Can you lease a home battery in Illinois?

Solrite owns and operates the whole system for the 25-year term. pv magazine also reports a battery-only Solrite option at a flat $20 a month for 20 years, so ask whether it's available at your address and what electricity plan it requires.

Mostly for the tax credit. Homeowners who buy can no longer claim the federal residential credit, which ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025. A company that owns a battery and leases it to you can still claim the business credit: pv magazine reports that third-party-owned storage keeps the full 30% credit through 2033. Some of that value can come back to you as a lower monthly payment.

A lease also means $0 down, and plans often bundle installation, monitoring and maintenance. Palmetto says its battery plan covers all three for the full term. See what a home battery costs to buy.

It depends on the contract. Illinois law pays a storage rebate of about $300 per kWh of capacity, and since June 1, 2026 the battery must be enrolled in a utility virtual power plant program to qualify. With a lease or PPA, the company that owns the battery usually keeps the incentives: Solrite, for example, keeps the federal credit and the Illinois Shines credits because it owns the system.

Ask in writing who receives the storage rebate and any virtual power plant payments, and how much battery charge stays reserved for your home during utility events. ComEd's virtual power plant is expected to open in 2027. See the Illinois battery rebate and how the virtual power plants work.

• You don't own it. The owner keeps the tax credit and often the rebate and program payments.
• Payments can rise. Solrite's rate rises 2.9% a year, and Tesla's Texas lease rises 3% a year.
• Long terms. Battery-only leases run about 10 to 12 years; solar-plus-battery agreements can run 25.
• Selling your home. Leases usually transfer to the buyer, and solar leasing companies often require the buyer to pass a credit check.
• Existing solar leases. If your panels are leased, adding a battery usually takes the solar owner's permission and often its installer.

If you'd rather own the battery and keep the rebate yourself, compare the lease with a cash or loan price. See solar lease vs. buy.

1. 1

   The payment and the escalator

   Get the first-year payment, the yearly increase and the total over the term.

2. 2

   Who keeps the incentives

   The storage rebate, virtual power plant payments and the federal credit.

3. 3

   What stays powered in an outage

   Which circuits are backed up and how much charge is reserved for you.

4. 4

   The end of the term

   Whether you can buy the battery, renew or have it removed, and at what price.

5. 5

   Selling your home

   How the transfer works and what the buyer must qualify for.

When a lease or PPA includes solar sold through Illinois Shines, the program requires a disclosure form before the contract, a right to cancel within at least three days for systems of 25 kW or less, and contract terms that spell out any option to buy the system. A battery-only contract may not fall under those rules, so read it closely.