Xcel Energy Colorado and solar
Xcel Energy Colorado is an investor-owned utility serving about 1,379,910 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.)
- 16.8¢1% above Colorado average
- Typical bill
- $98584 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- 13.5¢Full retail net metering
- Typical payback
- 12.7 yrs4.5 kW, cash
Export rules for Xcel Energy Colorado customers
Full retail net metering — about 13.5¢ per exported kWh, monthly netting.
Full retail kWh credits; TOU default (credits valued by TOU period). Solar*Rewards REC incentives modest; check current offerings. Retail figure approximate.
Net metering (Colorado statute): monthly kWh netting at retail (by TOU period on RE-TOU), excess carried forward; annual excess paid at average hourly incremental cost or rolled over at customer election
Solar for a typical Xcel Energy Colorado home
| System | 4.5 kW (101% of 584 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $14,975 |
| First-year savings | $1,131 |
| Payback | 12.7 years |
| 25-year net | $19,304 |
Uses the utility's average price; time-of-use plans can change this, so pick your plan in the calculator.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 121,127
- Share of customers
- 8.8%
- Residential solar capacity
- 720 MW
- Residential customers
- 1,379,910
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Xcel Energy Colorado and solar
Does Xcel Energy Colorado have net metering?
Full retail kWh credits; TOU default (credits valued by TOU period). Solar*Rewards REC incentives modest; check current offerings. Retail figure approximate. Exported power is credited at about 13.5¢ per kWh.
How much does electricity cost with Xcel Energy Colorado?
Residential customers paid an average of 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 16.8¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 584 kWh a month, a bill of about $98.
Is solar worth it with Xcel Energy Colorado?
For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 4.5 kW system costing about $14,975 pays back in about 12.7 years, with $19,304 net over 25 years.
How many Xcel Energy Colorado customers have solar?
About 121,127 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 8.8% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Public Service Co of Colorado (EIA ID 15466). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026, utility tariff sheets.