Solar in Brighton, CO
With Xcel Energy Colorado's electricity at about 16.8¢ per kWh and 1,596 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Brighton home today: about a 12.5-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 12.5 yrsColorado: 12.4 yrs
- 25-year net
- $19,400after paying $14,720
- Sun
- 1,596kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 16.8¢7% below U.S. average
A typical Brighton home, by the numbers
| Utility | Xcel Energy Colorado |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 584 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 4.4 kW, about 10 panels, 7,021 kWh a year (100% of use) |
| Cost | $14,720 |
| First-year savings | $1,125 |
| Payback | 12.5 years |
| Exported power | 13.5¢/kWh (Xcel Energy Colorado) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 2.6% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Brighton
- Owner-occupied homes
- 71%
- Single-family detached
- 70%
- Median home value
- $500k
- Median year built
- 1999
- Population
- 42,059
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 90%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 9,640 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Brighton
Public installation records for Colorado don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Colorado.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Brighton
Is solar worth it in Brighton, CO?
For a typical home in Brighton, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 4.4 kW system costs about $14,720 after state incentives, saves about $1,125 in year one and pays back in about 12.5 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Brighton?
About 1,596 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 1% more than the Colorado average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Brighton?
Most homes in Brighton are served by Xcel Energy Colorado, at about 16.8¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by United Power.
How much do solar panels cost in Brighton?
A fair cash price is around $3.05 per watt before incentives, so about $14,720 for a 4.4 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Commerce City 12.6 yrs
- Thornton 12.6 yrs
- Northglenn 12.6 yrs
- Broomfield 12.9 yrs
- Erie 13 yrs
- Denver 12.5 yrs
- Westminster 13 yrs
- Lafayette 13 yrs
- All of Colorado
Data: PVWatts (National Laboratory of the Rockies), EIA-861 2025 adjusted to 2026, U.S. Census ACS, LBNL Tracking the Sun, state policy research as of October 2026.