Solar Answers → Bills & Net Metering
Will I still get an electric bill after going solar in Illinois?
Yes — and the honest companies say so upfront. Solar shrinks an Illinois bill; it almost never erases it. Fixed charges survive every month (ComEd: $19.07, itemized below; Ameren: $14.51), you still pay delivery on every kilowatt-hour you draw, and for systems installed after January 1, 2025, exports credit only the supply side of the bill.
Independent public sources we cite and link — The Day Company is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Will I still get an electric bill with solar in Illinois?
Yes. Every Illinois solar home still gets a monthly bill, because two things survive any system size: fixed charges — a customer charge and a meter charge at both ComEd and Ameren — and delivery charges on every kilowatt-hour you still draw from the grid at night, in cloudy stretches, and through winter. What solar attacks is the supply portion. Honest math starts there, not at zero.
A pitch that promises your bill disappears is describing a bill structure that doesn't exist in Illinois. The page below itemizes exactly what stays, what shrinks, and what the one narrow exception actually is — every figure dated and sourced, so you can check us.
What disappears from the bill — and what never does?
Three bill components, three different fates. Supply — the electricity itself — is what solar attacks: self-consumption erases part of it, and export credits offset more. Delivery keeps billing on every kilowatt-hour you draw from the grid, with no delivery-side crediting for new systems. And the fixed customer and meter charges arrive every month no matter what your roof produces.
| Bill component | Before solar | After solar | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supply (the electricity) | Billed on all kWh you use | Shrinks — self-use cuts it, export credits offset more | Post-2025 credits apply to supply (ComEd) or supply + transmission (Ameren) |
| Delivery | Billed on all kWh drawn | Still billed on every kWh you draw — no crediting | Since Jan 1, 2025, delivery is outside net metering entirely (Illinois Shines) |
| Customer charge | Fixed, monthly | Unchanged | Billed regardless of usage or production |
| Meter charge | Fixed, monthly | Unchanged | Same — it pays for the meter, not the power |
| Taxes & fees | Varies by municipality | Varies — can shrink with the amounts they're taxed on | State excise tax plus municipal utility taxes that differ by city |
| Net-metering credit | — | New line — credits applied; unused credits roll forward | Credits carry month to month and don't expire |
The mechanics in one paragraph: for systems interconnected on or after January 1, 2025, Illinois net metering is supply-only — the program's own wording is that customers "pay delivery charges for the entire amount of electricity that they pull from the grid," while exports earn credits against the supply portion (and at Ameren, transmission too). The full mechanics, the legacy rules, and the Hourly Pricing wrinkle live on our ComEd net metering and Ameren net metering pages — this page stays on the bill itself.
What are ComEd's fixed charges right now?
As of January 1, 2026, a single-family ComEd home without electric heat pays a $15.26 monthly customer charge plus a $3.81 standard metering charge — $19.07 a month that no solar system removes. Multi-family homes pay an $11.51 customer charge; single-family electric-heat homes pay $18.18. Delivery rates reset each January, which is why every figure here carries its date.
Two sourcing notes, because this number gets misquoted constantly. First: the $8.55 figure circulating online as "ComEd's fixed charge" is actually Ameren's customer charge — a different utility. Second: ComEd's own currently posted residential line-item summary still shows the January 2025 values ($15.45 and $4.02); the Citizens Utility Board's 2026 guide lists the updated figures above, so CUB is the attribution we use until ComEd's 2026 sheet is retrievable. That's also your reminder that any page quoting fixed charges without a date is guessing.
| Unavoidable monthly charge | ComEd | Ameren Illinois | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer charge | $15.26 | $8.55 | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Metering charge | $3.81 (Standard Metering) | $5.96 (Meter Charge) | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Total unavoidable fixed | $19.07/mo | $14.51/mo | Jan 1, 2026 |
ComEd figures: single-family, non-electric-heat class (multi-family $11.51; electric-heat $18.18). Ameren's customer charge includes small program supplementals, per CUB. All values from the Citizens Utility Board's 2026 Power-Bill Guide.
What are Ameren's fixed charges right now?
