Is solar worth it in Chicago in 2026?
A roof in Chicago produces about 1,196 kWh a year per kW of panels. For a home with a $150 monthly bill, a 7.8 kW system costs about $28,190 at Illinois's median price and pays for itself in roughly 25.7 years, with no federal tax credit.
1,196kWh per kW a year
Source: PVGIS, NSRDB data
19.2¢per kWh
Source: EIA, 2026 year to date
$3.60per watt
Source: Berkeley Lab
Calculator · 2026 data, no federal tax credit
How long would solar take to pay for itself?
Simple payback
25.7 years
- System size
- 7.8 kW
- Installed cost
- $28,190
- Savings, year one
- $1,098
- Net over 25 years
- $-2,325
Sized to cover your yearly use at today's price. Panels lose 0.5% a year; prices held flat. Method
How Chicago homes get paid for solar
Export rules are set at the state and utility level, not by the city. Chicago is under Illinois's net billing: New customers of ComEd, Ameren and MidAmerican (interconnected from Jan 1, 2025) get supply-only credits for exported power, below the full retail rate paid before. The full rules, incentives and sources are on theIllinois page.
Why the city matters
Two things change from one city to another in the same state: the sun, which sets how many panels you need, and the utility, which sets what exported power is worth. Chicago gets 1,196 kWh per kW a year on a south-facing roof at a 20° tilt, so covering a year of use for a $150 bill at 19.2¢ takes about 7.8 kW, roughly 20 panels of 400 W. Electricity prices in the calculator are the Illinois residential average; your utility's rate can be higher or lower, so put your own bill in.
Method: how we calculate payback. Compare all states in theranking or size a system with the panel calculator.