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Illinois · Updated August 2026

Illinois electric rates in 2026

What Illinois utilities charge, where the number comes from, and what it means for your bill.

~23.9¢State average rate

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Every utility, side by side

What Illinois homeowners pay

Utility	Rate	Basis
ComEd	~23.9¢	State average applied
Ameren Illinois	~23.9¢	State average applied
Market	Deregulated	Supply can be shopped separately from delivery

The 23.9¢ figure is the Illinois statewide average residential price published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration for August 2026. It is a state average, not a verified tariff figure for any one utility. Utilities serving Illinois include ComEd, Ameren Illinois. Your own bill is the accurate number, and the quote tool prices against it.

Figures as published August 2026. Utilities reset on their own schedules — check your bill for the rate on your account.

The production side

What a roof in Illinois produces

Illinois averages about 4.2 peak sun hours a day. A well-oriented kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1,226 kilowatt-hours a year. A typical 9 kW residential system therefore produces around 11,034 kilowatt-hours annually, which at a rate near 23.9¢ is worth roughly $2,637 a year before any incentive.

Those are pre-shading figures. Trees, roof pitch and orientation move them, sometimes a lot, which is why we read your specific roof rather than quoting a state average at you.

What has actually moved

Utility	Change	Effective
Statewide residential	+28.4% year over year	2026

What Illinois actually offers a homeowner

Illinois Shines pays a 15-year renewable energy credit contract, with roughly half of the value delivered in year one. ComEd and Ameren add $300/kW for solar and $300/kWh for storage. Illinois Solar for All caps ongoing cost at 50% of the value of the electricity produced, which works with a PPA.

Why the number is what it is

The pressure on your bill is not mostly your utility. PJM — the wholesale market that PA, NJ, MD, DE, OH, VA and parts of several other states buy into — cleared its capacity auction at the price cap, and the cost of that flows into delivery charges. Data-center load is arriving faster than new generation is being built. Maryland's Office of People's Counsel put the homeowner impact at roughly $21 a month for BGE customers. Illinois residential prices rose 28.4% year over year.

Two ways to pay for solar, and they are very different

If you buy the system

You own the equipment, you keep any renewable energy credits, and you carry the maintenance responsibility. Installed pricing varies by roof, shading and system size.

If you use a PPA

$0 upfront. We install and own the system; you buy the power it produces at a rate set in your agreement, and you only pay for what it actually generates. The system owner carries maintenance for the life of the agreement.

The residential federal tax credit (25D) ended for systems purchased after December 31, 2025.

You will still see ads promising a 30% credit that “ends December 31.” Read the date on them. If you buy a system today as a homeowner, you cannot claim that credit. What remains under 48E applies to the owner of the system — which, under a PPA, is us. SolarAmerica does not provide tax advice; talk to your tax professional about your situation.

Local detail

Solar by county in Illinois

Every Illinois county has its own page with local towns, ZIP codes, peak sun hours and production math. 102 in total.

Who you would be working with

SolarAmerica

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20,000+Installations completed

16+States with installations

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We design your system and manage the project; installation is performed by vetted licensed partners in your area. SolarAmerica is not itself the installing contractor.

Questions

The things people actually ask

What is the average electricity rate in Illinois?

About 23.9¢ per kilowatt-hour all-in as of August 2026, using the EIA statewide residential average. Your own bill divided by your kilowatt-hours is the number that actually applies to you.

Is solar worth it in Illinois?

A kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1,226 kWh a year here, so a 9 kW system is worth about $2,637 annually against a 23.9¢ rate. Whether that beats your bill depends on your roof and your usage, which is what the quote tool checks.

Does SolarAmerica install the system?

We design the system and manage the project. Installation is performed by licensed partners in your area. You will know who is coming to your roof before anything is scheduled.

Is there still a 30% federal tax credit?

Not for a homeowner buying a system. The residential credit (25D) ended for systems purchased after December 31, 2025. What remains under 48E applies to the owner of the system, which under a power purchase agreement is us.

See what your roof in Illinois actually adds up to

About 60 seconds. No cost, no obligation, and we will tell you if solar does not make sense for your home.

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