Evanston, IL Solar Panels
Solar Power in Evanston
If you live in Evanston and have watched your electricity bills climb, you’re not alone. Illinois residential electricity rates rose 22% from 2020 to 2024, leaving many North Shore homeowners looking for a more stable, sustainable way to power their homes.
Solar offers a clear path forward, and Illinois ranks 12th nationally for residential solar. In this guide, we’ll explain how solar works for Evanston homes and how to get started. Learn more in our overview of home solar panels.
How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in Evanston, IL?
Curious what solar costs in Evanston? This calculator uses real installation data from our projects across Evanston and nearby areas like Skokie, Wilmette, and Rogers Park. That means your estimate reflects actual local homes—not national averages. Enter your details below to see a cost estimate built for your neighborhood.
System
- No upfront investment
- Palmetto handles all maintenance
- 90% Production Guarantee
- Comprehensive protection program included
Key Takeaways
- Electricity prices in Evanston keep climbing—Illinois rates rose about 20% from 2021 to 2024—making solar a smart way to gain more predictable energy costs.
- Illinois offers strong solar incentives like the ComEd Smart Inverter Rebate, net metering, a 20-year property tax exemption, and income-based Illinois Solar for All.
- Leasing makes solar simple with no upfront cost—through LightReach, Palmetto owns the system, handles all maintenance, and passes savings to you in lower monthly payments.
Evanston Electricity Prices
If you live in Evanston and have watched your electricity bills climb, you’re not alone. There’s a more stable way to power your home.
Electricity isn’t getting cheaper. Illinois residential rates rose from 13.2 cents per kWh in 2021 to 15.9 cents in 2024 — roughly a 20% jump that many North Shore homeowners have felt on their monthly bills.
Solar offers a clear path forward. By generating your own power, solar installation in Evanston can reduce how much electricity you buy from the grid at those rising rates. Learn more in our overview of home solar panels.
Over the long term, solar panels in Evanston can bring more predictability to your energy costs. While utility rates may keep climbing, the energy your system produces stays consistent, helping you plan for the years ahead.
Price of Energy: Illinois vs National Average
Evanston Area Utility Providers
In Evanston, ComEd is the main electricity provider. In 2023, ComEd’s residential rate averaged about 14.8¢ per kWh—slightly below both the Illinois state average of 15.70¢ and the national average of 16.0¢ that year.
ComEd’s 2023 rate sits lower than average partly due to Illinois’ nuclear and renewable energy mix and regulated delivery structure. Still, rates can shift year to year, and 2024 figures aren’t yet available.
Even with below-average rates, electricity costs add up. Solar panel installation can help Evanston homeowners produce their own power and gain more predictable energy costs over time—an educational first step worth exploring.
Evanston Utilities Electricity Rates
Illinois Solar Incentives
Evanston homeowners can lower the cost of going solar with several solar incentives in Illinois designed to make clean energy more affordable.
As a ComEd customer, you may qualify for the Distributed Generation Smart Inverter Rebate, net metering credits under Smart Solar Billing, a 20-year property tax exemption, and income-based programs like Illinois Solar for All.
While the federal solar tax credit has ended, these state and local incentives remain. Leasing through LightReach also simplifies things, since Palmetto handles commercial credits and passes savings along in lower monthly payments.
| Incentive | Type | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) | Rebate | Illinois Solar for All provides income-eligible households (at or below 80% of area median income) with no-upfront-cost solar installations that guarantee at least 50% savings on the value of energy produced. | Learn More |
| ComEd & Ameren Distributed Generation (DG) Smart Inverter Rebate – Solar | Rebate | ComEd and Ameren Illinois customers receive a $300-per-kW upfront rebate for installing a solar system equipped with a smart inverter. | Learn More |
| ComEd & Ameren Distributed Generation (DG) Smart Inverter Rebate – Battery Storage | Rebate | ComEd and Ameren Illinois customers can receive a $300-per-kWh cash rebate for installing a battery storage system with a smart inverter, with enrollment in a qualifying rate plan required. | |
| Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Program – Battery Storage Rebate | Rebate | Under the CRGA-mandated Virtual Power Plant program launching by June 30, 2026, residential battery storage customers can earn the $300/kWh DG rebate by allowing the utility to dispatch their battery during high-demand events. | Learn More |
| Illinois Net Metering / Smart Solar Billing | Net Metering | Illinois offers net metering for solar customers, with legacy customers (systems installed before January 1, 2025) receiving full retail-rate credits, while new customers receive supply-only credits under the Smart Solar Billing policy. | |
| Illinois Solar Property Tax Exemption | Property Tax Exemption | Illinois law exempts the added home value from a solar installation from property tax assessments for 20 years, protecting homeowners from higher property tax bills after going solar. | Learn More |
Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) is a state program designed to make solar accessible to low- and moderate-income households. To qualify, your household income must be at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for your county. As a benchmark, a single-person household in Cook County (which includes Evanston) qualifies with income under approximately $65,000. There is no credit check required, and initial income self-attestation is permitted.
