Solar in Elgin, IL
With ComEd's electricity at about 19.3¢ per kWh and 1,340 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Elgin home today: about a 12.5-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 12.5 yrsIllinois: 13.5 yrs
- 25-year net
- $24,483after paying $16,500
- Sun
- 1,340kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 19.3¢7% above U.S. average
A typical Elgin home, by the numbers
| Utility | ComEd |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 622 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5 kW, about 12 panels, 6,700 kWh a year (90% of use) |
| Cost | $18,000, or $16,500 after state incentives |
| First-year savings | $1,228 |
| Payback | 12.5 years |
| Exported power | 9¢/kWh (ComEd) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 3.5% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Elgin
- Owner-occupied homes
- 72%
- Single-family detached
- 62%
- Median home value
- $273k
- Median year built
- 1977
- Population
- 114,934
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 84%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 9,934 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Elgin
Public installation records for Illinois don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Illinois.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Elgin
Is solar worth it in Elgin, IL?
For a typical home in Elgin, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 5 kW system costs about $16,500 after state incentives, saves about $1,228 in year one and pays back in about 12.5 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Elgin?
About 1,340 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 0% more than the Illinois average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Elgin?
Most homes in Elgin are served by ComEd, at about 19.3¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Elgin?
A fair cash price is around $3.40 per watt before incentives, so about $18,000 for a 5 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Carpentersville 12.5 yrs
- Streamwood 12.6 yrs
- Algonquin 12.4 yrs
- St. Charles 12.5 yrs
- Bartlett 12.5 yrs
- Hoffman Estates 12.5 yrs
- Lake in the Hills 12.4 yrs
- Huntley 12.5 yrs
- All of Illinois
Data: PVWatts (National Laboratory of the Rockies), EIA-861 2025 adjusted to 2026, U.S. Census ACS, LBNL Tracking the Sun, state policy research as of October 2026.