The Illinois Power Agency prioritizes educating consumers about the decision to go solar and providing resources to increase their knowledge and help protect them against predatory and problematic vendor practices, including misleading marketing, contract confusion, and financial risks. Illinois Shines today launches the Homeowner Handout Series, part of an expanding consumer resource library designed to help consumers make informed, confident decisions about going solar with Illinois Shines. The first handout in this series, Selecting a Solar Company: Green and Red Flags, is now available.
Consumer protection is a key pillar of Illinois Shines, helping ensure Program participants have necessary information and safeguards for a positive Program experience. The Program enforces strict requirements for participating entities, outlined in the Program Guidebook and Consumer Protection Handbook, and requires use of standardized Disclosure Forms prior to contracting to help consumers understand the details of proposed solar projects (or subscriptions for community solar), including expected output, costs and fees, expected savings and any Program incentives that may be passed through. When issues arise, the Program actively fields and investigates complaints, taking action against violators to uphold Program requirements, and to support customers who may have been harmed. Updates on the three new consumer protection initiatives required via the 2024 Long-Term Plan (an Escrow Process, Solar Restitution Program, and Stranded Customer REC Adder) can be found on the Illinois Shines website. These supports, guardrails, and other innovations, are discussed in a monthly Consumer Protection Working Group.
Selecting a Solar Company: Green and Red Flags offers guidance to evaluate Illinois Shines solar companies, compare offers using Disclosure Forms, and spot red flags of misleading, deceptive, or pressurized practices. Forthcoming Homeowner Handouts will cover solar loan financing, and buying and selling a home with an existing solar project, to join a growing library of consumer resources at the Illinois Shines website, including the recently released Introduction to Illinois Shines: Solar Basics and More. The site’s Consumer Protection Hub houses a Disclosure Form Deep Dive tool, regularly updated Program Violations Reports and Consumer Complaints Reports (and the Annual Complaints Report), Help for Stranded Customers resources, Consumer FAQs, and the Program’s Complaint Center.
For more information, visit the Illinois Shines website or contact the Program Administrator at [email protected].
Thank you!
Illinois Shines Program
[email protected]