Through ILSFA, an Approved Vendor installs a solar system at no upfront cost. Participants typically pay around $25/month for 15 years (approximately $4,500 total), after which the system transfers to them at no additional cost. The program legally guarantees a minimum of 50% savings on the retail value of the solar energy the system produces. Participants can choose to purchase with cash, a loan (with no prepayment penalties and no lien on the home), or through a lease or Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
Important note for 2026: Single-family residential capacity was reached in 2025, so new applicants will need to join a waitlist for the 2026–27 program year cycle, which opens in June 2026. Visit illinoissfa.com to check eligibility and join the waitlist.
ComEd and Ameren Illinois offer a Distributed Generation (DG) Smart Inverter Rebate of $300 per kilowatt (kW) of solar capacity installed. For a typical 8.5 kW residential system, this translates to $2,550 back in your pocket. The rebate is paid as cash within approximately 60 days after your system receives Permission to Operate (PTO) from the utility.
To be eligible, your solar system must include a qualifying “smart” inverter. Homeowners in Evanston are served by ComEd (northern Illinois), so this rebate is available to them — customers of most municipal utilities or electric cooperatives do not qualify. You do not need to enroll in a special rate plan to receive the solar-only portion of this rebate.
Contact ComEd at (800) 334-7661 or visit comed.com to apply and confirm current program availability.
In addition to the solar rebate, ComEd and Ameren Illinois offer a $300-per-kWh rebate for battery storage systems installed with a smart inverter. For a typical Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh), this rebate can be worth approximately $4,000. The cash rebate is paid within approximately 60 days after your system receives Permission to Operate.
To qualify for the battery storage rebate, you must enroll in a specific utility rate plan: ComEd customers, including those in Evanston, must select the Basic Electric Service Hourly (BESH) real-time pricing plan. These rate plans are designed to align your battery usage with grid needs during peak demand periods.
This rebate is available only to ComEd and Ameren Illinois customers — not to customers of most municipal utilities or cooperatives. Contact ComEd at (800) 334-7661 or visit comed.com for application details and to confirm current program status.
The Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program is a new battery storage incentive created by the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), signed into law on January 8, 2026. Utilities are required to launch the short-term VPP program no later than June 30, 2026. Residential customers who enroll their battery storage system in the VPP can receive the same $300/kWh distributed storage rebate as the standard DG program — without needing to enroll in the BESH or Peak Time Rewards rate plans.
In a VPP, the utility can briefly direct your battery to discharge electricity to the grid during high-demand periods, helping stabilize grid reliability. In exchange, you receive the upfront rebate and potentially ongoing compensation for your participation in dispatch events. This makes battery storage financially attractive for homeowners in Evanston who may not otherwise qualify for or want to enroll in the standard DG rebate’s required rate plans.
A longer-term VPP program is also authorized to launch by December 31, 2028, which will expand eligibility to additional devices including smart thermostats and EV batteries. For more information, visit the Illinois Power Agency at ipa.illinois.gov or contact your utility.
Illinois law requires ComEd and Ameren Illinois to offer net metering for residential solar systems up to 25 kW. If your solar system was interconnected and operational before January 1, 2025, you are grandfathered into full retail-rate net metering for the lifetime of your system — meaning excess electricity you send to the grid is credited at the full retail rate (roughly 12–15¢/kWh).
For new solar installations interconnected on or after January 1, 2025, Illinois has transitioned to a policy called Smart Solar Billing. Under this model, credits for excess generation apply only to the supply portion of your electricity bill — not delivery charges or fixed fees. This results in a lower effective credit rate of approximately 6–8¢ per kWh depending on your utility, which is roughly half the value of legacy net metering. This makes it especially important to size your system carefully to maximize self-consumption.
Unused credits can roll over month-to-month. For full details on your specific utility’s net metering or Smart Solar Billing policy, visit comed.com or ameren.com/illinois.
Under Illinois law (35 ILCS 200/10-10), the added value that a solar energy system contributes to your home is excluded from your property tax assessment for 20 years. Solar panels typically increase a home’s market value by $15,000–$25,000, but without this exemption, that increase could add $250–$750 or more to your annual property tax bill. The exemption ensures you capture the full financial benefit of your solar investment without a tax penalty.
The exemption applies statewide to qualifying residential solar installations, including homes in Evanston. To claim it, you must file Form PTAX-330 (Solar Energy System Assessment Freeze) with your local county assessor after your system is installed. The exemption is not automatic — you must apply to receive it.
For more information on the exemption and to download Form PTAX-330, contact your county assessor’s office or visit the Illinois Department of Revenue at tax.illinois.gov.
Ready to start saving with solar?
Speak with a Palmetto solar expert to find out exactly how much you can save with Illinois incentives.
