How solar works.

Panels on your roof convert sunlight into DC electricity, and an inverter turns that into the AC power your home uses. Your home runs on solar first — extra power charges a battery or flows to the grid for a credit, and at night or in low sun you draw from the battery or grid. Monitoring shows you exactly what you’re producing and using.

kW (kilowatts) measures power — the size or capacity of your system at a given moment. kWh (kilowatt-hours) measures energy — how much you actually produce or use over time. Your utility bills you in kWh, and we size your system in kW to generate the kWh your home needs across a year.

Most roofs are good candidates. What matters is usable area, orientation and tilt, shading from trees or nearby buildings, and your roof’s condition and age. We assess all of it during design — and if your roof isn’t a fit, we’ll tell you straight rather than force it.

Panels still produce on cloudy days and in winter, just less than in full sun. Systems are sized around your annual production, so strong summer output balances lower winter and cloudy-day production over the year. Our Chicago and Peoria pages get into how this plays out in a real Midwest climate.

It depends on your energy use, roof, equipment, and whether you add a battery — so a real number only comes from a design for your specific home, not a generic price. What we promise is a transparent, itemized quote and no pressure.

For many homes, yes — you replace decades of utility purchases with power you produce yourself. How much depends heavily on your utility’s rates and net-metering rules, which vary a lot by market, so we model your actual bill and give you an honest local picture before you commit.

It comes down to your goal: buy with cash or a loan to own the system and maximize long-term savings, choose a prepaid lease to lower your upfront cost, or go $0-down with a lease or PPA for immediate monthly savings. We walk through all of them honestly — including the 2026 tax-credit reality — on our financing page.

We won’t invent urgency. Equipment prices have trended down for years, but that’s only one factor — while you wait, you keep paying full utility bills, and incentive programs and net-metering rules can change in either direction. We’ll lay out the real timing trade-offs for your home and let you make the call.

SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Credits) let you earn value for the clean energy your system generates, on top of your bill savings. In Illinois, the state’s Illinois Shines program has supported residential solar and storage through incentives tied to your production. Program details and funding change, so we confirm exactly what currently applies to your project before you count on it.

Usually yes — a rooftop system is a home improvement, and most insurers want it noted on your policy so it’s covered. It’s typically a quick call to your insurer; coverage and any premium impact vary, so check with them, and we’ll provide the system details they ask for.

Not always — it depends on your goals and your utility. Where exported power is credited well below retail, like California under NEM 3.0, a battery is often essential to capture your system’s value. Where net metering is near retail, a battery is more about backup than economics. We’ll tell you honestly whether it pays off for your home.

A standard grid-tied solar system shuts off in an outage for safety, so solar alone won’t keep your home running. A battery detects the outage, safely disconnects from the grid, and powers your circuits from stored energy — and paired with solar, it can recharge during the day to carry you through longer events.

It depends on the battery’s size and what you run. Backing up essential circuits — fridge, internet, key outlets, some lighting — lasts far longer than powering the whole home, and pairing with solar can extend backup across multiple days by recharging in daylight. We size to the outcome you want.

Either can work. Some homeowners install storage with their solar up front; others start with solar and add a battery later, or expand capacity in stages. If you think you’ll want storage eventually, we design the system to make adding it later straightforward.

The on-roof work is usually a day or two. The full timeline — design, permitting, inspection, and utility approval — typically spans several weeks. Your designer will give you a realistic estimate for your area.

Your bill shows your actual usage and rate plan — the two things that determine how big your system should be and what it’ll save you. It also tells us your utility and net-metering rules, which shape the whole design. It’s how we size to your real needs instead of a generic template.

Sometimes. Whether your electrical panel can handle solar — plus a battery or EV charger — depends on its capacity and current loads. If an upgrade is needed, we identify it during design and include it in your quote up front, so there are no surprises.

If your roof is near the end of its life, it’s usually best to address it before or at the same time as solar — removing and reinstalling panels later adds cost. We assess your roof’s condition during design and give you a straight recommendation.

Quality panels are built to last decades and typically carry manufacturer warranties up to 25 years, with output declining only gradually over time. Our installs also carry a 10-year workmanship warranty. We’ll confirm the exact warranty terms for the equipment in your design.

Solar needs very little — there are no moving parts, occasional rinsing of dust and debris is usually enough, and monitoring flags any issue early. If something does need attention, our service team handles it, and we stay with you long after the install.

An owned system is an asset that conveys with the home and can add to its value. A $0-down lease or PPA transfers to the buyer, and a prepaid lease transfers easily too. We’ll make sure you understand how your specific setup is handled before you sell.