solar Archives | Citizens Utility Board

New Illinois Shines resources for buying and selling a house with solar panels

Elizabeth — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:59:18 +0000

The Illinois Power Agency has released new handouts to help homeowners better understand the process of buying or selling a house with an Illinois Shines solar project: Selling Your Home That Has an Illinois Shines Solar Project Buying a Home That Has an Illinois Shines Solar Project These materials have specific guidance for projects that were purchased or that were financed through either a lease or Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). (Note: The materials will also be available in Spanish. CUB will update this blog with more information once the translations are complete.) The latest consumer-education handouts follow two others from Illinois Shines: Selecting a Solar Company: Green and Red Flags and Solar Loan Financing. For more information on solar energy, read CUB’s free Solar Guide and visit our Clean Energy page.

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Free solar panels? Breaking down solar offers for Illinois consumers

Elizabeth — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 14:43:29 +0000

CLAIM: You can get free solar panels installed on your roof! FACT: Some companies offer solar panel installation for no money down, but it’s not free—customers will be renting the panels monthly for the term of the lease (usually 15+ years). CUB RECOMMENDS: Explore your options. While leasing may make sense for some homeowners, buying your solar system outright could end up being more cost-effective. Consumers tell CUB that sales people have knocked on their door and pitched solar panels for “free” or with “no money down.” Sounds great, but be wary: Solar panels typically aren’t free. Let’s break down the different solar offers available to consumers in Illinois. (Special note: There is a legitimate state-sponsored solar incentive program offered in Illinois that covers most (or sometimes all) of the cost of going solar, but those are for income-qualified customers only and are not what this blog is about. Read more about this income-qualified program, Illinois Solar For All.) Leases: With a solar lease, the company owns the system and you pay them monthly for the panels. While such an arrangement has been marketed as “no money down” or “free solar panels,” that’s misleading. Although it’s true customers may not pay anything for the panels to be installed, they will pay the company a fixed amount each month for 15-25 years, based on the terms of the lease. Also, leases usually include a provision allowing companies to raise the price each year by 2.9 percent. Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): A PPA is similar to a lease in that the company owns the system and is allowed to annually increase the price the customer pays. However, instead of paying a fixed amount each month, the customer is charged a predetermined amount per kilowatt-hour (kWh), based on the energy produced by the system each month. Ownership: You buy the panels outright, and you are responsible for their ongoing maintenance. Things to consider: With both a lease and a PPA, because the solar company owns the panels, it benefits from the incentives that otherwise would go to the customer: a federal tax credit (covers 30 percent of project costs), Solar Renewable Energy Credits (represents the environmental benefit of 1,000 kWh of renewable energy generation, through Illinois Shines, the state’s solar incentives program), and typically any utility rebates. Because of these incentives, a company could give you a better rate for the lease or the PPA, but keep in mind that the company is under NO obligation to pass down a certain amount of savings to you. With solar ownership, you do benefit from the incentives, but it also requires a high upfront investment for long term savings in addition to ongoing maintenance costs. Due to the federal budget reconciliation bill passed in the summer of 2025, the 30 percent federal tax credit will be eliminated after Dec. 31, 2025 for residential solar customers who buy their panels outright. However, third-party vendors, who offer customers leases or PPAs, will still have access to the 30 percent tax credit until 2027. But the guidance is complicated: Projects that “commence construction” after December 31, 2025 must […]

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Planning your pathway to solar: Illinois Shines releases new solar financing fact sheet

Elizabeth — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 15:26:27 +0000

CUB encourages consumers interested in going solar to utilize Illinois Shines’ Solar Loan Financing resource to learn the many different ways homeowners can pay for solar projects. This is the second handout in the Illinois Power Agency’s (IPA) Homeowner Handout Series, which is part of an expanding resource library designed to help consumers make informed, confident decisions about going solar with the IPA-administered Illinois Shines program. “Now is the time to consider your solar options with the sunsetting of federal solar tax credits on December 31, 2025,” says CUB Solar Program Coordinator Grace Concialdi. “We’re glad this resource is available to help consumers considering a loan to finance their home solar panels.” The IPA has also released this resource in Spanish. This resource follows the first handout released this year, Illinois Shines: Selecting a Solar Company: Green and Red Flags. Upcoming Homeowner Handouts will cover buying and selling a home with an existing solar project. For more information on solar energy, read CUB’s free Solar Guide and visit our Clean Energy page.

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CUB Q&A: Solar and EE tax credits are being phased out–so what now?

