In short: Most Chicago-area homes get power from ComEd, which averaged only 36 minutes of outages per customer in a normal 2024 but 132 minutes once major storms were counted (EIA). The July 2024 storms alone hit more than 550,000 ComEd customers. Naperville runs its own city utility with its own solar rules.
This page covers what is different in Chicago and its suburbs: your utility’s rules, Chicago’s express solar permit and the local outage record. For statewide rules (the 2025 net metering change, Illinois Shines and installer certification), see our Illinois energy guide.
Chicago area at a glance
- ComEd: serves Chicago, Aurora, Joliet, Elgin, Schaumburg and Arlington Heights. Homes buying power from ComEd paid about 15.2¢ per kWh on average in 2024. Outages: 132 minutes per customer with major events, 36 without; 0.68 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024).
- City of Naperville electric utility: about 13.0¢ per kWh in 2024 and 25 minutes of outages per customer, major events included (EIA-861).
- Other city utilities: Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles in Kane County also run their own electric systems (EIA-861).
- Supplier choice: about 805,000 ComEd households, roughly one in five, bought their power supply from another company in 2024; ComEd still delivered it (EIA-861).
- Sun: about 3.8 kWh per square meter per day in Chicago (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,120 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Cook County “very high” for cold waves, heat waves, ice storms, flooding, lightning, strong wind, tornadoes and winter weather. DuPage and Will counties are “very high” for cold waves and tornadoes.
- Public charging: 1,248 public ports at 351 locations in Chicago itself (949 Level 2, 299 DC fast), plus 177 in Joliet and 84 in Elgin (AFDC, October 3, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Your bill names your utility: almost always ComEd, unless your town runs its own electric system.
- ComEd, solar: if your system was connected in 2025 or later, power you send to the grid earns credits against the supply part of your bill. On ComEd’s fixed price you choose credits in kWh or in dollars; on ComEd’s Hourly Pricing, exports are valued at the price of the hour you sent them. These newer credits do not expire, but they never cover the monthly customer and meter charges. If you buy supply from another company, ask that company how it credits exports (ComEd net metering FAQ). ComEd pays a one-time rebate of $300 per kW for home solar with a smart inverter. Homes connected before 2025 keep full retail credit, but lose it if they take the solar rebate.
- ComEd, batteries: $300 per kWh of battery capacity for a battery paired with qualifying solar. ComEd changed the battery rules on June 1, 2026: you must buy your supply from ComEd on a qualifying rate for the life of the battery (the Citizens Utility Board lists Hourly Pricing) and agree to join ComEd’s scheduled virtual power plant, expected to start March 1, 2027 (ComEd terms, 2026).
- Naperville, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles: each city utility sets its own net metering policy and interconnection agreement. ComEd’s rebates go to ComEd delivery customers, so check your city’s electric utility pages.
Backup power in Chicago
ComEd’s normal-year number is low: about half an hour without power per customer. The risk is the big storm. Between July 13 and 15, 2024, storms produced 42 tornadoes, four of them inside Chicago, and more than 550,000 ComEd customers lost power. ComEd restored about two thirds within 12 hours and nearly everyone by the end of that week (ComEd, November 2024). So plan for the rare outage that lasts a day or more, not the usual one.
FEMA rates Cook County “very high” for both flooding and cold waves. If your home relies on a sump pump, or on a gas furnace whose blower needs electricity, those two loads are what backup should cover first. A portable power station handles phones, Wi-Fi and a CPAP machine; a home battery can switch on by itself and run a sump pump and furnace blower; a generator gives the most hours for a multi-day outage. Compare them in backup power options.
City lots and generators: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to run a portable generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust away from windows, doors and vents, never in a garage or basement. On a narrow city lot, with neighbors’ windows close by, that spot can be hard to find, and a battery, which runs indoors without fumes, may be the simpler choice. A generator connected to house wiring needs a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician; see generator installation. Size your system with the battery backup calculator or the generator sizing tool.
Solar in Chicago
Chicago’s sun is modest, about 1,120 kWh a year per kW of panels by our rough estimate, and less on shaded city roofs. Still, EIA counted 65,704 net-metered home solar systems on ComEd’s grid in 2024, and 1,018 in Naperville. Since exports now earn only the supply credit, a system sized to what your home uses during the day pays back best. Check your roof with the solar potential tool, then run the solar savings calculator with a real quote.
