Schaumburg, IL · Cook County
Solar incentives in Schaumburg
The incentive landscape for a ComEd customer in Cook County changed substantially between 2024 and 2026. This page documents what is actually in effect right now, where it came from, and what is no longer available that you may still see cited on competitor sites.
Illinois Shines — Adjustable Block Program
What it is: A state-administered program that pays solar owners an upfront lump sum based on Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) their system is projected to produce over 15 years. The certificates are purchased by utilities to meet the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard.
Status as of 2026-05-13: Active. The 2025–26 program year window closes May 26, 2026 at 5:00 PM CPT. New applications received after that date fall under the 2026–27 program year, the parameters of which were announced May 11, 2026.
Pricing — 0–10 kW ComEd territory (Group B): $75.48 per SREC.
ComEd Smart Inverter Rebate
Status: Active.
$300 per kW of installed solar capacity, plus $300 per kWh of battery storage capacity, for systems with a qualifying smart inverter. Available to residential customers as a one-time rebate. Introduced in 2025 as partial compensation for the change in the export credit structure.
Illinois solar property tax exemption (35 ILCS 200/10-10)
Illinois statute provides alternate valuation for residential properties with active solar energy systems. The county assessor calculates property value both with the solar system and with conventional heating/cooling; the lower value becomes the assessed value. Statewide — no county opt-out. Filing in Cook County runs through the Chief Assessment Officer, with a January 31 deadline to affect the following year's tax bill.
Illinois sales tax — does not apply to solar equipment
Illinois law exempts solar energy equipment from state sales tax. The exemption is statutory — no enrollment or paperwork is required from the homeowner; the installer accounts for it on the invoice.
Illinois Solar For All (income-qualified)
Enhanced incentives for households with gross income at or below 80% of the area median. Administered as a component of Illinois Shines. If a homeowner qualifies, the program covers a much larger share of system cost than the standard SREC channel — sometimes resulting in no out-of-pocket cost.
The federal residential clean energy credit — no longer available
The federal residential clean energy credit was repealed by the One Big Beautiful Bill (Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025). The credit terminated for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. No phase-down. There is no federal credit for cash- or loan-financed residential solar installations placed in service in 2026 or later.
Any solar quote referencing a federal credit for a purchase or loan in 2026 is overstating the bottom line.
What we won't list here
Several competitor sites publish an Illinois 25% state income tax credit (capped at $10,000). We can't find primary-source verification of this in DSIRE, the Illinois Department of Revenue, or the Illinois General Assembly. We're verifying it directly — the page below tracks what we've found.