Typical customer: Worth it

Delta Montrose Electric Association and solar

Delta Montrose Electric Association is an electric cooperative serving about 32,985 homes in Colorado. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is worth it.

Average price (2026 est.)
15.8¢5% below Colorado average
Typical bill
$113718 kWh a month
Exports credited
RetailFull retail net metering
Typical payback
12.9 yrs5.5 kW, cash

Export rules for Delta Montrose Electric Association customers

Full retail net metering (Colorado rule).

Colorado requires investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy to credit solar exports at the full retail rate, with credits rolling over month to month indefinitely. Co-ops and large municipal utilities must also offer net metering, though their rules and size limits differ.

Colorado net metering details

Solar for a typical Delta Montrose Electric Association home

System5.5 kW (101% of 718 kWh/month)
Cost$17,525
First-year savings$1,304
Payback12.9 years
25-year net$21,679

Uses the utility's average price.

Solar adoption

Homes with solar (2025)
2,174
Share of customers
6.6%
Residential solar capacity
15 MW
Residential customers
32,985

EIA-861, 2025.

Questions about Delta Montrose Electric Association and solar

Does Delta Montrose Electric Association have net metering?

Delta Montrose Electric Association follows Colorado's rules: Colorado requires investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy to credit solar exports at the full retail rate, with credits rolling over month to month indefinitely. Co-ops and large municipal utilities must also offer net metering, though their rules and size limits differ.

How much does electricity cost with Delta Montrose Electric Association?

Residential customers paid an average of 14.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 15.8¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 718 kWh a month, a bill of about $113.

Is solar worth it with Delta Montrose Electric Association?

For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 5.5 kW system costing about $17,525 pays back in about 12.9 years, with $21,679 net over 25 years.

How many Delta Montrose Electric Association customers have solar?

About 2,174 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 6.6% of residential customers (EIA-861).

Legal name: Delta Montrose Electric Assn (EIA ID 5086). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.