On this page
Five taps, one honest read — before you give us anything.
These are the same first screens our eligibility check asks, so you'll know what it will say before you start it. Nothing is sent until you choose to start.
Looks like a fit. Owner-occupied, your own roof, ComEd or Ameren, a bill the math can work at — that's exactly the home the review is built for. The check confirms it against your address, roof and usage, and takes about a minute.
Check my eligibility →Probably a fit — with one caveat. Under roughly $100 a month the math thins out, so “not yet” is a real possible answer — here's when solar isn't worth it. The check still costs nothing, and it will tell you which.
Check my eligibility →Rooftop solar needs roof rights you don't have — but you're not out. Illinois community solar puts a share of a local solar farm on your bill with nothing on the roof. The same check routes renters there instead of to a rooftop review.
See my community-solar route →A shared roof usually puts the association in charge, not you. Condos and apartments fall outside the rooftop review — the building decides, and Illinois' HOA solar law stops applying once a roof is shared. Read what an association can and can't require and how shared roofs change the permit picture.
Our Illinois guides are built for ComEd and Ameren homes. Municipal utilities and co-ops — Naperville, for example — set their own net-metering and rebate rules, and most of what's here won't apply to you. See coverage by utility →
Heavy shade is the most common honest “no” for rooftop panels. The check routes heavily shaded homes toward community solar — the same bill credits, nothing on the roof. Our shaded-roof guide covers when trimming or module-level equipment changes the answer.
See my community-solar route →- Heavily shaded roofs — when a shaded roof still works, and when it doesn't
- Renters and shared roofs — how a shared roof changes the picture
- Municipal and co-op territory — coverage by utility
- Bills under about $100 a month — when solar is not worth it
Your electricity bill, 25 years out.
Match it to your home and watch the chart move. Every figure is an illustrative estimate you control — no email required. Fixed charges stay on the bill and exported power is credited at the supply price, so the “with solar” line never pretends to reach zero.
A starting estimate from typical Illinois usage plus your utility's fixed charges. Know your real bill? Switch to “I know my bill” for a closer number.
An assumption you control — not a prediction. The state's own Illinois Shines disclosure form models 0.5%, 1.7% and 2.5% a year; ComEd's supply price jumped far more than that in a single year, and PJM's auctions keep its capacity costs elevated through May 2029.
The share of your annual usage a system might produce. Most good-fit homes land near 80–100%.
(estimate, before system cost)
The “with solar” line keeps your utility's fixed monthly charges and credits exported power at the supply price only — what stays on a bill after solar →. It leaves out what a system costs; for that, run the payback model →.
How these estimates work. Figures are illustrative estimates, not a quote, guarantee, or promise of savings. The 25-year cost compounds your monthly bill at the annual increase you select; the 2% default sits inside the 0.5–2.5% range the state's Illinois Shines disclosure form uses. The “with solar” line and the “could avoid” figure assume, as that form does, that about 70% of what a system produces is used at home and 30% is exported — power used at home avoids the full all-in rate, exports are credited at your utility's supply price (which includes transmission for both ComEd and Ameren), and fixed monthly charges — about $19 for a ComEd single-family home, about $15 for Ameren — stay on the bill. Above 100%, surplus is credited at the supply price and credits carry forward. Neither figure includes system price, financing, taxes, or incentives, which a full review covers. System size is a rough estimate using standard Illinois solar production. When estimating from home size, we assume typical Illinois usage of about 0.40 kWh per sq ft each month for gas-heated homes and 0.75 for electric-heated homes, at an estimated all-in rate of ~16.46¢/kWh (ComEd) or ~14.6¢/kWh (Ameren) plus those fixed charges. Your real numbers depend on your home, roof, shade, usage, system design, and final terms. Rate data last reviewed September 2026 — sources: Plug In Illinois for ComEd and Ameren, the Citizens Utility Board's 2026 Power-Bill Guide and CUB's June 2026 Ameren Q&A.
The six numbers that change the decision.
Each one with the date it took effect, the date we last checked it, the document it came from — and the guide that works it through in full.
Price to Compare from October 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027 — about 4% above last October, after a summer about 50% above two years earlier, driven by capacity auctions rather than your usage. Why ComEd bills jumped →
Effective October 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027 · Checked October 8, 2026 · Source: Plug In Illinois (ICC)First 800 kWh a month, 8.262¢ above that, through May 31, 2027. This summer's 11.326¢ ran roughly 39% above summer 2024, on the separate MISO grid, and there's a second reason Ameren summer bills bite that almost nobody explains. Why Ameren bills jumped →
Effective October 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027 · Checked October 8, 2026 · Source: Plug In Illinois (ICC)For systems interconnected on or after January 1, 2025 the credit covers supply and transmission, not delivery — which changes how a system should be sized. Pre-2025 systems keep legacy terms. ComEd net metering → · Ameren net metering →
Since January 1, 2025 · Checked September 17, 2026 · Source: ComEd net-metering FAQ (2026)ComEd / Ameren territory, systems up to 10 kW AC, plus a $20-per-REC adder when you own the system. Paid to the Approved Vendor: half at energization, the rest ratably over six years. Illinois Shines, explained →
Program year from June 1, 2026 · Checked September 17, 2026 · Source: IPA final 2026-27 REC pricesComEd's storage rebate now commits you to its virtual power plant for a five-year term and to a qualifying ComEd supply product for the life of the battery; Ameren's is virtual-power-plant-gated too. ComEd's rebate terms → · Ameren's →
Conditions since June 1, 2026 · Checked September 17, 2026 · Source: ComEd DG RebateNo credit for cash or loan purchases completed in 2026. What ended, what didn't, and what that changes about how you pay. Full breakdown →
Expired December 31, 2025 · Checked September 17, 2026 · Source: IRS · Public Law 119-21Re-checked at source on a schedule: the June 1 and October 1 supply resets, every PJM and MISO auction, and Illinois Shines' June 1 program-year open. The rest of the reference set — PJM's $325-per-MW-day cap result and its $776.69 ComEd-zone simulation, MISO's $424.30, the larger REC tiers, payment schedules — lives on our Illinois Solar Facts data page. Our sourcing rules →
You've seen the six numbers. See what they mean at your address.
Free 60-second check for ComEd & Ameren homes — reviewed by our team, and if it's not a fit, we'll say so.
Three steps. No wasted appointments.
Most solar pitches open with a promise. This opens with your bill, your utility and public rate data — then a real person decides whether a review is even worth your time.
Answer a few questions
Utility, homeownership, home type, bill range, roof shade — then your address and contact details. About a minute, and the five taps above pre-fill it.
A real person checks the fit
Your answers go to our review team — not a call-list vendor — to see whether a solar and battery review makes sense for your specific home.
You decide the next step
If the basics line up, schedule a full review at a time you pick. If they don't, we'll tell you and point you somewhere that fits — no pressure either way.
The Day Company is an independent information resource — not an installer. We are paid a fee by the installation partner when a homeowner we refer goes ahead; the eligibility check itself is free to you and always will be. Your information goes to our review team; if you schedule a review, it goes to the installation partner who will conduct it, so they can prepare. Checking eligibility creates no obligation. Full details in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Side by side: what you'll often see elsewhere, and what you get here.
No company is named. Every line in the right column is a commitment already made on this page and in our terms of service.
Swipe the table sideways to see both columns →
| On the question of… | What you'll often see elsewhere | What you get here |
|---|---|---|
| Savings claims | “Up to X% off your bill” — promised before anyone has seen your roof. | No savings, payback or ROI promises. Estimates you control, a payback range with every assumption shown, then a review of your actual home. |
| Where your info goes | Sold or shared with several solar companies at once. | Our review team — and one installation partner, only if you schedule a review. |
| Who contacts you | Dialers, AI voice agents, robocalls. | Real people make every call and say who they are. Automated texts only confirm your request and remind you of appointments. Reply STOP to end them. |
| The numbers | Undated figures — some sites still advertise the federal credit that expired December 31, 2025. | Every figure dated and linked to its public source, with a scheduled re-check calendar. |
| The pace | Sign-today pricing, unannounced visits. | No unannounced visits. Checking eligibility creates no obligation. |
| When it's not a fit | Everyone “qualifies.” | We say no when it's no — and point you to what fits: community solar, efficiency, or “not yet.” |
Why we can hold to this: The Day Company is paid by the installation partner only when a homeowner we refer goes ahead — so the incentive is a review that's worth your time, not a form fill. How we make money →
Step one takes about a minute.
Check your eligibility now — you pick the time for any conversation, and checking creates no obligation.
What to know before you check.
Does checking eligibility obligate me to anything?
No. The eligibility check simply shows whether a full review makes sense for your home. It doesn't commit you to buy, switch suppliers, or sign a contract. It's free to you — we're paid by the installation partner only if you go ahead, never by the homeowner.
Will I get spam calls if I check my eligibility?
No mass lists. Your information isn't sent to a roster of solar companies — it goes to our review team, and if you schedule a review, to the one company that will conduct it. Calls come from real people at The Day Company who identify themselves, never from AI voice or robocalls, and your review happens at a time you pick. Automated texts only confirm your request and remind you of appointments. You can stop contact any time by replying STOP to a text or telling us on a call. See exactly how your data is handled in our privacy policy.
Are the calculator results a guarantee of savings?
No. The calculator gives illustrative estimates, not a quote or a promise. You control the assumptions, and the figures don't include system price, financing, taxes, or incentives. We don't promise payback periods or percentage savings for the same reason: your real numbers come from a full review of your specific home, not from a website. Our worth-it guide does model a payback range — using the state's own published assumptions, with every input shown — so you can see how wide the honest answer is before anyone quotes you a single number.
Why does it matter whether I'm with ComEd or Ameren?
Illinois program details, rates, and review steps differ by utility — ComEd is on the PJM grid and Ameren is on the MISO grid, and those two markets price capacity in completely different ways. REC prices differ between the two territories, and so do the conditions attached to each utility's battery rebate. That's why the first question is which company serves your home.
What happens after I click?
Three things, in order. You answer a short set of questions — utility, ownership, home type, bill range and roof shade, then your address and contact details — in about a minute. A real person on our review team checks whether a full solar and battery review makes sense for your specific home; your answers don't go to a call-list vendor. If the basics line up, you schedule a review at a time you pick, with the one installation partner who will conduct it. If they don't, we tell you and point you to what fits instead. Checking creates no obligation.
What if my home isn't a fit?
Then the check says so, and routes you somewhere useful instead of nowhere. Renters and heavily shaded roofs go to Illinois community solar — a share of a local solar farm credited on your bill, nothing on the roof — and our shaded-roof guide explains when trimming or module-level equipment changes the answer. Condos and shared roofs are the association's call, so we send you to the HOA rules. Municipal and co-op customers are outside both tariffs our Illinois guides cover — coverage by utility. And under about $100 a month, the honest answer is often “not yet” — here's when solar isn't worth it.
Is The Day Company the installer?
No. The Day Company is an independent information resource. We publish sourced rate and program data and run the eligibility check — we don't sell, design, install, or finance solar systems. If your home is a genuine fit and you schedule a review, an installation partner conducts it, and any agreement you sign would be with that company. We're paid a fee by that partner when a homeowner we refer goes ahead. The eligibility check never costs you anything. How we're compensated.
How is The Day Company different from other solar sites?
Four ways, each stated on this page and in our terms. We make no savings, payback or ROI promises — only estimates you control, a modelled payback range with every assumption shown, and a review of your actual home. Your information goes to our review team and, only if you schedule a review, to one installation partner — never to a list of companies. Calls come from real people who identify themselves, your review happens at a time you pick, and replying STOP ends texts and calls. And every rate and program figure carries the date it took effect, the date we last checked it, and a link to its public source, with re-checks scheduled around the June 1 and October 1 supply resets. We're not an installer: we're paid a fee by the installation partner when a homeowner we refer goes ahead, and the eligibility check is always free. How we make money and what we won't publish.
Start with your utility. Every guide is sourced and dated.
ComEd sits on the PJM grid and Ameren on MISO — different auctions, different rebate conditions, different net-metering credits. Pick your side, or jump straight to your question.
ComEd homes
Northern Illinois · PJM grid · Price to Compare 10.103¢/kWh through May 31, 2027- Why is my ComEd bill so high?The capacity-auction spike, with sources
- How does ComEd net metering work now?Supply-only credits, legacy terms, the Hourly Pricing exception
- ComEd's $300/kWh battery rebateWho claims it, when it pays, the two commitments
- ComEd's virtual power plant (Rider SDVPP)$10 per kW-Season, five-year term, enrollment not yet open
- Can Hourly Pricing + solar hit $0?The one documented case, and what it took
- The full ComEd Solar GuideRates, net metering and RECs in one place
Ameren Illinois homes
Central & southern Illinois · MISO grid · Price to Compare 10.441¢/kWh (first 800 kWh) through May 31, 2027- Why is my Ameren bill so high?MISO's auction, and the second reason summer bills bite
- How does Ameren net metering work now?Supply plus transmission credits, since January 1, 2025
- Ameren's virtual power plant and battery rebateRider SD VPP: $10 per kW, five seasons, no exit penalty
- What changed on October 1?Both utilities' new supply prices — and what they mean for sizing
- Illinois battery incentives, statewideEvery rebate and program, both territories
By question
What changed in Illinois solar — and when.
Newest first. We add entries when programs and rates actually change — not on a content calendar.
