There can be solar tax credits and incentives available at the federal, state and local levels. The calculator above will show you the value of all incentives your home is eligible for.
The state of home solar in Colorado is strong! 100% of electricity now needs to come from carbon free renewable sources by 2050. Residents of the most populous areas continue to benefit from Xcel’s solar rewards program which pays extra for solar credits over 20 years. Way to go, lawmakers!
Xcel has released a nice program called Solar*Rewards, which earns you a little extra money for every kilowatt-hour of electricity your panels generate.
Rebates continue to be available for residents of Boulder and Colorado Springs, too. All in all, Colorado is a great place to go solar, and we know expert local installers. If you're ready to see how much you can save with solar on your roof, use our calculator above to get started.
Learn what solar incentives are available to Colorado homeowners
See what Colorado solar incentives you qualify for based on your utility company and city
Find out how much these incentives and/or Colorado solar tax credits will reduce your cost to go solar and add batteries
The federal solar investment tax credit will have the biggest impact on the cost you will face to go solar in Colorado
If you install your photovoltaic system before the end of 2032, the federal tax credit is 30% of the cost of your solar panel system. This is 30% off the entire cost of the system including equipment, labor, and permitting.
Example: If your solar energy system costs $20,000, your federal solar tax credit would be $20,000 x 30% = $6,000.
The federal tax credit falls to 26% starting in 2033.
With net metering in some states, you get full retail rate credit for the amount of electricity you send back into the grid with your solar panels.
In short, net metering makes sure that you get credit, either in energy or in cash, for every bit of solar energy your panels produce. Your utility will track how much solar energy you produce and how much you use, and the utility will "store" any extra your solar system produces. At night or on cloudy days, the utility credits your surplus power back to you.
Net metering is one of the keys to successful solar policy, and Colorado may just have the best net metering laws in the country. The state requires utilities to pay you for the net excess energy that your system produces over the course of a year. So if you’re smart about your energy usage, your solar panels can actually turn a profit! The utility company will literally cut you a check at the end of the year for any extra solar juice you’ve contributed to the grid.
Colorado makes taking advantage of those savings even easier, allowing you to opt either for the check or to simply roll your extra credit to any subsequent monthly bills.
The real vein of Rockies gold for solar comes from Colorado’s utility companies. They have to meet the state’s renewable portfolio standard guidelines, so they’re willing to help you put solar on your roof, just for joining the world of electricity generation.
Truth be told, though, the big, fat rebates of years past are all but gone in the Rocky Mountain State. The good news is prices for solar have dropped by about the same amount of the erstwhile rebate money! The rebates worked!
If you’re lucky enough to be an Xcel customer in Colorado, you should definitely sign up for their Solar Rewards program. It pays you on an ongoing basis for the amount of kwh you produce with your solar panels.
You sign a contract to give your renewable energy certificates to Xcel for 20 years. They will pay you for the first 10 years at a rate of $.07/kwh, which is huge!
On an average sized 6kW system, you can expect to reap about $700 annually or $6,500 over those ten years.
A solar installation adds tens of thousands of dollars in value to your home. The good news in Colorado is that homeowners who go solar will not pay a single, solitary, Denver-minted penny in taxes on that value. Thanks, Colorado!
Also, when you install a residential solar system in Colorado you are exempt from 100% of related sales and use taxes. Now that’s how we like our renewable energy laws: simple, smart, and saving you money.
In 2020, the city of Boulder created a hefty home solar grant program. Income-qualified homeowners making less than $82,000 a year for a family of 4 can receive up to 50% of total project costs after rebates, incentives and tax credits are subtracted.
While that’s a good chunk of change, we’re curious to know how many residents will qualify, given Boulder’s relatively high living expenses. We’d love to see similar types of programs offered across more diverse areas of the state.
Showing data for:
Prices based on a 10.1kW system, after 30% federal tax credit
103 solar companies in Colorado provide pricing on SolarReviews. Here are the best rated companies near you.
