Solar panels in Parker: what they cost and what they make
A typical Parker home needs 12 solar panels. They would make about 8,176 kWh a year and cost $13k to $19k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 10.9 yrs.
See panels on your own Parker roof
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What solar costs in Parker
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 5.0 kW system costs about $15,000. Quotes in Parker will usually fall between $12,500 and $18,750. 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 Parker is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 10.9 yrs. Under net billing it is about 17.9 yrs, because only the ~43% 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 5.0 kW system in Parker
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 | $15,000 | $0 | +$104 | $26k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $125 | −$22 | $10k |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $79 | +$24 | $17k |
| Lease $95/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $95 | +$19 | $2,700 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 14.2¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $97 | +$17 | $4,600 |
Under net metering, at 16.7¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $3,750 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine Parker gets
kWh per kW, 25° southJun is the best month for solar in Parker, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 64% of a Jun day. A 6 kW system would make about 597 kWh in Dec and 929 kWh in Jun.
On June 21 the sun rises at 5:32 am and sets at 8:29 pm, 14 hours 58 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:16 am to 4:38 pm, just 9 hours 22 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Parker, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 39° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.6 | 4.8 | 108 |
| Feb | 3.6 | 5.6 | 117 |
| Mar | 4.8 | 6.1 | 148 |
| Apr | 5.7 | 6.1 | 149 |
| May | 6.4 | 6.0 | 154 |
| Jun | 7.2 | 6.2 | 155 |
| Jul | 6.8 | 6.1 | 154 |
| Aug | 6.2 | 6.2 | 150 |
| Sep | 5.3 | 6.4 | 145 |
| Oct | 4.0 | 5.9 | 134 |
| Nov | 2.9 | 5.1 | 110 |
| Dec | 2.3 | 4.5 | 100 |
| Year | 4.8 | 5.8 | 1,622 |
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 Parker
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,622 |
| Southeast | 95% | 1,541 |
| Southwest | 94% | 1,525 |
| East | 81% | 1,314 |
| West | 81% | 1,314 |
| North | 57% | 925 |
Face panels south and tilt them 39° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 81% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 57%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Parker
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (64°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (10°).
Parker's homes
Parker has 21,789 households. 71.8% own their home, and 15,018 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 2004. Most roofs this young have years of life left, which makes them good candidates for solar.
23.6% of homes heat with electricity and 74.7% 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 Parker
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 Parker
How much do solar panels cost in Parker?
A 5.0 kW system — enough for the average Colorado home — costs about $12,500 to $18,750 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 Parker need?
About 12 panels of 420 watts for a home using 674 kWh a month, the Colorado average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,622 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Parker?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 9.5¢ per kWh, against 16.7¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 10.9 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 17.9 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does Parker get?
5.8 a day on panels tilted to 39°, and 4.8 on flat ground. The best month is Sep; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Parker?
39° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 64° is best in winter and 10° 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 Parker 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 Parker
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial, CO | 8 | 1,654 | 5.7 |
| Castle Rock, CO | 10 | 1,667 | 5.8 |
| Aurora, CO | 14 | 1,648 | 5.7 |
| Denver, CO | 19 | 1,642 | 5.7 |
| Lakewood, CO | 23 | 1,643 | 5.7 |
Parker shares a weather-data neighbourhood with Denver; their sunshine numbers differ by less than our data can resolve. Housing, prices and outage figures are specific to Parker.
Cities with the same sunshine as Parker
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Sacramento, CA 1,662 kWh per kW
- Fairfield, CA 1,656 kWh per kW
- San Jose, CA 1,667 kWh per kW
Snow: NASA records about 17 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 24 km from Parker'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.