- Oct 1, 2026New supply prices took effect. ComEd’s Price to Compare is now 10.103¢/kWh, about 3% below this summer and about 4% above last October. Ameren’s is 10.441¢ for the first 800 kWh a month and 8.262¢ above that. Both run through May 31, 2027, checked at Plug In Illinois on October 8, 2026. What changed on October 1.
- Sep 17, 2026Every figure re-checked again — nothing moved. Both October 1 supply rates remain unpublished. ComEd's own Distributed Generation Rebates page and the Citizens Utility Board's September 14 CRGA-programs roundup confirm the storage rebate's SDVPP commitment and the spring-2027 enrollment target. Correction, same day: the calculator's “with solar” estimate previously reduced the whole bill by the solar offset percentage, which could show a $0 bill at 100% coverage; it now keeps fixed monthly charges on the bill, credits exported power at the supply price only, uses the state disclosure form's 70/30 split, and defaults to a 2% rate increase instead of 4%. This page was also reorganized — shorter, every figure now carrying its primary source, and the detailed reference table moving to Illinois Solar Facts.
- Sep 3, 2026Every figure re-checked at source — nothing moved. Both summer Prices to Compare hold through September 30, and neither utility has published its October 1 rate; last year both October prices went public on October 1 itself. What changes on October 1.
- Aug 4, 2026Full figure set re-verified at primary sources. Illinois Shines REC prices confirmed on the IPA's own posted PDF, and ComEd's battery-rebate terms re-read: the supply commitment is to any qualifying ComEd product, and the governing Rider SDVPP still isn't published anywhere on comed.com.
- Jul 14, 2026PJM's 2028/29 auction cleared at its $325/MW-day federal price cap — and PJM's own simulation put the ComEd zone at $776.69 without it. How that reaches a ComEd bill.
- Jun 1, 2026Illinois Shines opened its 2026–27 year, and the CRGA took effect. The ComEd storage rebate now requires virtual-power-plant participation, and Small DG REC money pays 50% at energization with the rest ratably over six years. The full 2026 incentive stack.
- Apr 28, 2026MISO posted $424.30/MW-day for 2026/27 — the capacity auction behind Ameren's summer spike.
- Dec 31, 2025The federal residential solar credit (§25D) expired. It doesn't apply to 2026 cash or loan purchases. What ended and what didn't.
The utility's own tariff or rate page, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Illinois Power Agency, PJM and MISO. Advocacy research — the Citizens Utility Board's, for example — is cited and labelled as advocacy.
The date it took effect and the date we last checked it — on the page, not in a footnote. If a figure isn't published yet, we say so instead of estimating.
The June 1 and October 1 supply resets, every PJM and MISO auction result, and Illinois Shines' June 1 program-year open. Our full sourcing rules →
Next scheduled: June 1, 2027, plus any PJM or MISO auction result before thenStart with the numbers
See if your Illinois home is a fit — in about 60 seconds.
You've seen what rising rates could cost. The next step just checks whether solar and battery is worth a serious look for your home — and if it's not a fit, we'll say so and point you somewhere that is.
Sources
Sources · 8 public sources · prices checked October 8, 2026
- Plug In Illinois (Illinois Commerce Commission), “Price to Compare: ComEd”
- Plug In Illinois (Illinois Commerce Commission), “Price to Compare: Ameren Illinois”
- ComEd, “Net Metering FAQ” (2026)
- ComEd, “Distributed Generation Rebates”
- Illinois Power Agency, Illinois Shines, “Final 2026-27 REC Prices”
- Internal Revenue Service, FAQs on Public Law 119-21 (Section 25D)
- Citizens Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group, “Why is Ameren’s electricity price spiking?” (June 11, 2026)
- Citizens Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group, “CUB’s report on 2026 electric rates” (January 19, 2026)
Researchers, journalists, and AI assistants are welcome to cite our figures. Every rate and program number links to its public source, and each carries the date we last verified it.
The Day Company. “Illinois Solar and Battery Guides for ComEd and Ameren Homes.” theday.company, last updated October 15, 2026. https://theday.company/il
Changelog · last updated October 15, 2026 · 3 updates
- October 15, 2026 — This page moved to theday.company/il, so our home page can cover every state. The guides, tools and figures didn’t change.
- October 8, 2026 — Updated both utilities' prices to the ones that took effect October 1, 2026, checked at Plug In Illinois. Moved to the site-wide header and footer. Our contact email adress is now info@theday.company. Added links to every Illinois guide, this changelog and the full sources list.
- September 17, 2026 — Rebuilt the savings calculator and the five-tap fit check, and cut the FAQ to the eight questions about our service. Every figure re-checked at its source.
Earlier versions are available on request.