How does community solar work in Illinois, and does it really save money?

A company builds a large solar farm somewhere in your utility's territory. You subscribe to a share of its output. Nothing about your power changes. The grid still brings electricity to your home, and the farm's output goes into the same grid.

1. A company builds the farmIt pays to build, run and connect the farm. You do not own or maintain any panels
2. You get a Disclosure Form, then you subscribeIllinois Shines requires the form before you sign. It shows what you pay and the savings the company expects
3. The farm reports your share each monthThe company tells your utility how many kWh your share made
4. Your utility adds a credit to your billComEd labels it "Renewable Community Supply Credit"
5. You pay the company for that powerAt a discount to the credit. Some offers send two bills. Others put your fee on your utility bill

You do not get the farm's actual electricity, and you do not get its renewable energy certificates. You get a bill credit. Your right to buy power from another supplier stays the same, says ComEd. If your supplier bills you on a separate bill, CUB notes that solar credits land only on the utility bill.

One rule most guides skip: state law lets a farm ask ComEd or Ameren to net your fee on the utility bill, if the fee is a fixed share of the credit. Then you get one bill with the credit already reduced by the fee.

State law sets the credit. For ComEd and Ameren Illinois, the utility must credit your share of the farm's output at its "total price to compare." That is the supply price the Illinois Commerce Commission publishes, and it includes energy, capacity, transmission and a monthly adjustment. Delivery charges stay on your bill.

On the date we read the pages, ComEd's price to compare was 10.103¢ per kWh, from October 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027. Ameren Illinois's was 10.441¢ for the first 800 kWh a month and 8.262¢ above that, for the same dates. ComEd's number leaves out one small monthly adjustment, so your credit can differ a little. Your offer's Disclosure Form states the exact credit rate.

Here is the math with round numbers. A home uses 800 kWh a month. It subscribes to cover all of that, at a 10¢ credit, with a 15% discount.

Notice the size. A saving of $12 on an $80 credit is real, but small next to a whole bill. Delivery charges, fees and taxes stay. The tool below turns your own numbers into dollars.

This is an estimate from the numbers you type. It is not a quote, and your Disclosure Form controls the real rate, term and fees.

Most households with a ComEd or Ameren Illinois bill can. You do not need to own your home or have a good roof. The farm must be in your utility's territory, but it can be miles away.

• Renters: yes, if the electric account is in your name. CUB says all residential and business customers can subscribe, and ComEd names renters as a group the program is for.
• Size: CUB says the smallest subscription is 200 watts, about one panel. No one can hold more than 40% of a project.
• Limit: ComEd says your subscriptions together cannot be more than 110% of your past yearly use.
• Who cannot: CUB says most customers of city-owned utilities and co-ops cannot join. Check the name on your bill.

Two state programs run community solar. The second one is built for lower incomes.

To see if you qualify for Illinois Solar for All, use the income lookup on the program's site. Homes already verified through the state's energy-assistance program can be referred straight to a project, so they skip a second income check.

The law and the state program are the same in both territories. The bill, the price to compare and the number of open projects are not.

If you are on a city "community power" deal, run the numbers first. CUB warns that community solar may not be the best deal when a city aggregation price is below the utility's.

Illinois Shines posts a list of community solar projects. It showed 215 projects on August 17, 2026. Of those, 67 were running and 148 were still being built.

Most open projects take home-size subscriptions. 80 of the 97 that were taking subscribers let you start at 1 kW or less and go up to 25 kW. One ComEd project had no status. The list leaves out projects that are not approved yet and some that chose not to be listed, and some listed projects may be full. The program says to call a company about openings.

Community solar is a fair deal for many households, and also a contract. These are the points that cost people money or time.

Illinois Shines also bars a seller from promising guaranteed savings unless the contract has a binding guarantee. If the pitch and the paper disagree, go with the paper. CUB warns about pushy door-to-door solar sales: ask for photo ID and ask to see the state's Consumer Protection Handbook.

Community solar is easy and cheap to try. A good roof can do much more, but you pay for it first. Here is the plain comparison.

The round-number example shows the gap. Panels that make 800 kWh a month would replace about $80 of supply a month at a 10¢ price, where a subscription keeps about $12. But the panels cost thousands up front, and new rooftop systems also net meter at supply value only. See is solar worth it in Illinois for the payback range.

Your own roof wins when you own the home, the roof is sunny, it has at least 15 years of life, and you plan to stay a decade or more. Community solar wins when you rent, your roof is shaded or old, you may move soon, or you cannot front the cost. If you are in the first group, the free solar check looks at your roof and usage. It tells you when solar is not a fit.

Renters are a big part of community solar, and the state program is built for them.

1. 1
   Find your utility.

   Look at your electric bill. If it says ComEd or Ameren Illinois, you are in.

2. 2
   See if you qualify for Illinois Solar for All.

   If your household income is 80% or less of the area median, start there. It has the strongest rules.

3. 3
   Ask your company for the Disclosure Form.

   Compare two or three offers side by side.

4. 4
   Check the exit and move terms.

   Illinois Shines says a subscription must be portable inside your utility's territory and transferable, with no transfer fee.

Illinois Shines publishes a question list. These are the ones that matter most: How long is the term? Is there a fee to leave? Is the price per kWh fixed? Do you need upfront payment? How big is my share? Will I really save more than I pay? What happens if I move?

Then do two lookups. Open the Illinois Shines complaints and violations reports to see if a company was warned or suspended. And compare offers on CUB's free Solar in the Community site. We do not rank companies on this page.