Solar panels in Fort Collins: what they cost and what they make
A typical Fort Collins home needs 13 solar panels. They would make about 8,474 kWh a year and cost $14k to $21k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 11.4 yrs.
See panels on your own Fort Collins roof
Type your address. You get your roof from above, the panels that fit, a month-by-month forecast and a battery test. No phone number.
What solar costs in Fort Collins
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 5.5 kW system costs about $16,500. Quotes in Fort Collins will usually fall between $13,750 and $20,625. Complex roofs, main-panel upgrades and financing push prices up.
The 30% federal tax credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy. This estimate includes no state or utility incentives; check with your utility before you buy.
The number that decides whether solar pays in Fort Collins is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 11.4 yrs. Under net billing it is about 18.9 yrs, because only the ~41% of solar a typical home uses as it is made saves the full retail price.
Cash purchase, prices rising 2.5% a year, panels losing 0.5% a year, $25/kW a year for upkeep. No federal credit for homeowner-owned systems.
Every way to pay for a 5.5 kW system in Fort Collins
Change any number →| Way to pay | Day one | Monthly payment | Monthly net, year 1 | Ahead after 25 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay cash Full price on install day | $16,500 | $0 | +$107 | $25k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $138 | −$31 | $8,700 |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $87 | +$19 | $16k |
| Lease $100/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $100 | +$18 | $2,100 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 14.2¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $100 | +$18 | $4,800 |
Under net metering, at 16.7¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $4,125 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine Fort Collins gets
kWh per kW, 25° southJun is the best month for solar in Fort Collins, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 59% of a Jun day. A 6 kW system would make about 542 kWh in Dec and 923 kWh in Jun.
On June 21 the sun rises at 5:29 am and sets at 8:34 pm, 15 hours 5 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:20 am to 4:36 pm, just 9 hours 16 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Fort Collins, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 39° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.5 | 4.5 | 101 |
| Feb | 3.4 | 5.3 | 111 |
| Mar | 4.6 | 5.9 | 143 |
| Apr | 5.5 | 5.9 | 143 |
| May | 6.1 | 5.8 | 148 |
| Jun | 7.1 | 6.3 | 154 |
| Jul | 6.8 | 6.1 | 152 |
| Aug | 6.0 | 6.0 | 145 |
| Sep | 5.1 | 6.2 | 139 |
| Oct | 3.7 | 5.5 | 124 |
| Nov | 2.6 | 4.7 | 101 |
| Dec | 2.1 | 4.1 | 90 |
| Year | 4.6 | 5.5 | 1,552 |
A peak sun hour is one hour of sunlight at 1,000 W per m². Why sites disagree.
The best angle and direction for panels in Fort Collins
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,552 |
| Southeast | 95% | 1,474 |
| Southwest | 95% | 1,474 |
| East | 82% | 1,273 |
| West | 81% | 1,257 |
| North | 58% | 900 |
Face panels south and tilt them 39° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 82% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 58%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Fort Collins
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (65°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (11°).
Fort Collins's homes
Fort Collins has 71,768 households. 51.6% own their home, and 33,221 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 1992. Many roofs that age are due for replacement. Replace the roof first, then add solar: taking panels off and putting them back later costs thousands.
30.9% of homes heat with electricity and 66.1% with gas. If you switch to a heat pump or an electric car, plan for more panels or leave room on the roof.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
If the power goes out in Fort Collins
Solar panels alone shut off in a blackout. Add a battery and they keep going. One Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh) running a fridge, freezer, furnace fan, lights, Wi-Fi, TV and microwave (6.9 kWh a day):
Change the appliances, the battery and the weather in the battery calculator.
Questions people ask about solar in Fort Collins
How much do solar panels cost in Fort Collins?
A 5.5 kW system — enough for the average Colorado home — costs about $13,750 to $20,625 before incentives, based on $2.50–$3.75 per watt. The 30% federal credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy.
How many solar panels does a house in Fort Collins need?
About 13 panels of 420 watts for a home using 674 kWh a month, the Colorado average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,552 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Fort Collins?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 9.9¢ per kWh, against 16.7¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 11.4 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 18.9 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does Fort Collins get?
5.5 a day on panels tilted to 39°, and 4.6 on flat ground. The best month is Jun; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Fort Collins?
39° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 65° is best in winter and 11° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 39° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a Fort Collins power outage?
A Tesla Powerwall 3 running a fridge, freezer, furnace fan, lights, Wi-Fi, TV and microwave (6.9 kWh a day) lasts about 43 hours with no sun. With 7 kW of solar to recharge it, it gets through a three-day outage even in overcast January.
Solar near Fort Collins
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loveland, CO | 9 | 1,594 | 5.5 |
| Greeley, CO | 18 | 1,601 | 5.6 |
| Longmont, CO | 26 | 1,611 | 5.6 |
| Boulder, CO | 37 | 1,618 | 5.6 |
| Broomfield, CO | 41 | 1,627 | 5.6 |
Cities with the same sunshine as Fort Collins
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Lawton, OK 1,577 kWh per kW
- Wichita Falls, TX 1,576 kWh per kW
- Redding, CA 1,575 kWh per kW
Snow: NASA records about 18 cm of snow on the ground here in an average January. Covered panels make little until it slides off, and these figures (like PVWatts') don't subtract that.
Sources: NASA POWER 2001–2020 monthly climatology (grid cell 37 km from Fort Collins's Census point), our PV model (within 1.6% of NLR PVWatts® on average), U.S. EIA prices and use, U.S. Census 2025 population estimates and ACS 2020–2024. Estimates for an average home, not a site survey. How we calculate.