What's on the Illinois Shines disclosure form, and can you cancel?

The Disclosure Form is a standard Illinois Shines form. It shows your offer: the price, the fees, the system size, who fixes what, and what happens if you move. You sign it before the contract. Yes, you can cancel. The contract must give you three or more calendar days to do it, for systems of 25 kW or less.

A kW is the unit solar systems are sized in. Illinois Shines is a state program that provides an incentive for solar projects. See how Illinois Shines works. GSM Solar does not run the program or speak for it. Every rule below comes from the program's own documents, listed at the bottom of the page. None of it is legal advice.

What is the Disclosure Form?

It is the form Illinois Shines requires for every project. The Illinois Power Agency says it gives you clear and consistent information about a solar offer, including size, cost and fees, operations and warranties. Every seller fills in the same form, so you can compare offers from different sellers line by line.

There are separate forms for a purchase, a lease and a PPA. A PPA is a power purchase agreement: you buy the power, and another party owns the system. See PPA, lease or buy. The lines on this page come from the PPA form.

The seller has work to do before you see it. It must make a design for your site that accounts for its direction and shade, before the signing steps begin. Then it fills in the form, and every field must be filled in and accurate. A line can't just tell you to go read the contract. The form comes with the Informational Brochure attached as the first two pages. Both must be given to you whole, never edited or changed.

Want a practice run? The program's Deep Dive walks you through a sample form, section by section. For the solar words on the form, see the glossary.

When do you sign it, and what must the agent do?

The order is fixed. You sign the Disclosure Form before the contract. The program's consumer protection handbook lists the steps, and the contract comes only after the earlier steps, done in order. Your Approved Vendor, the company that signs your project up with Illinois Shines, can't begin the application until you sign the form.

If you sign in person, the agent must go through the whole form with you and take your questions. If you sign online, the platform must give you a phone number or online chat for your questions. And the e-sign platform must make you scroll through the whole form before you sign. If the form comes by email, it must be sent as a full document you can download, not just a link. You can also get a paper copy of the form and brochure if you ask, and sign on paper.

Two more rules protect you here. The person who holds the utility account signs the form. And the agent may not set up or open your email, or send the form to their own email. The seller must also explain the type of agreement and how long it lasts.

Take your time. The form itself tells you to take whatever time you need to shop around and understand the contract. The Illinois Power Agency calls time to review and understand the offer a green flag. It calls pressure to sign before you understand the offer a red flag. Its handout also says to request and compare at least three estimates. See how to check a solar company.

The signature line matters. When you sign, you state that you received and read the form and had the chance to ask questions. So ask your questions before you sign, not after.

What does the form show?

The PPA form runs in this order. Each line should hold a real answer for your home, not a blank.

A few lines are worth a second read.

The rates. A kWh is the unit your bill counts power in. A PPA can have a yearly escalation rate, which means the price per kWh goes up each year. The form shows the first rate and the final rate, so you can see where the price ends up by the last year.

The size. The built size may vary by the greater of 1 kW or 5% from the size on the form.

The incentive. That payment goes to the Approved Vendor. Your contract decides whether any of it is passed on to you.

The UCC-1 line. That is a public filing an owner can make to show it owns equipment on your property. The glossary has more. Ask how it works if you ever sell the home. See selling a home with solar.

Net metering. For how the credit works here, read how net metering works for new solar in Ameren Illinois. You will still get a utility bill, and this guide explains why.

Does a battery have to be on the form?

Yes, if the offer includes one. The handbook requires battery costs and fees on the Disclosure Form. The design part of the form also asks whether the project includes a battery, and what size. See batteries in an outage.

If a seller talks about a battery and the form shows none, ask why before you sign. The handbook says the contract and form must match what the seller told you. It also requires contract terms that match the Disclosure Form you signed.

Can you cancel after you sign?

Yes. Illinois Shines lists a right to cancel in its contract rules. Your contract must give you three or more calendar days to cancel, for systems of 25 kW or less. Calendar days include weekends.

The PPA form says it plainly. You can cancel and get any deposit back by contacting the project owner, within the time your contract or the law allows. That time cannot be less than three calendar days.

Your contract may give you more time than that. Read its cancel section for the exact window, how to give notice, and who to send it to.

Things can change after you sign, too. You may get a new form to sign if information on the first one changes or is wrong.

Your papers tell you how to cancel, so keep them. After you sign, the seller must give you copies of the signed form and contract. Electronic copies must reach you within 24 hours of signing. Paper copies sent by mail must be postmarked within 2 business days. Paper copies handed to you must come within 3 business days. And the agent must explain how you can view your signed copies.

If you can't settle a problem with the seller, the form names two places to go: the Illinois Shines Program Administrator, and the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division for deceptive sales.

What are the rules when a seller comes to your door?

The handbook sets rules for selling in person, and they cover door-to-door sales.

The agent must say who they work for: their company, and its Approved Vendor if the company is a Designee. A Designee is a company that sells or installs for an Approved Vendor. The agent must also say they represent an independent seller, not the government or a utility.

For systems under 25 kW AC, the agent must wear an ID you can see. It must show the agent's full name, an ID number, a photo, and the company's name and logo. Each company must also run criminal background checks on every agent who sells in person.

Sellers must follow local door-to-door rules, including banned hours. Where no local rule sets the hours, they may not knock before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. A meeting you set up ahead of time can fall outside those hours.

They can't sell at a home with a sign against soliciting. And the agent must leave the first time you ask.

Quick answers

Do I sign the Disclosure Form before the contract?

Yes. You sign the Disclosure Form first. The contract comes after it.

Does the agent have to go over the form with me?

Yes, if you sign in person. The agent must go through the whole form with you and take your questions.

Do battery costs have to be on the form?

Yes. If the offer includes a battery, its costs and fees must be on the Disclosure Form.

Can I cancel an Illinois Shines solar contract?

Yes. The contract must give you three or more calendar days to cancel, for systems of 25 kW or less. Your contract sets the exact window, so read its cancel section.

When do I get copies of what I signed?

Electronic copies must reach you within 24 hours of signing. Paper copies sent by mail must be postmarked within 2 business days.

What hours can a solar seller knock on my door?

Where no local rule sets the hours, sellers may not knock before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. A meeting you set up ahead of time is allowed.