Solar in Fort Collins, CO
With City of Fort Collins's electricity at about 15.2¢ per kWh and 1,476 kWh of sun per kW, solar is a close call for a typical Fort Collins home today: about a 14.6-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 14.6 yrsColorado: 12.4 yrs
- 25-year net
- $15,350after paying $16,250
- Sun
- 1,476kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 15.2¢16% below U.S. average
A typical Fort Collins home, by the numbers
| Utility | City of Fort Collins |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 610 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5 kW, about 12 panels, 7,381 kWh a year (101% of use) |
| Cost | $16,250 |
| First-year savings | $1,065 |
| Payback | 14.6 years |
| Exported power | Full retail net metering (Colorado rule) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 2.6% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Fort Collins
- Owner-occupied homes
- 52%
- Single-family detached
- 52%
- Median home value
- $578k
- Median year built
- 1992
- Population
- 170,229
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 83%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 37,348 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Fort Collins
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 Fort Collins
Is solar worth it in Fort Collins, CO?
For a typical home in Fort Collins, solar is a close call at 2026 prices: a 5 kW system costs about $16,250 after state incentives, saves about $1,065 in year one and pays back in about 14.6 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Fort Collins?
About 1,476 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 7% less than the Colorado average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Fort Collins?
Most homes in Fort Collins are served by City of Fort Collins, at about 15.2¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by Xcel Energy Colorado, Poudre Valley REA, City of Loveland.
How much do solar panels cost in Fort Collins?
A fair cash price is around $3.05 per watt before incentives, so about $16,250 for a 5 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Loveland 13.6 yrs
- Windsor 15 yrs
- Greeley 12.8 yrs
- Longmont 13.2 yrs
- Erie 13 yrs
- Boulder 13.3 yrs
- Lafayette 13 yrs
- Broomfield 12.9 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.