Anyone who goes solar with Certasun can monitor their solar system using the mySunPower desktop portal or app from SunPower. The platform allows customers to easily track their electricity production and usage by day, month, or year. But first-time users are often confused when they see that the numbers on mySunPower do not match the usage and export information listed on their utility bill. Below is an explanation of how to reconcile mySunPower with your utility bill. We use a ComEd bill here as an example, but the following is true for other utilities as well. Your Utility Does Not Registe ..read more

Illinois’s largest electricity utility, ComEd, has two main rate plans for homeowners: Rate BES – Basic Electric Service, which offers a fixed rate 24/7 (with some seasonal adjustments). Most customers are on this plan. Rate BESH – Basic Electric Service Hourly Pricing, where the rate varies hourly based on the price of electricity in the wholesale market where ComEd buys energy. ComEd’s Hourly Pricing option incentivizes you to use energy when it is cheapest. It also helps the environment, because the dirtiest power plants only get used when wholesale electricity pricing is highest. Howev ..read more

ComEd net metering is changing in 2024 or early 2025.  It’s not clear exactly when it is changing because of somewhat ambiguous wording in Section 16-107.5 of the Public Utilities Act (the “Act”), which governs net metering in the state. Net metering determines how much credit (if any) a utility gives customers for energy they generate and send back to the grid. Customers can then use those credits to offset the cost of grid electricity at other times, such as at night. It is clear that the current rules are more advantageous to customers. (See our analysis of the impact for a typical cu ..read more

Illinois law requires large electric utilities, such as ComEd, to offer net metering to residential solar customers. But, it will be changing in 2025 — possibly sooner — and will become less favorable to customers. Net metering determines how much credit (if any) a utility gives customers for energy they generate on their own and send back to the grid. Customers can then use those credits to offset the cost of grid electricity at other times — such as at night. Because of the upcoming changes to net metering, customers thinking about going solar should act now to lock in the best possible re ..read more

Having an EV charger at home is the most convenient and least expensive way to charge an electric vehicle. It’s also a great investment in your home; many homebuyers are coming to expect EV charging capabilities in prospective houses. It’s pretty clear that getting an at-home EV charger installed at some point is a good choice. ComEd just launched a new EV charger rebate that makes installing one right now an obvious choice, especially since it can cover the entire cost. What’s covered under the $2,500 ComEd EV charger rebate? ComEd customers who purchase a Level 2 EV Charger after February 1 ..read more

Winter in the Illinois or Wisconsin elicits thoughts of cold, wind, snow, and very little sun.  Solar panels rely on sunlight to operate, which begs the question: does solar work in the winter? And what about when the solar panels are covered in snow? It’s true that solar systems generate more energy in the summer months, but it’s also true that solar can be productive in the winter, even if it snows. In fact, the impact of snow on solar panels is less than you might think. Here are some frequently asked questions about the impact of winter weather on a solar system: 1. Do solar panels ..read more

In December 2023, after a long-standing prohibition on rooftop solar, the Village of Kildeer in Illinois passed an ordinance allowing solar on residential roofs. This means homeowners in Kildeer can now go solar, get the big Illinois and federal solar incentives, and start saving on their electricity costs. Shortly after the ordinance passed, Certasun submitted the first ever permit application for rooftop solar under the new ordinance and quickly received approval. Today, we’re proud to say Certasun installed the first ever residential rooftop solar system in Kildeer! What’s are Kildeer’s ke ..read more

So you’re getting a 25-year solar panel warranty?  Great news!  But, wait, is it really 25 years…? Maybe not.  A mistake we see all the time is to conflate the panel warranty with the power warranty.  Both of those warranties come from the panel manufacturer, but only one of them really matters—and it’s probably not the one you were told is 25 years. “Panel warranty” vs. “power warranty” A panel warranty is what you imagine when you think of a warranty.  It covers your solar panels against defects or premature wear-and-tear.  Panel warranties on residential sola ..read more

Certasun: #1 Illinois Solar Installer for 2020 Certasun is tremendously honored to be named by SolarReviews.com as the #1 Illinois solar installer for 2020.  With a score of 4.74 out of 5.00, Certasun earned the top ranking in the state.  Certasun thanks its customers for the wonderful feedback they posted on SolarReviews.com and other leading reviews sites.   SolarReviews.com is the leading third party review site for solar installation companies.  Certasun has no influence over the reviews that are displayed.  A reviews auditing team ensures that only genuine rev ..read more

Customers often ask us if their Illinois solar incentive is taxable.  We believe the correct answer is ‘yes’.  It comes down to four key sections of the Internal Revenue Code: Section 61 defines gross income as all income that isn’t specifically excluded elsewhere in the Code. Section 136 allows for an exclusion from gross income of the “value of any subsidy provided (directly or indirectly) by a public utility to a customer for the purchase or installation of any energy conservation measure.” Section 63 defines taxable income as gross income less allowable deductions. Section 167 ..read more