This is an evaluation of Illinois Community Solar’s community solar offering. If you are not already familiar with community solar, please read CUB’s Introduction to Community Solar first. Also, learn more about an income-qualified program called Illinois Solar for All.
How will signing up for the Illinois Community Solar offer affect my electric bill?
With a community solar subscription, customers join a solar farm through the state’s Net Energy Billing program. The solar farm earns energy credits for the power it produces and shares those credits with its subscribers. These credits lower the subscribers’ electric bills.
Subscribers then pay the solar farm for the credits—but at a discount (usually 10–20%), so they always save money. This also supports local clean energy.
Illinois Community Solar will look at your energy usage history to determine your subscription size, measured in kilowatts (kW). Each month your subscription will produce solar energy, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
With Illinois Community Solar, you will have an option of receiving one bill (consolidated) or two bills (dual billing). With the consolidated, or one bill option your community solar company will bill you once a month and they will take care of billing the utility company. With the two-billing option, you will be billed by your solar company for the electricity you produced. You will then get a separate bill from your usual utility company minus the solar credits you received from the community solar company
Illinois Community Solar will bill you for the energy generated by your subscription, with a 10%-20% discount applied. That’s where the savings come in. The total amount you save monthly will vary as the solar production of your subscription varies.
What about alternative suppliers?
Almost all consumers, regardless of their alternative electricity supplier, can now receive solar bill credits as part of a community solar program. Although, if you receive a bill from your alternate supplier that is separate from your utility bill, solar credits can only be applied to your utility bill. If the alternative electricity provider charges appear in a consolidated bill, your credits will be used on that bill. Learn more about alternative suppliers for consumers in ComEd territory and Ameren territory.
What does CUB think about this offer?
Community solar allows more Illinois consumers to enjoy the benefits of renewable energy, and CUB is pleased to see these offers hit the market.
Illinois Community Solar promises 10%-20% savings over your utility’s energy supply price. Visit Solar in the Community to see CUB’s analysis of other offers available in Illinois.
This chart summarizes key points about the Illinois Community Solar deal:
| What utility territory does the company serve? | Ameren and ComEd |
| Does the company offer savings? | Yes, Illinois Community Solar offers 10%-20% off the utility default supply rate for the community solar bill credits you receive. |
| Is there a credit check when I sign up? | There is a soft check |
| What is the contract term? | Up to 20 years |
| Is there an “exit fee” for leaving the contract early? | No |
| What are my billing options? | Dual Billing, Consolidated Billing |
When will my subscription go live? When will I start to see credits on my utility bill?
When you sign up for a community solar offer, you may experience a delay before you see credits on your utility bill. This may be because the community solar garden to which you are assigned may not yet be completed. The representative you speak to should be able to give you an estimate of when credits will appear.
What happens if I move?
If you move within your current utility territory you can take your community solar subscription with you. If you move outside of the utility territory, you can either assign your subscription to someone else (that person must first properly enroll in the community solar program, including reviewing all of the applicable Illinois Power Agency Disclosure forms) or you can cancel with no penalty.
Can I sign up for Illinois Community Solar offer and a real-time pricing program?
If you are enrolled in the community solar program you can also participate in Hourly Pricing with ComEd and Power Smart Pricing with Ameren.
How do I sign up?
To enroll in Illinois Community Solar’s community solar program, visit the Illinois Community Solar website. CUB recommends comparing multiple offers before signing up. See all offers available to you at Solar in the Community.
Have you signed up for a community solar program? Let us know about your experience!
