Smart Solar Billing will launch in Illinois on January 1, 2025, and solar industry partners have a new web page so that consumers and companies can learn everything about the new invoicing system. Solar customers and businesses can visit the Solar Powers Illinois website to learn more about the net metering changes and the new Smart Solar Billing system that will change the way residential solar and storage owners are billed reimbursed for the energy they sell back to their utilities.
Current residential solar and storage customers will be considered “legacy” customers and will continue to receive the same net metering benefits for the life of their systems. Current Ameren customers can also expand their system by 100% and retain the “legacy” Net Metering benefit for the life of the system expansion.
“The solar industry wants to educate households about the impact Smart Solar Billing will have on them,” said Sara Birmingham, vice president of state affairs at SEIA. “While the new system will result in a slightly smaller monthly benefit, customers who invest in solar will continue to receive significant savings on their energy bills.”
Notable changes under Smart Solar Billing include that energy credits from excess power will now be applied to the supply portion of a customer’s energy bill, rather than the entire bill, as these are currently under full retail net metering. As a result, monthly bill credits may be reduced somewhat, although consumers will still have the opportunity to see savings by going solar. Invoice credits can now also be rolled over year after year and last the entire life of the installation.
Consumers can still access great upfront discounts on solar installations, making the investment more affordable and accessible than ever before, with additional support for battery storage. The existing Distributed Generation Rebate is available for all solar systems and consumers can access a Storage Rebate if their solar system is connected to a battery. Both rebates offer $300 per kilowatt of capacity for a given system. That means a 10 kW solar system combined with 10 kW-hours of battery storage would result in an upfront rebate of $6,000, on top of other existing federal and state incentives. Customers can also receive additional incentives for Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) produced by their home solar systems through the Illinois Shines program.
Legacy customers will continue to receive the existing full net metering reimbursement rate for the life of their system. New customers may also qualify for net metering on a supply-only basis for the life of their system, as long as their system has a completed Certificate of Completion Application (for ComEd and Ameren customers) and a Witness Test Request Application (for ComEd and Ameren customers only) for Ameren Illinois customers). as well as a net metering request by 5:00 PM CT on December 31, 2024.
Due to record levels of demand, local permitting delays, installation scheduling, and potential supply chain issues, it is not guaranteed that new customers will qualify for full retail net metering, even if they have already decided to switch to solar energy. Any new customers who cannot meet the deadline will be automatically enrolled in Smart Solar Billing, in addition to all other new customers in 2025 and beyond. Residential customers are encouraged to confirm estimated timelines. This means it is important for residential customers to ask questions of their potential installer and ensure that their solar supplier provides timely and accurate estimates.
“It’s a great time to go solar,” said Lesley McCain, executive director of the Illinois Solar Energy & Storage Association. “The monthly savings that Smart Solar Billing will continue to deliver – in addition to significant rebates from the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and tax credits from the Federal Inflation Reduction Act – significantly lowers the barrier to entry for individuals to invest in solar and storage. This is an exciting time to participate in the clean energy economy and be part of helping the environment.”
News release from Solar Powers Illinois
