URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) – Urbana households have long experienced door-to-door sales of retail electric supply for the home. In Illinois’ deregulated electric supply market, homes and businesses can purchase electric supply from any vendor of their choice. Ameren Illinois will always deliver that electricity and charge distribution fees. In addition to retail electric suppliers, now there are also community solar providers and solar installation companies offering sales door-to-door.
Community solar is a fairly new product in Illinois that sees private companies building solar farms around the state and selling subscriptions to that electricity to Ameren customers. Subscribers are not directly connected to the community solar arrays. Instead, subscribers pay the community solar provider for the electricity and receive a bill credit for the same amount of electricity on their Ameren bill.
Community solar was authorized by State statute to expand access to renewable energy to homes and businesses that didn’t have good access to sunlight for onsite solar or who didn’t have the upfront money to make such a purchase. The Citizen’s Utility Board maintains pertinent and timely information about community solar providers here.
“Like all product offers, residents should ask a lot of questions, take the literature, and talk it over with a relative or friend”, says Scott Tess with the City of Urbana. Tess runs the City’s Municipal Electric Aggregation program where residents are opted into a city-organized bulk purchase of electricity supply. Residents can opt out any time and choose another retail electric supplier or utilize the State’s default electric supply through Ameren Illinois.
Residents who experience misleading or misrepresentative sales offers may file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s office at or call 1-800-243-0618. Residents who experience aggressive behavior at their door or who feel unsafe should call the police at 911.