Get a Free QuoteEvanston Solar Irradiance
Solar panel production varies throughout the year based on daylight hours, weather patterns, and sun intensity. Understanding how seasons affect your solar system helps set realistic expectations for your investment.
Evanston’s location along Lake Michigan brings cloudy winters and snowy months, yet long summer days deliver strong sunlight. Like Chicago and Boston, Evanston can be excellent for solar year-round.
Solar Production in Evanston by Month
What Can Your Solar System Power?
Summer Production (July)
In July, your 10 kW system could power:
- 3.6 average homes (15 kWh/day per home)
- or Run central AC for 18 hours AND power all other appliances
- or Fully charge 5.4 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles
Winter Production (December)
In December, your 10 kW system could power:
- 2 average homes (15 kWh/day per home)
- or Keep your home heating system running for 15 hours
- or Fully charge 3 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles
Annual Production
Over a year, your 10 kW system could:
- Offset 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
- or Equal the environmental benefit of planting 175 trees
- or Save approximately $4,234 in electricity costs
Want to know exactly how much solar can power your home?
Get a personalized solar analysis based on your actual home, energy usage, and roof characteristics.
Get My Custom EstimateSolar Panel Systems in Evanston
We’ve mapped solar installations across the United States, right down to the neighborhood level. Explore this interactive heatmap to see how many Evanston homes have made the switch to solar. Click any hexagon to discover how your neighbors and community are embracing clean energy.
Leasing Solar Panels
In Evanston, your utility is ComEd, and Palmetto offers a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) through LightReach for ComEd customers. With a PPA, you don’t buy the solar system—you simply pay for the power it produces at a set price per kilowatt-hour. Since panels generate more in summer, your bills shift with the seasons, but your savings average out over the year, much like a fixed solar lease.
Compared to paying cash, a PPA means no large upfront cost and no recouping a big investment. Palmetto owns the system, so we handle monitoring, repairs, and maintenance—not you.
This can make going solar simpler and more predictable. Learn more about how it works through LightReach.
Go solar without the investment
With LightReach, there are no investment costs to recoup, loan payments to manage, or maintenance needs to take on. As soon as your panels are active, your solar savings are too!
Explore LightReach LeasingFrequently Asked Questions
Yes, Evanston has net metering. As a ComEd customer, you can earn bill credits for the excess solar energy your system sends to the grid, helping offset the power you draw from the utility.
Systems turned on before January 1, 2025 receive full retail-rate credits. Newer systems fall under Illinois’ Smart Solar Billing, which credits the supply portion only—roughly 6–8¢ per kWh. Unused credits roll over month to month.
Yes, purchased or owned solar panels can increase your home’s value in Evanston. A Zillow study found that homes with solar panels sell for approximately 4.1% more than comparable homes without them.
This value boost applies to owned systems, not leased or PPA systems. With a leased system, a buyer may assume the lease agreement, so resale can be affected differently rather than adding direct home value.
Many Evanston homeowners go solar with no upfront cost through a LightReach lease, paying a low fixed monthly payment—starting around $79/month for a medium home—while Palmetto owns and maintains the system.
If you prefer to buy, a cash purchase for an average Evanston home is roughly $28,000. Note the federal 30% tax credit is no longer available for residential cash purchases after the 2025 federal law change. See the calculator above for pricing by home size.
With a solar lease through LightReach, Palmetto owns the system while you pay one simple monthly payment that covers the panels, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and a 90% Production Guarantee. There is no upfront cost, and because your payment is typically lower than your current ComEd bill, you can start saving from day one.
For a typical 9.84 kW system in Evanston, the estimated payment is about $79 per month. Palmetto claims the commercial tax credit and passes those savings on through lower payments.
When choosing a solar company in Evanston, look for local experience, quality installations, and flexible financing. At Palmetto, we combine national scale with a local focus, having completed over 9,050 installs across Illinois since 2020.
We offer some of the industry’s best financing options, including LightReach leasing with no upfront cost, plus a trusted install network. We handle monitoring and maintenance, helping Evanston homeowners go solar with confidence and predictable energy costs.
For many Evanston homeowners, solar can be worth it financially. With electricity rates rising about 20% from 2021 to 2024, generating your own power adds predictability and can lower what you buy from ComEd.
With a LightReach lease, there’s no upfront investment, and savings can start on day one. Because the monthly lease payment is typically less than your current electricity bill, many households begin saving as soon as their panels turn on.
Yes. Solar panels work well in Evanston’s climate. The area averages about 4.5 peak sun hours per day, and long summer days along Lake Michigan deliver strong sunlight. Panels still generate power on cloudy or snowy days, just at reduced levels.
Production naturally varies by season. A 10 kW system produces around 50 kWh per day in July and near 19 kWh per day in December. These seasonal swings even out over the year, making solar a reliable choice for Evanston homes.