Calculate Your Solar Savings
See how much you could save with our solar lease program compared to rising utility rates.
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Default: $0.16/kWh (ComEd & Ameren average)
How We Calculate Your Savings
This calculator uses your custom utility rate (default $0.16/kWh for Illinois) with a 4.5% annual escalator compared to our fixed lease rate as low as $0.10/kWh plus battery backup for 15 years. A low-escalator option is also available for a lower starting payment. After the 15-year lease, you can keep the system for a low fair-market buyout — then your electricity cost drops to near-zero for the remaining life of the panels (25+ years). Your actual savings may vary based on your specific usage patterns and system size.
How Is Solar Savings Calculated in Illinois?
At the core, it's simple math: your average monthly electricity usage (in kWh) multiplied by your utility rate. Ameren Illinois customers pay roughly 13-20¢/kWh depending on the season, while ComEd customers run a bit higher — both territories have seen rates climb sharply over the past few years. A solar system is sized to offset some or all of that usage, and the calculator compares your current utility cost against an estimated solar payment to show the difference.
Lease, Cash, or Solar for All — Which Number Applies to You?
There isn't one "solar savings" number — it depends on how you go solar:
- Lease/PPA ($0 down): You pay a fixed solar rate — as low as $0.10/kWh — locked for the term of the agreement, instead of a utility rate that keeps rising. No upfront cost, no maintenance. The federal tax credit for solar has ended for homeowner-owned systems, but on a lease the installer (as the system owner) can still claim it and passes some of that value through in the form of a lower monthly payment.
- Cash purchase: You own the system outright. There's no federal tax credit for owned systems anymore, but Illinois incentives — Illinois Shines RECs, the DG rebate, and a 100% property tax exemption on the added home value — help offset the upfront cost, and every kWh you produce is one you're not buying from the utility.
- Solar for All (ILSFA): For income-qualified Illinois households, this state program can mean no solar payments at all, with guaranteed savings on your electric bill and ownership of the system after several years.
Why Your Estimate Will Vary from Your Neighbor's
Two homes on the same street can get very different numbers. Roof size, orientation, and shade determine how large a system will fit and how much it produces. Your actual 12-month usage history (not just one bill) determines how much offset you need. And because Ameren and ComEd have different rate structures — and both are projected to keep rising — the utility you're on changes the math too. Every figure here is an estimate based on your inputs; a custom proposal from our team refines it using your real roof, usage, and utility data. Call (618) 217-2001 for a free, no-pressure walkthrough of your options.