Solar Panels Cost

Solar Panel Cost in Illinois (2026): Prices, Savings and Rules

Last reviewed: October 30, 2026. Prices, rates and rules change. Every figure below links to its source.

This guide explains solar panel cost Illinois homeowners may see, using the state average installed price of $2.93 per watt (EnergySage Illinois cost data (average, before incentives), October 2026) before incentives. At that price a 7 kW system costs about $20,500. Homeowners who buy a system in 2026 get no federal tax credit, but Illinois utilities still pay a one-time rebate (see below).

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Solar panel cost Illinois: compare typical system sizes

Installers price systems by the watt, so the size you need drives the total. At the average price above:

System size Estimated installed cost
5 kW about $14,700
7 kW about $20,500
9 kW about $26,400
11 kW about $32,200

EnergySage reports a range of $28,908 to $39,110 for an 11.59 kW system in Illinois, which is about $2.49 to $3.37 per watt. Real quotes vary with your roof, equipment, permitting and the company. Compare quotes in dollars per watt (total price ÷ system watts) so different system sizes line up.

No federal tax credit for buyers in 2026

The 30% federal credit for homeowners (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025 (Solar.com). If you buy with cash or a loan, do not subtract 30% from any quote. Companies that own a system on your roof (a lease) can still claim a business credit; see our lease vs. buy guide.

Illinois utility rebate and Illinois Shines

Illinois law requires utilities with more than 200,000 customers (ComEd and Ameren Illinois) to pay a one-time rebate for home solar. Until December 31, 2029, the base rebate is $300 per kW of panel capacity (DC), or about $2,100 for a 7 kW system. A battery is paid separately at $300 per kWh of capacity. From January 1, 2030, the solar rebate drops to $250 per kW. Ask your installer whether the quote assumes you or the company keeps the rebate.

Illinois Shines is the state program that pays for the renewable energy credits (RECs) your system produces. Utilities buy the RECs and pay the incentive to the installer or seller (an Approved Vendor), who may pass it on to you as a lower price. Program categories can run out of capacity and put new applications on a waitlist. Illinois Shines projects come with a program Disclosure Form, separate from your installation contract; read it to see how much of the incentive you get.

Illinois’s electricity rate

The average Illinois residential rate was 19.32¢ per kWh (U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly (residential average price), updated automatically, August 2026). Each kWh your panels make saves you that much only when it replaces power you would have bought, so payback depends heavily on your own bill. Use the rate printed on your bill in the calculator if you can.

Selling extra power back in Illinois

Illinois changed net metering for systems that apply on or after January 1, 2025. Customers on regular (not hourly) rates are billed monthly on their net use. When your panels make more than you use in a month, you get a credit for the supply part of your rate only: energy, capacity, transmission and the purchased energy adjustment. You choose a kWh credit or a dollar credit when you apply, and unused credits carry over to later bills. You still pay delivery charges on all the power you take from the grid, so exported power is worth less than the full rate on your bill. Customers on hourly pricing get an hourly dollar credit instead.

The law also says a utility may not add fees or charges for net metering customers that it would not charge similar customers without solar. Systems already net metering before 2025 keep the older rules for the life of the system.

Illinois property and sales tax

Illinois lets you ask your county to value your home as if it had a conventional heating or cooling system instead of solar (35 ILCS 200/10-10). The definition of a solar energy system includes panels that make electricity mainly used on your property. You must file the claim with your chief county assessment officer; it is not automatic.

We have not found an Illinois sales tax exemption for home solar equipment. A 2026 Senate bill (SB 3944) would exempt it starting January 1, 2027, but as of the review date above it was still in the Senate Revenue Committee and had not passed.

HOAs and solar in Illinois

The Illinois Homeowners’ Energy Policy Statement Act (765 ILCS 165/20) bars homeowners’, common interest community and condominium associations from prohibiting solar on a building they cover. An association can choose the layout on a roof face, but it cannot ban panels from any roof face, and its rules may not cut the system’s estimated yearly output by more than 10%. It also cannot require specific technology such as solar shingles, require neighbors’ approval, or deny you because of how you own or finance the system. Your association must adopt a written energy policy within 90 days after a member asks for one. Get approval in writing before you sign an installation contract.

Snow, roofs and insurance

  • Ask each installer about the snow and wind load ratings of the panels and racking, and confirm the job will be permitted and inspected.
  • If your roof is near the end of its life, price a re-roof first. Removing and reinstalling panels later adds cost.
  • Call your homeowners insurer before you sign to ask how solar affects your coverage and premium.

Questions to ask every installer

  • What is the price per watt, and what exactly is included (permits, monitoring, roof work, electrical upgrades)?
  • Which panels and inverters, and what are the product and workmanship warranties?
  • How did you estimate my production, and how did you account for shade and snow?
  • Does your savings estimate credit exported power at the supply-only rate that applies since 2025?
  • Who keeps the ComEd or Ameren rebate and the Illinois Shines incentive, and how much reaches me? Please show me the Disclosure Form.
  • Are you an Illinois Shines Approved Vendor, and is the installer a qualified person under Illinois law?

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Sources

Illinois solar cost questions

How much do solar panels cost in Illinois?

The average installed price of home solar in Illinois is $2.93 per watt (EnergySage Illinois cost data (average, before incentives), October 2026), before any incentives. Real quotes vary with your roof, equipment, permitting and the installer. The system-size table above shows typical totals.

Is solar worth it in Illinois?

It depends on your own bill and rate, how much power you export, and how much of the utility rebate and Illinois Shines incentive reaches you. Illinois’s average residential rate was 19.32¢ per kWh (U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly (residential average price), updated automatically, August 2026), but since 2025 exported power earns only the supply part of the rate. Systems sized to cover what you use as it is made tend to save the most. Enter the rate printed on your own bill in our calculator to see a closer estimate for your home.

Is there still a federal tax credit for solar in Illinois?

No. The 30% federal credit for homeowners under Section 25D ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so an Illinois homeowner buying in 2026 should not subtract 30% from any quote. ComEd and Ameren still pay a rebate of $300 per kW of panels through 2029.

Does Illinois have net metering?

Yes, but for systems that applied on or after January 1, 2025, extra power earns a credit for the supply part of your rate only, not delivery charges. Credits carry over to later bills. Systems net metering before 2025 keep the older full-rate rules.

Can my HOA ban solar panels in Illinois?

No. 765 ILCS 165/20 bars homeowners’, common interest community and condominium associations from prohibiting solar on buildings they cover. They can set the layout on a roof face, but only if it cuts estimated output by no more than 10%.