4.79 62 Reviews
Norm Caldwell, 3 weeks ago
Our original solar pv panel and inverter installation was in 2011 from Complete Energy Solutions (a.k.a. Denver Solar at the time). For 12 consecutive years, we've had a reliable and trouble-free system. We recently upgraded the panels and inverter, and are glad we chose Matt and Jennifer and their team once again. The quality of the design, which includes reducing points of potential failure, is top notch. Matt, Jennifer, and the Complete team are a pleasure to work with! Highly recommended!
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Norm Caldwell, 3 weeks ago
Our original solar pv panel and inverter installation was in 2011 from Complete Energy Solutions (a.k.a. Denver Solar at the time). For 12 consecutive years, we've had a reliable and trouble-free system. We recently upgraded the panels and inverter, and are glad we chose Matt and Jennifer and their team once again. The quality of the design, which includes reducing points of potential failure, is top notch. Matt, Jennifer, and the Complete team are a pleasure to work with! Highly recommended!
4.69 419 Reviews
In Denver, over 1 month
I purchased a house which was installed my Namaste Solar. Just to add more panels, they said I have to replace nearly everything. So frustrating.
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In Denver, over 1 month
I purchased a house which was installed my Namaste Solar. Just to add more panels, they said I have to replace nearly everything. So frustrating.
4.68 66 Reviews
Steve, 1 week ago
Sunsense walked us through the project step by step and were very easy to work with. We are happy with the results and will recommend them to friends and neighbors. Panel availability delayed the project and slightly increased the price, but we were able to get higher subsidies by postponing until 2023.
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Steve, 1 week ago
Sunsense walked us through the project step by step and were very easy to work with. We are happy with the results and will recommend them to friends and neighbors. Panel availability delayed the project and slightly increased the price, but we were able to get higher subsidies by postponing until 2023.
Anonymous, over 1 month
Good installation
4.62 35 Reviews
K Vanbuskirk, 2 weeks ago
Apollo is an excellent company to go with solar. From the start they were upfront, in-person, and honest. The work was done way before we expected. Our neighbors are still waiting and it has been months. No problems of any sort. Communication is always available, even a month after completion they still answer my questions. I cannot say enough about their excellent work and good overall product.
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K Vanbuskirk, 2 weeks ago
Apollo is an excellent company to go with solar. From the start they were upfront, in-person, and honest. The work was done way before we expected. Our neighbors are still waiting and it has been months. No problems of any sort. Communication is always available, even a month after completion they still answer my questions. I cannot say enough about their excellent work and good overall product.
4.59 122 Reviews
Amber, 1 week ago
The process started great, sales was thorough and the solution seemed like a great option, based on the sales process and production garauntee. Things increasingly unraveled through out the project. It started with template emails and seemed organized. When the project actually began, timelines and deadlines were occurring and status became unclear. The communication transitioned to text message and was without appropriate notice. Multiple issues occurred and were not resolved timely in what appeared to be due to a lack of internal communication (scheduler, project coordinator, install team, electrician) and perhaps employee turnover. Our installation failed county inspection several times delaying the project. Attempts to escalate the issues through the organization indicated employee turnover or unreturned phone calls. When the system was finally operational (3-4 months later than anticipated while we paid for both electricity and the solar loan). The system almost immediately experienced issues with nearly a third of the panels not working. A team came, couldn't identify a specific issue but the system started working for a few weeks. The system then reported over a third of panels weren't working. Attempts to get service have been as frustrating as the project process. We have had a number of no shows for service appointments, contradicting reports from the service resource here and then the service desk. Last lesson learned, read the production guarantee clause very closely, there really is no incentive to ensure your solar is up and operational quickly. I would not recommend this experience to anyone.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$10,650 ($2.13 per watt)
Amber, 1 week ago
The process started great, sales was thorough and the solution seemed like a great option, based on the sales process and production garauntee. Things increasingly unraveled through out the project. It started with template emails and seemed organized. When the project actually began, timelines and deadlines were occurring and status became unclear. The communication transitioned to text message and was without appropriate notice. Multiple issues occurred and were not resolved timely in what appeared to be due to a lack of internal communication (scheduler, project coordinator, install team, electrician) and perhaps employee turnover. Our installation failed county inspection several times delaying the project. Attempts to escalate the issues through the organization indicated employee turnover or unreturned phone calls. When the system was finally operational (3-4 months later than anticipated while we paid for both electricity and the solar loan). The system almost immediately experienced issues with nearly a third of the panels not working. A team came, couldn't identify a specific issue but the system started working for a few weeks. The system then reported over a third of panels weren't working. Attempts to get service have been as frustrating as the project process. We have had a number of no shows for service appointments, contradicting reports from the service resource here and then the service desk. Last lesson learned, read the production guarantee clause very closely, there really is no incentive to ensure your solar is up and operational quickly. I would not recommend this experience to anyone.