Jim Chilsen — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 18:39:05 +0000

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Considering solar? CUB encourages you to use Illinois Shines’ Homeowner Handout

Jim Chilsen — Mon, 12 May 2025 18:01:18 +0000

CUB encourages consumers to utilize the newly launched resource, Illinois Shines: Selecting a Solar Company: Green and Red Flags, to make informed decisions regarding going solar. This is the first handout in the Illinois Power Agency’s (IPA) Homeowner Handout Series, which is part of an expanding resource library designed to help consumers make informed, confident decisions about going solar with the IPA-administered Illinois Shines program. The launch of this important resource is part of the IPA’s broader consumer-protection commitment to educating consumers about the decision to go solar and providing resources to increase their knowledge. These resources are geared toward helping protect consumers against predatory and problematic vendor practices, including misleading marketing, contract confusion and financial risks. Consumer protection is a key pillar for Illinois Shines, helping ensure consumers have necessary information and safeguards when considering going solar or when approached by companies about going solar. The new Homeowner Handout offers guidance to evaluate Illinois Shines solar companies, compare offers using Disclosure Forms, and spot the red flags of misleading, deceptive, or pressurized practices. Upcoming Homeowner Handouts will cover solar loans, financing, and buying and selling a home with an existing solar project.

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CUB announces return of solar group-buy program

Elizabeth — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:45:14 +0000

CUB is partnering with county governments, a nonprofit and solar professionals to promote a group-buy program that can secure deep discounts on solar installations and help participants cut their power bills by hundreds of dollars a year. Switch Together–formerly “Solar Switch”– is a nationwide program that makes rooftop solar installations more affordable, while also offering solar education. The most recent auction secured an average discount of $4,838. To date, 1,585 households in northern Illinois have accepted an offer from Switch Together. “The Switch Together program fits well into CUB’s consumer advocacy mission, because it delivers trustworthy information about solar power–without annoying, high-pressure sales tactics,” said Marina Minic, CUB’s solar programs coordinator. “Clean, affordable energy is in high demand–people tell us this all the time–so we’re happy to work with the Switch Together program to educate people about solar power, and to help interested homeowners enjoy deep discounts in solar installations and cut their electric bills by hundreds of dollars a year.” The program is a partnership among CUB, fellow nonprofit Midwest Renewable Energy Association and several Chicagoland counties: Cook, DuPage, Lake and Kane. (Residents of Kendall, McHenry and Will counties also can participate in Switch Together.) The program is managed by iChoosr, a company that administers similar programs throughout the United States. Here’s how Switch Together works to lower costs for participants: As a “group-buy” program, it secures volume discounts for quality solar installations. The program selects installers through a competitive vetting process and then runs a “reverse auction”–where multiple qualified solar installers compete to secure a low base-price. The 30 percent federal tax credit can further reduce costs, and incentives through the Illinois Shines Program could provide additional savings of approximately 30 percent. There’s no hard sell. As part of the registration process, you answer basic questions about your roof and energy usage. If your roof is suitable for solar panels, you provide your details to receive a personal recommendation. You receive a free personal recommendation upon registering for the program. Registrants are also able to attend an online educational session, called a “Solar Power Hour,” to learn more, but there is no obligation to accept an offer. (iChooser promises: “You will not receive sales calls from us or from installers. Your information will not be shared with third parties.”) The personal recommendation will be based on your registration details, and will include your estimated costs, savings, and expected electricity generation. Then it’s up to you whether to accept or decline the offer–there’s no obligation. If you accept, you will be asked to pay a $150 deposit. The program deposit is fully refundable if for any reason you decide not to move forward with your solar installation. If you accept your recommendation, Switch Together connects you with a program installer, who will contact you for a survey (to confirm the roof’s suitability), finalize the offer and set an installation date. (If the survey deems your roof unsuitable, you can cancel the process.) For more information, visit SwitchTogether.com/Solar/Chicagoland to register or learn more. The final day to register and accept a personal recommendation is June 25. If you believe you […]

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Notice: Complaints about EverBright Solar

