Solar Guide for Xcel Energy Colorado Customers

If you're a Xcel Energy Colorado customer considering solar energy, you're making a smart financial decision. With residential electricity rates averaging 16.2 cents per kWh, solar panels can dramatically reduce or even eliminate your monthly electric bill. The typical Xcel Energy Colorado customer spends approximately $130 per month on electricity — money that could be working for you instead of going to the utility.

Front Range and Eastern Colorado

Xcel Energy Colorado has a full retail rate net metering policy. This is one of the best net metering structures available — you receive full retail rate credits of 16.2¢/kWh for every excess kilowatt-hour your solar system sends to the grid. This means your solar panels generate maximum value, as surplus energy produced during sunny afternoons offsets your evening and nighttime consumption at the same rate.

An 8kW solar system for a Xcel Energy Colorado customer costs approximately $22,000 before the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit. After the ITC, your net cost drops to about $15,400. This system produces enough clean energy to save you approximately $2,211 per year, resulting in a payback period of roughly 6 years.

After your system pays for itself, you'll enjoy 16+ years of dramatically reduced electricity costs. Over a 25-year period, total savings for Xcel Energy Colorado customers are estimated at $55,275 — and that's without accounting for the likely 2-3% annual increase in electricity rates that would make your savings even greater.