4.58 65 Reviews
GreenEnergy, over 1 month
We had a great experience working with Solar Power Pros. They were knowledgeable, courteous, and professional, and their price was very competitive. I would have given them a five-star review, but unfortunately their post installation customer care needs improvement. When something wasn't working (inverter malfunctioning, gateway not reporting, for instance), I'd email and call but wouldn't hear back from them, and I'd do it all over again. Maybe someone would get in touch; maybe not, and I'd have to try a third time. At one point our first project manager quit, and no one told us, so I kept emailing her. Later finally someone told me she left and we got a new person. This is no way to run a business! I know their business is growing but you can't forget your established customers! You have to keep taking care of them.
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GreenEnergy, over 1 month
We had a great experience working with Solar Power Pros. They were knowledgeable, courteous, and professional, and their price was very competitive. I would have given them a five-star review, but unfortunately their post installation customer care needs improvement. When something wasn't working (inverter malfunctioning, gateway not reporting, for instance), I'd email and call but wouldn't hear back from them, and I'd do it all over again. Maybe someone would get in touch; maybe not, and I'd have to try a third time. At one point our first project manager quit, and no one told us, so I kept emailing her. Later finally someone told me she left and we got a new person. This is no way to run a business! I know their business is growing but you can't forget your established customers! You have to keep taking care of them.
4.50 36 Reviews
Paul, over 1 month
Well Done! Curtis is a pleasure to work with, knowledgeable, experienced, quality from start to finish. No need to call anyone else.
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Paul, over 1 month
Well Done! Curtis is a pleasure to work with, knowledgeable, experienced, quality from start to finish. No need to call anyone else.
4.48 26 Reviews
Geo Ed, over 1 month
We have lived off grid for thirty years. Our original installer retired and Renewable Energy Outfitters stepped in when we needed service. This past spring we decided to upgrade the entire system. Aaron and his two employees did a superb job. We do not have a single complaint. Aaron Mandelkorn is a superb example of how a business marketing and installing and servicing solar and also wind power should operate. We would recommend Renewable Energy Outfitters above any other company in this part of Colorado.
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Geo Ed, over 1 month
We have lived off grid for thirty years. Our original installer retired and Renewable Energy Outfitters stepped in when we needed service. This past spring we decided to upgrade the entire system. Aaron and his two employees did a superb job. We do not have a single complaint. Aaron Mandelkorn is a superb example of how a business marketing and installing and servicing solar and also wind power should operate. We would recommend Renewable Energy Outfitters above any other company in this part of Colorado.
4.47 1,744 Reviews
pj, 2 weeks ago
I'm sure the product is probably fine, but I'm guessing there are other companies that are more transparent and better at communicating. Once we were installed and running, which took close to a year, we were dropped like a hot potato. No more answering questions by them. It's as if they could care less once they've sold you their product. The communication within the company was just as bad. No one ever seemed to know what you were told by another dept. or why. It was a terrible experience. Our electric company also told us that no one was passing their inspections with BRS because they were ignoring the criteria, in obvious hopes the electric company would negotiate or compromise on their rules.
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pj, 2 weeks ago
I'm sure the product is probably fine, but I'm guessing there are other companies that are more transparent and better at communicating. Once we were installed and running, which took close to a year, we were dropped like a hot potato. No more answering questions by them. It's as if they could care less once they've sold you their product. The communication within the company was just as bad. No one ever seemed to know what you were told by another dept. or why. It was a terrible experience. Our electric company also told us that no one was passing their inspections with BRS because they were ignoring the criteria, in obvious hopes the electric company would negotiate or compromise on their rules.
For more information about going solar near where you live, check out the following resources:
Fort Collins Solar Loan Program - Offers on-bill repayment