Jim Chilsen — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:37:03 +0000

CUB has received several complaints recently about a company called EverBright Solar going door-to-door across the state. The complaints include seniors who say they thought the 25-year lease was free when, in fact, it is not. (Some have told CUB they unknowingly signed up for an extremely expensive contract.) Because of strong energy policy, solar power is an excellent deal in Illinois. The state has solid residential solar programs (see Illinois Shines and Illinois Solar for All) and consumers have a lot of legitimate solar offers to choose from.(See CUB’s recent work in a solar group-buy program.) But consumer education makes Illinois’ market even stronger. The following are tips on how solar shoppers can protect themselves and find the deal that’s right for their individual households: Do some homework: Find out if the solar company you’re considering has a bad track record. Verify the company is registered with Illinois Shines, the state program that’s in charge of solar incentives and monitoring the market. Review the Illinois Shines complaint report to see if the company you’re considering is on there. Go to the Better Business Bureau: BBB.org. Ask the company for references. Consider 2-3 installers: If you think rooftop solar would be a good fit for you, call at least two solar installers in your area to get quotes for your project. Find residential solar installers near you by visiting the Illinois Solar Energy Association website: IllinoisSolar.org. (Tip: Use Illinois Shines Disclosure forms to make apples to apples comparisons.) Don’t make quick decisions. You don’t have to make a decision at your doorstep. Take the company’s literature and review the offer on your own time. If they keep pestering you, high-pressure sales tactics could be a red flag. File a complaint: If you believe you have been subject to fraudulent or deceptive sales practices, file a complaint with Illinois Shines, and you can also file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s office. Chicago: 1-800-386-5468 (TTY 1-800-964-3013) Springfield: 1-800-243-0618 (TTY 1-877-844-5461) Carbondale: 1-800-243-0607 (TTY 1-877-675-9339) Spanish: 1-866-310-8398 Reach out: Got questions about Solar? There are some great resources: IllinoisShines.com CUB’s Clean Energy Page, at CitizensUtilityBoard.org Illinois Solar Energy Association, at IllinoisSolar.org The Solar Energy Industries Association, at SEIA.org

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Chicago Tribune excerpt: Consumer watchdog helps solar roof shoppers cut through the confusion

Jim Chilsen — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 20:32:10 +0000

CUB Note: The following is an excerpt from a Sept. 3, 2024 Chicago Tribune story by Nara Schoenberg on the Solar Switch Chicagoland program, which CUB promotes. You can read the full version of the Tribune story here. Dawn Stockmo wanted solar panels for her Oak Park Victorian, but a funny thing happened when she and her husband started calling installers. “When we talked to one, all of a sudden we started getting lots and lots of calls from other installers,” said the retired affordable housing director. “It just got to be absolutely overwhelming.” At a time when customers complain about aggressive sales practices, confusing offers and lack of transparency, going solar can be daunting, but there are government-backed programs that smooth the way. For Stockmo, help arrived in the form of an e-newsletter from her village. Oak Park was spreading the word about Solar Switch Chicagoland, a group-buy program offered by a partnership that includes the nonprofit consumer watchdog Citizens Utility Board, five local counties and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. The program — formerly known as Grow Solar Chicagoland — has helped more than 600 customers get solar roofs from vetted contractors in the past five years. For those signing up now, the group discount for an average solar roof is expected to be about $4,600. Solar Switch customers interviewed by the Tribune said that the program simplified the purchase process, saved them money and offered the chance to work with entities they knew and trusted. “The best thing was honestly the peace of mind,” said Dan Portincaso, an English professor who lives in Oak Park. “Because it was through this group that was affiliated with the government, because everything was vetted, I was like, ‘It’s all good. I’m not going to get scammed.’” Chicagoan George Witchek said he and his wife were planning to get a solar roof for the 1910 stucco home in Old Irving Park where they live with their two young daughters, but Solar Switch probably accelerated the purchase by four or five years. “The biggest reason was probably the savings,” he said. Solar Switch offered a discount of about $4,000 at the time, and sure enough, when he had a big-name installer bid on the job, the Solar Switch offer “was almost spot-on $4,000 cheaper.” Witchek said he got about $28,000 worth of solar panels for $24,000, with an out-of-pocket cost of only about $8,000, after federal and state incentives. Now, he said, he’s saving $1,200 to $1,500 a year on his electric bills. “I’m going to pay (my investment) back and then for 20-plus years I’m going to have free energy, essentially, which is exciting,” he said. ….. With federal and state solar tax credits and rebates reducing the price of rooftop panels for Illinois residents by up to about 60%, some customers are making the leap because they believe the financial incentives will never be better. In fact, one incentive is already set to decline: Starting in 2025, the state’s investor-owned utilities, including ComEd, will offer smaller bill credits for households exporting solar energy to the grid, leaving new solar roof owners […]

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Tips from CUB: Use caution if a solar sales rep knocks on your door

Jim Chilsen — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 20:40:41 +0000

