The cost of solar panels in Chicago, IL (2025)

Your electric bill doesn't care about your budget. It just keeps climbing. That's the bad news. The good news? Solar panels can lock in decades of predictable energy costs in Chicago, IL while your neighbors watch their utility bills rise.

As of October 2025, the average solar panel system costs $2.88/W including installation in Chicago, IL. For a 5 kW installation, this comes out to about $14,393 before any available incentives, though prices range from $12,234 to $16,552. That may sound like a lot, but most homeowners see solid returns on their solar investment over the system's 25-30 year lifetime.

Average price of a 5 kW solar panel installation in Chicago, IL

You may pay even less than what we show here. It doesn't include any potentially available Chicago, IL or local incentives, which can help lower costs.

Your solar panel cost depends on your system's size

It may seem obvious but larger solar panel systems cost more money. We use cost per watt ($/W) so you can easily compare quotes, controlling for slight variations in system size.

While a 5 kW system will only cost you $14,393 in Chicago, IL, doubling the system size effectively doubles the price, so you'll pay about twice that for a 10 kW system.

Average solar cost by system size in Chicago, IL

If you can't shell out $14,393 in cash to pay for solar, don't sweat it. You can choose to finance your system with a loan instead. Some companies even offer $0-down loans so you can start saving on day one if your loan payments are less than your current electric bills. Just keep in mind that your long-term savings will be lower with a loan due to interest rates.

For homeowners who prefer not to own their system or want to keep capital flexible, solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs) often provide immediate savings with no money upfront. They're not offered everywhere, though, so it's worth double checking that providers offer these types of agreements systems in your area.

The numbers we're showing are averages. The price you'll pay for solar depends on many factors unique to you and your home:

If you're looking for solar companies in IL, here are some popular suggestions:

Solar is a major purchase, but you can often get the price tag to come down by being an educated shopper. Taking advantage of incentives and shopping around for quotes can help lower your cost of solar in Chicago, IL.

Search for incentives

While the federal tax credit is no longer available for most purchased systems, many states offer great local incentives and rebates that can further reduce your costs—so it's worth seeing what's available to you.

Get quotes from multiple installers

Comparing multiple solar quotes can save you money through competition and transparency. Each additional quote you receive for solar will help you find the right solar panel system at the right price.

This is where EnergySage can help. With funding from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Prize, EnergySage opened the country’s first (and now the largest) marketplace for home solar panel installations. We gather custom solar quotes from local installers on your behalf and put them in an easy-to-compare format. When you compare quotes for solar panels on the EnergySage Marketplace, you can expect to see prices up to 20% lower than if you work with a single solar company.

Solar panels aren't cheap. But neither is paying your utility company every month for the next 30 years. The difference? One of those bills eventually stops. The other one keeps climbing.

Getting solar quotes in doesn't cost you anything, but skipping this step could cost you thousands over your system's lifetime. Start comparing offers from Chicago, IL installers today—your future self (and your wallet) will thank you.