Illinois solar in 2026: what the end of net metering means for your bill

What changed in Illinois

For years, Illinois offered full retail net metering: every kilowatt-hour of solar you sent to the grid was credited at the same rate you pay to buy power, delivery charges included. As the state’s major utilities — ComEd in northern Illinois and Ameren in central and southern Illinois — reached the participation caps set under state law, they moved new solar customers off full retail net metering and onto net billing.

Under net billing, the energy you export is credited at a lower value — roughly the utility’s supply portion of the rate rather than the full retail rate that also includes delivery. In plain terms: a kilowatt-hour you export back to the grid is now worth less than one you use in your own home.

Illinois Shines still rewards going solar

The shift doesn’t mean the incentives disappeared. Illinois Shines — the state’s Adjustable Block Program — still pays homeowners for the clean energy their system is expected to produce, through renewable energy credits purchased by the program. It remains one of the more meaningful state solar incentives in the country, and it’s a big part of why solar still pencils out in Illinois in 2026.

Estimate your Illinois rebate

ComEd and Ameren pay a rebate of $300 per kW of solar and $300 per kWh of battery storage. Size a system below for the ballpark — then get your full picture, Illinois Shines included, in Build Your System.

Why a battery matters more now

When exports are worth less than the power you buy, the most valuable kilowatt-hour becomes one you use yourself rather than send back. A battery lets you store your midday solar production and draw on it in the evening — keeping more of your own clean power instead of exporting it at the lower net-billing value. It also gives you backup when the grid goes down.

A solar-only system in Illinois still works and still earns Illinois Shines, but pairing solar with storage is increasingly how homeowners capture the most value under net billing.

ComEd vs. Ameren: your utility shapes the math

The details differ by utility. ComEd serves the Chicago area and much of northern Illinois; Ameren serves central and southern Illinois. Their rates, delivery charges, and program specifics aren’t identical, and those differences change how a system should be sized and whether storage makes sense for you.

As always, the honest first step is confirming your utility and your actual usage — then designing to it, rather than to a statewide headline.