Subscribe to a local Community Solar Farm
Purchase energy from a local solar project at a discount. You don't need to own property or install equipment to save with community solar.
Save 5-15% on your annual electricity bills
Sign up for free, cancel at no cost
Support local renewable energy jobs & development
Compare price discounts and subscription terms
Learn and subscribe all in one place
Get expert advice from a dedicated Energy Advisor
Install solar on your property
Purchase or finance a solar panel system and save thousands over the 25+ year life of the equipment. Add batteries for backup power.
Maximize financial savings from solar
Reduce or eliminate electricity bills
Enjoy tax credits and other incentives
Pay 20% less than market average prices
Compare up to seven local offers
Get expert advice from a dedicated Energy Advisor
The City of Elgin has partnered with EnergySage to help you go solar & save money.
The City of Elgin adopted the Sustainability Action Plan in 2011 and the Greenest Region Compact 2 in 2017. Both plans encourage energy efficiency and the use of alternative, renewable energy. The Elgin Sustainability Commission has partnered with EnergySage in an effort to make Elgin more "solar-friendly." The EnergySage portal provides residents and business owners a place to learn about and shop for solar. Shine on, Elgin! The City of Elgin does not in anyway guarantee, endorse or otherwise recommend the listed companies. The companies have met the minimum requirements outlined in EnergySage’s criteria for installer experience and qualifications.
Unmatched, free educational resources that empower you to go solar with confidence
Easy-to-use calculators for quick solar estimates
Online comparison-shopping to help you secure the best deal possible
Support from unbiased Energy Advisors, available to answer all your energy questions
100% free and online - no calls unless you want them!
Transparent information and numbers to guide smarter energy decisions
Community solar allows you to subscribe to a share of a local solar farm. As the solar farm generates clean electricity for the grid, you buy energy from your share at a discount. The credits you receive for this energy help lower your monthly utility bill, allowing you to save 5-10% on your annual electricity costs.
Electricity bill savings differ from program to program, and also vary by month. On average, most community solar subscribers save 5-10% on their annual electricity costs.
It depends – if you’re moving to a location that’s still in the same electricity service territory as your current home, you may be able to transfer your community solar subscription to your new address. However, if you’re moving further away, you may need to cancel your subscription or transfer your contract to another utility customer (whether that be the new homeowners or someone else in the project’s service territory). Cancellation and transfer terms and applicable fees vary by project and provider, so confirm these policies with your provider prior to signing up.
Before signing a contract with a community solar provider, it’s important to compare estimated savings, cancellation terms, project location, payment model, subscription fees, and more. Using the Community Solar Marketplace, you can compare multiple local options and find the best project for you.
Probably more than 10 and fewer than 40. We know that’s quite a range, but with solar, there’s really no one-size-fits-all solution: the number of panels you should install depends on how much sun hits your property, your energy needs, and the amount of space you have available for the installation. Most people install a system large enough to generate as much of their electricity needs as possible (that’s how you’ll save the most money!)
Need? No – most people who go solar remain connected to the grid, meaning you can pull electricity from the grid when your solar panels aren’t producing enough to meet your needs. However, even though you don’t need one, solar batteries have some pretty great benefits: if you live in an area that experiences frequent power outages, a battery will help keep your solar-powered home running when the grid goes down. Also, if your utility company has demand charges or time-of-use rates, installing a solar battery can help you save money.
Like solar, you can think of the costs as both a gross price and a price per relative capacity. Solar batteries range from $5,000 to $7,000+ and from $400 dollars per kilowatt hour (kWh) to $750/kWh. Note that these prices are only for the battery itself, not for the cost of installation or additional necessary equipment. The installed cost of a battery is closer to $11,000 to $18,000+, and $800/kWh to $1,300/kWh.
Most people can save tens of thousands of dollars on electricity costs over the lifetime of a solar panel system (25+ years). The exact amount you can save depends on many factors, including how much you spend on electricity bills, how much electricity your solar panel system generates, incentives available in your area, and more. The best way to get accurate savings estimates is to compare custom solar quotes on our Marketplace – your quotes will take all these factors and more into account.
Explore the benefits of Solar beyond environmental and financial savings
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