Ameren Illinois homes pay an $8.55 monthly customer charge — the figure sometimes misquoted as ComEd's — plus a $5.96 meter charge: $14.51 in total, as of January 1, 2026. The customer charge bundles several small program supplementals, per the Citizens Utility Board. One Ameren-specific bright spot: post-2024 export credits cover supply and transmission, not supply alone.
That supply-and-transmission scope makes an exported Ameren kilowatt-hour worth slightly more against the bill than its ComEd counterpart — but it changes nothing about the fixed charges or the delivery billed on what you draw. The Ameren-side rules live on Ameren net metering in Illinois.
What does a bill actually look like after solar?
Here's the honest shape of a summer ComEd bill after solar — every input declared, nothing promised. Take a home using 693 kWh a month, the 2024 Illinois average. Assume, purely for illustration, that solar plus export credits offsets 90% of the supply line. Supply falls from about $72 to about $7. The fixed $19.07 doesn't move. Delivery still bills on every kilowatt-hour drawn from the grid.
| Line | Illustrative math | What's declared |
|---|---|---|
| Supply, before solar | 693 kWh × 10.399¢ ≈ $72.07 | 2024 IL average usage; summer 2026 Price to Compare, effective Jun 1 – Sep 30, 2026 |
| Supply, after solar | ≈ $7.21 | Assumption: 90% offset from self-use + credits — yours depends on system size, roof, and usage pattern |
| Fixed charges | $19.07 every month | Verified above, as of Jan 1, 2026 |
| Delivery | Still billed on every kWh drawn | Per-kWh delivery rates vary by rider — we don't model a number we haven't verified |
| Taxes & fees | Varies by municipality | No figure published on purpose |
Notice what's missing: a total. Any page that hands you a finished "typical bill after solar" total invented at least one of these lines. Ameren homes: same structure — swap in 11.326¢ supply (first 800 kWh, summer 2026) and the $14.51 fixed from the table above. The number that matters is yours, from your usage history — which is exactly what a real eligibility check runs.
Why is my neighbor's solar bill zero?
Two real reasons — neither applies to a new system on standard rates. Legacy systems interconnected before January 1, 2025 kept full-retail netting for 30 years, credits big enough to flatten usage charges. And on ComEd's Hourly Pricing program, export credits are dollar-value and can exceed the whole bill — including delivery and fixed charges — rolling forward month to month.
The Hourly Pricing path is the one structure that can genuinely zero a ComEd bill, and it's a real program with real trade-offs — covered on the ComEd net metering page. It is ComEd-only; Ameren has no equivalent. If a sales pitch promises a zero bill without saying the words "Hourly Pricing" or "pre-2025 system," it's promising someone else's bill.
Will my bill go up again after I go solar?
Yes — on the part you still buy. Both utilities' supply prices change on October 1, 2026 (ComEd's summer rate is 10.399¢; Ameren's is 11.326¢ for the first 800 kWh, both effective June 1 – September 30, 2026), and delivery rates reset each January. Solar shrinks how many kilowatt-hours those resets touch; it doesn't freeze the rates.
That's not a reason to skip solar — it's the reason the math has to be honest. A system sized to your usage cuts your exposure to the October supply reset and every one after it, because resets can only bill the kilowatt-hours you still draw. What they can't do is touch the fixed charges — those move on their own January schedule, solar or not. The longer story of why Illinois bills climbed lives on Why is my ComEd bill so high?
How do I read the first bill?
Expect the same bill with a smaller supply section and one new credit line. For post-2025 systems, look for the export credit applied against supply (ComEd) or supply and transmission (Ameren), and a banked-credit balance if you produced more than you used — credits roll forward and don't expire. The delivery section and the fixed charges will look untouched. That's normal, not a mistake.
One honesty note: neither utility publishes the exact line-item labels a supply-only solar customer sees, so we describe the mechanics rather than invent label text. If your first bill shows a credit somewhere unexpected — or no credit at all — that's a call to the utility, not a reason to panic. And if you'd rather see the shape of your own numbers before any panels exist: the free check below models the bill you'd actually have — remaining charges included, zero-bill promises excluded.
