Colorado solar calculator
Size a Colorado home solar system from your electric bill — kW, panel count, roof area, true cost with no federal credit for 2026 installs, and payback.
Quick answer: At $0.162/kWh and 5.5 peak sun hours, a $200/month bill needs about 9.84 kW — 24 × 410 W panels covering ~48 m². Gross cost is ~$25,928 with no federal credit for systems installed after 2025, offsetting $2,400 a year for a ~10.8 year payback.
Your details
Ballpark, not gospel. Sized at 78% real-world output with the Colorado sun-hour average — confirm shading, roof angle and your utility's net-metering terms with a local installer before buying. With 1:1 net metering, credits bank at full retail and roll over monthly, so the calculator's retail-rate savings math is a fair approximation.
The 30% credit ended — what changed
The residential clean energy credit (26 U.S.C. § 25D) gave homeowners a 30% credit on solar installed from 2022 through 2025. The July 2025 tax law ended it: no credit is available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. That is why every figure on this page is ~30% higher than pre-2026 guides show. If your system went live by the end of 2025, tick the box above to see the credit applied; leased systems may still benefit because the leasing company claims the commercial credit. Source: IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.
Typical Colorado system sizes by monthly bill
| Monthly bill | System size | Panels (410 W) | Net cost (no 2026 federal credit) | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 4.92 kW | 12 | $12,964 | 10.8 years |
| $200 | 9.84 kW | 24 | $25,928 | 10.8 years |
| $300 | 14.76 kW | 36 | $38,893 | 10.8 years |
Computed at $0.162/kWh, 5.5 peak sun hours and $2.63/W installed, with no federal credit for 2026 installs. Run your exact bill above.
Solar in Colorado: the details
Solar cost in Colorado
Solar costs are middle-of-the-road in Colorado. The EnergySage marketplace averaged about $2.63 per watt installed in 2026, with market quotes typically landing $2.24–$3.03/W — inside the $2.50–$3.50/W national band. A typical ~10 kW Colorado system grosses around $26,400 before any incentive, with no federal credit for 2026 homeowner installs.
What moves the number: roof pitch and snow load (mountain installs cost more), panel tier, and metro competition. Get at least three quotes.
Export rules: getting paid for surplus power
Colorado law requires investor-owned utilities to offer full 1:1 retail net metering. Xcel Energy customers net exports against consumption at the full retail rate.
Systems can be sized up to 120% of annual usage, and excess credits roll over month to month, with an annual cash-out option for leftover credits. That's among the best export terms in the US — summer surplus genuinely offsets winter bills.
Practical takeaway: in Colorado, you can size for the full year and trust the meter to even it out. Net metering, not batteries, is your seasonal storage.
Colorado solar incentives
Colorado has no state income tax credit for solar, but it stacks two tax breaks: solar equipment is exempt from state sales and use taxes, and the value solar adds is excluded from property-tax assessment. Xcel Energy's Solar*Rewards program adds a cash rebate — about $1 per watt installed, up to $7,000 for residential customers.
Is solar worth it in Colorado?
Verdict: yes, solid. Full 1:1 net metering, 5.5 peak sun hours, and ~$2.63/W installed costs put a $200 bill at a ~10.8-year payback with no federal credit — and Xcel customers can shave ~$1/W off through Solar*Rewards. Size to about 120% of usage and bank summer credits for winter.
Questions people actually ask
Straight answers, no fluff. Then run your own numbers above.
How many solar panels do I need in Colorado?
It follows your bill. At the Colorado average of $0.162/kWh and 5.5 peak sun hours, a $200/month bill needs about a 9.84 kW system — roughly 24 × 410 W panels covering ~48 m² of roof.
What is the average cost of solar panels in Colorado in 2026?
The EnergySage marketplace averaged about $2.63 per watt installed in 2026, with market quotes typically $2.24–$3.03/W — inside the national $2.50–$3.50/W band. A typical ~10 kW system grosses around $26,400, with no federal credit for 2026 homeowner installs — before Xcel's Solar*Rewards rebate.
Does Colorado have net metering?
Yes. Colorado law requires investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy to offer retail-rate (1:1) net metering, with systems sized up to 120% of annual usage. Excess credits roll over monthly, with an annual cash-out option.
Does Colorado offer any solar tax credit or rebate?
No state income tax credit, but Colorado exempts solar equipment from state sales and use taxes and excludes solar's added home value from property-tax assessment. Xcel Energy's Solar*Rewards program also pays residential customers about $1 per watt installed, up to $7,000.
Is the 30% federal solar tax credit still available?
Not for homeowner purchases anymore. The residential clean energy credit (26 U.S.C. § 25D) is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the July 2025 tax law (Public Law 119-21). Systems installed by the end of 2025 can still claim 30%, and leased systems may still benefit because the leasing company claims the commercial credit instead. (Source: IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.)
Is solar worth it in Colorado?
Verdict: yes, solid. Full 1:1 net metering, 5.5 peak sun hours, and ~$2.63/W installed costs put a $200 bill at a ~10.8-year payback with no federal credit — and Xcel customers can shave ~$1/W off through Solar*Rewards. Size to about 120% of usage and bank summer credits for winter.
Figures last checked October 2026. Sources: residential rate and sun-hour averages via kilowattkit.com and unboundsolar.com's US sun-hours map, EIA Electric Power Monthly, NREL PVWatts/NSRDB, DSIRE, Colorado Public Utilities Commission; IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.
More US solar calculators
Compare other states: Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, North Carolina, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho. And the national US solar calculator for country averages.
Comparing quotes? The solar cost calculator breaks down cost per watt and the solar ROI calculator maps your payback year by year. Going deeper: installation cost guide, how net metering works, how much you can save with solar and the solar batteries guide.