What Colorado pays for your exported solar power
Export compensation is the single biggest payback lever in 2026. Here is Colorado's current rule in plain words, with the official source.
Under Colorado's export rules, compensation for surplus power decides the payback - which typically runs 10-14 years on unsubsidized 2026 math.
Installed home solar for Granby homeowners averages about $2.58 a watt across the U.S. marketplace - roughly $30,960 for a 12 kW system before incentives.
Granby, Colorado has about 2,305 residents, and its solar quotes are built from system size, roof complexity and export rules - not the town name.
The honest 2026 answer for Granby: solar pays back slower without the 30% credit - paybacks that ran 7-10 years often now run 10-14 - but electricity rates keep rising and hardware is the cheapest it has ever been. The deciding factor is Colorado's export compensation, covered in the net metering section.
Beware of any 2026 payback estimate that looks as good as the 2025 ones: with the federal credit gone, a third of the old subsidy math vanished. If a sales projection has not gotten noticeably worse since 2025, it is hiding something - usually an inflated utility-rate escalation assumption.
The 2026 numbers
| System size | Installed price (marketplace avg) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 kW | $15,480 | Small roof / low usage |
| 8 kW | $20,640 | Typical starter system |
| 10 kW | $25,800 | Family home with AC |
| 12 kW | $30,960 | Large home / EV charging |
| Home battery (optional) | $12,000-$16,000 | Backup power + self-consumption |
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Colorado rules that decide your payback
| Rule | Colorado status |
|---|---|
| Export compensation (net metering) | Colorado requires investor-owned utilities to offer net metering: under PUC Rule 3664 (4 CCR 723-3), excess generation is carried forward month to month and credited at a 1:1 ratio against the customer's retail kWh consumption, with any accrued excess credits compensated within 60 days after each calendar year at the utility's average hourly incremental cost of electricity supply, unless the customer makes a one-time written election to roll credits forward indefinitely. |
| State incentive | Colorado Sales and Use Tax Exemption for Components Used to Produce Energy from a Renewable Energy Source (Sec. 39-26-724, C.R.S.); utility rebates may also apply. |
| Sales tax on the system | Exempt |
| Property tax on added home value | Excluded |
A Colorado net-metered system may be sized to supply no more than 120 percent of the customer's average annual electricity consumption at the site, and unless the homeowner files a one-time written election to keep rolling credits over, leftover credits are cashed out each year at the utility's average hourly incremental cost - well below the retail rate the credits were originally worth.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
What this means for Granby roofs
Whether solar still pays in Colorado after the federal credit's end comes down to arithmetic, not ideology: installed cost (about $2.58 a watt at the marketplace average), what your utility pays for exports, and how much of your generation you use yourself. High self-consumption - daytime usage, EV charging, batteries - is now the biggest lever.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
Getting Granby quotes
Before requesting quotes, have your last 12 months of electricity bills handy - system sizing should follow your real usage, not a salesperson's template. A bid sized far above your usage is a margin play, especially now that surplus export pays less in most states.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
Common questions
How do I check if a solar quote is fair?
Divide the total price by the system's wattage. The U.S. marketplace average is about $2.58 per watt installed; $2.30-3.00 covers most fair quotes depending on roof complexity. Above that, ask exactly what you are paying extra for - in writing.
Does solar raise my property taxes?
It depends on the state - many exempt solar's added home value from property tax, others do not, and some exemptions have expiration dates. This guide's state page lists the verified rule and source for your state.
Should I lease, get a PPA, or buy?
Buying keeps all savings and any incentives with you. Leases and PPAs put a company's equipment on your roof for 20-25 years, complicate a home sale, and in 2026 any tax benefits they advertise belong to the company under commercial rules - not to you. Read escalator clauses carefully.
Is solar still worth it without the federal credit?
It depends mostly on your state's export rules and your daytime usage. Paybacks lengthened by roughly a third when the credit ended, but rising electricity rates and record-cheap hardware keep the math workable in states with decent export compensation - and marginal where exports pay avoided cost only.
Do I need a battery with my solar?
Not necessarily. Under full retail net metering, the grid effectively stores your surplus for free. Batteries earn their $12,000-16,000 price where export rates are low, outages are common, or time-of-use rates make evening self-consumption valuable.
Get solar quotes for Granby
These platforms collect bids from licensed installers so you can compare against the same spec. Prices come from installers, not from this site.
Disclosure: this is an independent guide. If you request quotes through a link here, the platform may pay this site a referral fee. That fee never changes your quotes.
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