Illinois bill-after-solar FAQ
Will I still get an electric bill with solar in Illinois?
Yes. Fixed customer and meter charges continue every month at both ComEd and Ameren, and delivery charges apply to every kilowatt-hour you draw from the grid. Solar shrinks the supply portion — through self-use and export credits — but it doesn't remove the bill.
What is ComEd's monthly fixed charge for a solar home?
The same as any home: a $15.26 customer charge plus a $3.81 standard metering charge — $19.07 a month for a single-family, non-electric-heat home as of January 1, 2026, per the Citizens Utility Board. Multi-family homes pay $11.51; electric-heat homes pay $18.18.
What is Ameren Illinois' monthly fixed charge?
An $8.55 customer charge plus a $5.96 meter charge — $14.51 a month as of January 1, 2026, per the Citizens Utility Board. The customer charge includes several small program supplementals. These charges apply regardless of how much your solar produces.
Do solar credits cover delivery charges in Illinois?
Not for systems interconnected on or after January 1, 2025. Delivery is outside net metering entirely: you pay delivery charges on the full amount of electricity you pull from the grid, and export credits apply only to the supply portion of the bill.
Does Ameren credit anything besides supply?
Yes. Ameren Illinois applies post-2024 export credits to both the supply and transmission portions of the bill, which makes an exported kilowatt-hour worth slightly more there than at ComEd, where credits apply to supply only. Neither utility credits delivery.
Can a ComEd bill ever actually hit zero with solar?
Only on ComEd's Hourly Pricing program, where export credits are dollar-value credits that can exceed the entire bill — including delivery and fixed charges — with the excess rolling to the next cycle. It's ComEd-only, and it's the exception, not the rule.
Why is my bill still high in winter even with solar?
Winter production drops while usage often rises, so you draw more from the grid — and every drawn kilowatt-hour carries supply and delivery charges, plus the fixed monthly charges that never change. Banked summer credits can soften winter supply costs but never touch delivery.
What is the current ComEd supply rate?
10.399 cents per kilowatt-hour — 8.677 cents supply plus 1.722 cents transmission — effective June 1 through September 30, 2026, per Plug In Illinois. The rate changes October 1, 2026, and the transmission component changes again in January 2027.
What is the current Ameren Illinois supply rate?
11.326 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 800 kilowatt-hours, effective June 1 through September 30, 2026, per Plug In Illinois. The rate changes October 1, 2026; the fall figure was not final as of this page's review date.
Do net-metering credits expire?
No. At both ComEd and Ameren Illinois, unused credits roll forward from month to month and don't expire, so strong summer production can offset supply costs later in the year. What rolled-over credits can't do is pay the fixed charges or delivery on a standard-rate plan.
Related answers
See what YOUR bill would look like after solar.
Real math from your real usage — remaining charges included, zero-bill promises excluded. If solar can't move your bill much, the check says that too.
Free · ~60 seconds · ComEd & Ameren · No obligationThe Day Company is an Illinois solar and battery information resource and a lead-generation business. Information you submit may be used by our team and authorized partners to contact you about your request. Checking eligibility creates no obligation. Rates and charges on this page are point-in-time with their as-of dates shown; nothing here is a quote, a savings promise, or financial advice.
Sources
- Citizens Utility Board — Power-Bill Guide: 2026 rates — ComEd and Ameren fixed-charge components, as of Jan 1, 2026
- Illinois Shines — net-metering bill-credit changes FAQ — the supply-only rule and delivery-charge wording
- ComEd Hourly Pricing — solar generation — the dollar-value credit mechanic and rollover
- Ameren — customer-owned solar (Illinois program section) — supply + transmission crediting
- Plug In Illinois (ICC) — ComEd and Ameren Price to Compare, summer 2026 windows
- ComEd — Summary of Typical Residential Line Item Charges (posted edition shows Jan 2025 values; noted above)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — 2024 Illinois average household usage (693 kWh/month)
How to cite this page: The Day Company, "Will I still get an electric bill after going solar in Illinois?", theday.company/answers/electric-bill-after-solar-illinois, last reviewed July 30, 2026.
Changelog: July 2026 — v1 published.