Solar is an excellent deal in Illinois, but that doesn’t mean every offer pitched to you is the right one for your home. CUB’s Scott Allen recently spoke to WGLT, the public radio station in the Bloomington-Normal area, to recommend that consumers use caution if a solar salesperson knocks on their door . Allen, CUB’s Renewable Energy Policy Coordinator, says the consumer watchdog has received multiple reports of problems with door-to-door solar sales representatives across the state. Those reports include people being pestered by solar pitches; consumers confused about claims of “free” solar panels; and, in the worst-case scenario, people complaining about scams that robbed them of thousands of dollars. The problem became such a concern that a social service nonprofit in southern Illinois requested that CUB create this poster for people to hang in their windows. Scott told WGLT that the rapidly expanding solar market has created plenty of well-paying jobs–but the boom has also attracted some disreputable players. “In a lot of cases, the people coming door-to-door are probably not really involved in the solar industry at all,” Allen told WGLT. “They were probably hired by someone tangential to the solar industry and they’re just going out and selling some kind of product.” The solar industry is aware of the need for standards. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the industry’s main trade group, is working on a set of transparency standards for solar companies to be recognized as SEIA certified installers. In the meantime, there are many ways to tell if a door-to-door pitch is legitimate. Scott offers some tips to help people navigate the solar market and protect themselves from scam artists. If somebody comes to your door… Ask for identification that proves employment with a solar company. Ask to see a copy of the Illinois Power Agency’s Consumer Protection Handbook for solar customers in Illinois (the program is called Illinois Shines). Any reputable sales rep will make that available. Don’t be forced to say “Yes” at your doorstep–high-pressure sales tactics are a red flag. Ask for the sales rep to leave information that you can read on your own time–a reputable salesperson is willing to do that. Don’t rely on one pitch. Get at least three quotes before making a final decision. Make sure to look into well-established, local installers. Remember, there is no such thing as “free” solar panels. When a sales rep claims to offer free panels, that means they are pushing a solar lease. A lease could be a decent deal for some families, but with all the incentives available now, there’s a good chance that buying the panels outright is your best option. CUB has written about this. Got a complaint about a solar company? Call (1-877-708-3456) or email (complaints@illinoisshines.com) Illinois Shines, the state’s solar program. You also can call the Illinois Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Fraud: 1-800-243-0618 For more information about solar power and making the best choices, check out CUB’s Clean Energy Page, including our Introduction to Rooftop factsheet. Also, learn more about Illinois Solar for All, the program making solar more accessible to income-qualified consumers. Finally, remember […]

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Solar Landscape: CUB’s evaluation of Solar Landscape’s community solar offer

Elizabeth — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 21:09:55 +0000

This is an evaluation of Solar Landscape’s community solar offering. If you are not already familiar with community solar, we recommend reading CUB’s Introduction to Community Solar first. How will signing up for the Solar Landscape community solar offer affect my electric bill? Solar Landscape will look at your annual electricity usage history to determine your community solar subscription size, which is measured in kilowatts (kW). Once your subscription is activated, each month, your subscription will produce solar energy, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The supply section of your electric utility bill will be credited for what your subscription produced that month. Solar Landscape offers consolidated billing, meaning they are able to charge you for those solar credits right on your electric bill, but with a 20% discount applied. So, rather than paying your electric utility for that clean energy you are paying Solar Landscape, at a discounted rate. Example: Say you are currently paying your electric utility 10 cents/kWh. Through Solar Landscape’s community solar, you will be paying 8 cents/kWh (20% discount on the supply) for any electricity produced by the farm. Your subscription size is designed to provide credits for your full electricity usage for the year, though there will be changes in your subscription’s energy production from month to month. For example, your subscription will produce less in winter, but more in summer, and your credits from the summer will rollover to help cover your electricity usage in winter. What about alternative suppliers? All customers, regardless of their alternative electricity supplier, can now receive solar bill credits as part of a community solar program. 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 access the benefits of clean energy, and CUB is pleased to see more offers hit the market. This offer includes a 20% savings discount, which is on the higher end of the range. It also offers consolidated billing, meaning everything will be on the ComEd bill. We recommend comparing multiple offers and reading your contract thoroughly before signing up. We have also heard reports of door-to-door marketing. We recommend accepting marketing materials so that you can do more research later, rather than signing up at the door. This chart summarizes key points about the deal: What utility territory does the company serve? ComEd. Does the company offer savings? Yes, 20% supply savings. Is there a credit check when I sign up? No. What is the contract term? 5 years with 2-year auto renewal Is there an “exit fee” for leaving the contract early? None. What are my billing options? Consolidated Billing. How do I contact them? help@solarlandscape-support.com (888) 595-3990 * Your payment is equal to the value of bill credits, assuming the default electricity supply charge with your utility, minus your discount percentage. When will my subscription go live? When will I start to see credits on my utility bill? You should only be charged by your community solar company once you start receiving utility bill credits. When that is depends on when your subscribed community solar project is interconnected to […]

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