Misled about solar
in Illinois? You have options.

If you were misled, you have options

Being told your bill would disappear, that the system was free, that a tax credit would pay off the loan, or that you were only signing up for an inspection can all matter, even long after a cancellation window has closed.

1. Your state's consumer protection law. Every state has a law against deceptive and unfair business practices. False promises about savings, costs, tax credits, or who you were dealing with may fall under Illinois's law.
2. Missing paperwork and disclosures. Many states require specific disclosures and a written cancellation notice. If you never received them, a deadline may not have started, or the contract may have other problems.
3. Your lender may share responsibility. When a seller arranges your financing, federal rules often let you raise the same claims against the lender that you have against the seller, up to the amount you paid. Check your loan for a notice about the FTC Holder Rule.
4. Official complaints. Complaints to Illinois's agencies are free, create a record, and can lead to mediation or an investigation.
5. Professional help. A solar attorney or solar exit company can review your documents and tell you which of these options fit your situation.

Your right to cancel

Conditions that matter

• Cancel by signing and sending the Notice of Cancellation, or another written notice, to the seller's address. Keep a copy.
• The seller must refund everything you paid, and cancel any note or security interest, within 10 business days of receiving your notice.
• If you are 65 or older and an uninvited solicitor sold you a home repair or remodeling contract at your home, you have 15 full business days to cancel (815 ILCS 513/22).
• Does not apply if you negotiated the deal earlier at the seller's retail store, if the sale was handled entirely by mail or phone, if you waived the right in writing for a real emergency you requested, or if federal Truth in Lending rescission applies instead.

Canceling one agreement does not always cancel another. A separate loan, lease, or power purchase agreement can have its own terms, so check each document you signed. If the sale was made in Spanish or another language, read your rights when a contract is not in your language. To compare deadlines, see the cancellation period in every state.

Laws that protect you in Illinois

These are the state laws that come up most often in solar disputes here. Each one links to the official text or the agency that enforces it.

How your utility credits solar in Illinois

Check your Illinois solar contract

Pull out your paperwork and look for these. Anything missing is worth noting in a complaint or showing to an attorney.

• If your system is in Illinois Shines, you signed the standard disclosure form before the contract.
• You received the Attorney General's home repair consumer rights pamphlet.
• The company is an approved Illinois Shines vendor and isn't on the suspended list.
• The savings estimate used supply-only net metering if you connected after 2024.
• You know who received the distributed generation rebate and Illinois Shines incentive.

Where to get help in Illinois

These are official agencies. Filing a complaint is free. An agency can investigate or mediate, but most cannot act as your lawyer or guarantee a refund.

Before you contact anyone

1. Gather every document you signed. The sales or installation agreement, any loan, lease, or power purchase agreement, and any change orders.
2. Identify each company. The seller, installer, lender, and current servicer may be different businesses. Your latest statement shows who services your account now.
3. Write down the timeline. When you were contacted, when you signed, when work started, and every promise made about savings or cost.
4. Keep proof of every notice. Save emails, certified mail receipts, and the date you sent anything.

Guides for your situation

• Every way out of a solar contract, from the cancellation window to a buyout
• Misled by a solar salesperson? What counts and what evidence helps
• How to get out of a solar loan, including the payment jump and dealer fees
• How to get out of a solar lease or a solar PPA
• What to do if your solar company went out of business

Questions to ask

• Which agreement am I trying to cancel or change, and who is the other party to it?
• What does my agreement say about cancellation, notice, and where to send it?
• Did the seller give me the cancellation notice and disclosures required in my state?
• Is my loan separate from my installation contract, and what happens to it if the contract is canceled?
• Was a dealer fee built into my loan? Estimate it with our calculator.

National resources

• FTC: Solar power for your home
• CFPB: Submit a complaint about a lender or servicer
• USAGov: State consumer protection offices

Other states

Solar rules change at the state line. See every state and the review status of each.