle Point Solar | Wolf River Electric | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | One local crew for panels, battery and car charger | Solar and roofing, with several ways to pay | Homes and farms, with named loan partners | Solar, batteries, car charging and electrical work |
| Head office | Buffalo Grove, IL | St. Paul, MN | Dubuque, IA | Isanti, MN |
| States shared with Certasun | Both of its states | 2: IL, WI | 2: IL, WI | 2: IL, WI |
| Roofing | Not listed | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Ways to pay | Buy, loan, rent, prepaid plan | Buy, home equity loan, rent, PPA, prepaid plan | Loan, home equity line | Buy, loan |
| Labor warranty | 10 years | Mentioned, term not listed | 5 years | 25 years |
| Roof leak warranty | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed separately | 25 years |
| Brands named | REC, Enphase, Tesla, FranklinWH | Enphase, SolarEdge, Tesla (no standard panel) | Logos only: JA Solar, Enphase, Tesla, others | REC, Q CELLS, Enphase, Tesla, Maxeon |
| Google score* | No Google listing found | 4.8 (1,356 reviews) | 4.5 (201 reviews) | 4.9 (960 reviews) |
*Each Google score is for the company’s head-office listing only, read October 12 and 13, 2026.
Full profiles: All Energy Solar · Eagle Point Solar · Wolf River Electric
Before choosing Certasun
Ask for these in writing:
- An itemized quote with the cash price and the financed total, including the APR and all fees.
- The exact panel, inverter and battery models, the system size in kW and the forecast yearly production in kWh.
- The warranty documents for your payment plan: panels, inverter, labor and roof penetrations.
- Your local service contact, and who handles utility approval and warranty claims.
- The exact company on the contract, such as Certasun LLC, and its license for your state.
Before you sign, read the quote line by line and bring our questions to ask a solar installer.
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How we researched this profile
We read Certasun’s own pages on October 13, 2026: homepage, about, home solar, cost, Prio, lease, equipment, battery comparison, Wisconsin incentives and support. On October 14, 2026 we also checked its Google Business listing, which shows the same Buffalo Grove address and says it serves the Chicago and Milwaukee areas; its own site was behind a bot check that day, and the Illinois business registry did not load. We did not buy a system, request a quote, visit an office or interview customers. Certasun did not review this page.
Our installer methodology explains what we check.
Sources (11)
- Certasun: Homepage (address, legal name), read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: About Certasun, read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: Solar panels for your home (plans, equipment, guarantee), read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: How much does solar cost?, read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: Prio prepaid solar, read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: Solar leases, read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: Solar equipment, read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: Powerwall 3 vs. FranklinWH, read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: Wisconsin solar incentives, read October 13, 2026
- Certasun: Support resources, read October 13, 2026
- Google Business listing: Certasun (address, open listing, Chicago and Milwaukee areas), read October 14, 2026