Chicago has a fast route for small rooftop systems. Its Express Permit Program covers rooftop solar with an inverter output of 13.44 kW or less, with or without a battery of up to 20 kWh (10 kWh for some battery types). You need roof drawings by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer, an electrical drawing signed by a Chicago-licensed supervising electrician, a licensed general contractor and electrical contractor, and the installer’s Illinois Distributed Generation Installer certification number. Condo owners also need an approval letter from the association. Larger systems, tall roofs and ballasted systems on sloped roofs go through the regular permit process. More in solar installation and how net metering works.
Batteries in Chicago
For a ComEd customer, the $300 per kWh rebate covers a good share of a battery, but read the strings: the battery must be paired with solar, you must stay on a qualifying ComEd supply rate (not another supplier) for the battery’s life, and you agree to let ComEd’s virtual power plant schedule it. That suits a household that can shift use away from expensive hours. Pre-2025 solar owners can add a battery and take the storage rebate without losing full retail credit (ComEd). A separate rebate for batteries without solar is in development and still needs state approval (Citizens Utility Board, September 2026). Chicago’s express permit includes batteries up to 20 kWh installed with solar. See home battery installation.
EV charging in Chicago
Chicago alone has about a fifth of Illinois’ public charging ports: 1,248 of 6,172. Nearby there are 81 in Naperville, 61 in Schaumburg, 53 in Aurora and 24 in Arlington Heights (AFDC, October 3, 2026). Home charging is still the cheap option. ComEd says EV owners on Hourly Pricing who charge between 1 and 5 a.m. could save about 25% on supply compared with its fixed price (average since 2007). ComEd’s EV Charger and Installation Rebate requires a flexible rate such as Hourly Pricing for at least three years; check ComEd for the current amounts and whether funds remain. A Level 2 charger needs a 240 V circuit from a licensed electrician and a permit. Estimate your cost with the EV charging calculator and read EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Chicago: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Chicago: Department of Buildings; solar and battery rules in its Express Permit Program solar guide.
- Suburbs: Naperville, Aurora, Joliet, Elgin, Schaumburg and Arlington Heights issue their own building and electrical permits; outside town limits, the county does.
- Utility: solar and batteries also need interconnection approval from ComEd or your city utility; installers usually file it.
- Condos and HOAs: get association approval in writing before you sign a contract.
Cities we cover
- Chicago
- Naperville
- Aurora
- Joliet
- Elgin
- Schaumburg
- Arlington Heights
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Chicago energy FAQ
Does ComEd still credit solar power I send to the grid?
Yes. For systems connected since January 1, 2025, exports earn credits against the supply part of the bill, in kWh or dollars on the fixed price, or at hourly prices on Hourly Pricing. The credits do not expire but never cover the customer and meter charges. Systems connected before 2025 keep full retail credit unless the owner takes ComEd’s solar rebate.
Do I need a permit for solar panels in Chicago?
Yes. Most home systems qualify for the Department of Buildings’ Express Permit Program: inverter output up to 13.44 kW, batteries up to 20 kWh with solar, drawings by an Illinois-licensed architect or structural engineer, and licensed general and electrical contractors. The installer also needs Illinois Distributed Generation Installer certification. Condo owners need an association approval letter.
How much is ComEd’s home battery rebate?
$300 per kWh of battery capacity for residential customers, for a battery paired with qualifying solar. Since June 1, 2026 you must buy supply from ComEd on a qualifying rate, such as Hourly Pricing, for the battery’s life and agree to join ComEd’s scheduled virtual power plant, expected from March 2027. Check ComEd’s DG rebate page before you sign.
I live in Naperville. Do ComEd’s rules apply to me?
Not if the City of Naperville sends your electric bill. The city runs its own electric utility, with its own net metering policy, interconnection agreement and solar guidelines, and ComEd’s rebates go to ComEd delivery customers. Check the city’s electric utility pages before you compare quotes.
How long do power outages last in the Chicago area?
Usually short: in 2024 a ComEd customer averaged 36 minutes without power on normal days and 132 minutes with major storms included (EIA). The July 2024 storms cut power to more than 550,000 customers; most were back within 12 hours, but some waited days.
Sources
Utilities, prices, outages, supplier customers and solar counts: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 data for 2024. ComEd net metering FAQ, DG Rebate page and 2026 terms, Hourly Pricing EV page, and ComEd’s November 2024 storm report, read October 3, 2026. Citizens Utility Board fact sheet (March 2026) and program update (September 2026). City of Chicago Department of Buildings, Express Permit Program. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC.