Key takeaways
- Colorado Solar for All is still on hold. Its no-cost solar for qualifying homes waits on federal funding. Anyone enrolling you in it today is not part of it.
- The real money is income-qualified and local. Xcel pays $3 per watt to income-qualified homes, and the City of Boulder adds a grant of $1 per watt (up to $8,000).
- The Xcel rebate check goes to the system owner. In a lease or power purchase agreement (PPA), that is the solar company, not you.
- For everyone else, “free” means zero-down: a loan, lease or PPA that you pay for over many years.
- No federal tax credit for a home system installed after December 31, 2025. Owned home solar stays exempt from Colorado property tax.
About this review
We checked each Colorado rate, rule and program here against the statute, utility or program page in the sources: utility and tax figures on September 30 and October 1, 2026, and Colorado Solar for All, the Boulder grant and the 2025 solar sales law on October 5, 2026. This is not tax, legal or financial advice.
How we choose sources and correct errors: editorial process and content standards.
Most Colorado homeowners cannot get free rooftop solar in 2026. The one state plan built to give low-income families panels for nothing, Colorado Solar for All, is frozen while courts and the EPA fight over its money. The ads did not get the memo.
What Colorado does have is quieter: a large Xcel rebate for income-qualified homes, a Boulder grant, and bill credits for extra solar power. Each pays whoever owns the panels, and each utility settles leftover credits its own way. So the Colorado question is not “is it free?” but “who gets the money, on which utility’s rules?”
Colorado Solar for All: The No-Cost Plan on Hold
Colorado Solar for All
Its single-family program was designed to install solar at no cost for qualifying low-income homes, then hand ownership to the family. You would apply through the state, never through a door-to-door seller.
Colorado Energy Office: Colorado Solar for AllRun by the Colorado Energy Office. Checked October 5, 2026.
- Who it is for
- Low-income households chosen by the state
- What it would pay
- The full cost of a rooftop system
- Status
- On hold. On October 5, 2026, the Colorado Energy Office page said the program is temporarily on hold and that the office cannot move forward with procurement, installation or staffing until the legal and funding questions are resolved. Nothing is open to apply for.
Do the court rulings reopen it? In September 2026, federal courts in Rhode Island (September 18) and Washington, DC (September 22) ruled that the EPA’s termination of Solar for All was unlawful. The EPA said it was considering an appeal. As of October 5, 2026, the Colorado Energy Office had not announced a restart. A court win is not an open application window. Until the Colorado Energy Office posts one, there is nothing to sign up for.
What Income-Qualified Homes Can Use Now
Three routes are live for lower-income households. The first can cover most of a system’s price.
| Route | Where it works | What it pays | The limit to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xcel Solar*Rewards, income-qualified | Xcel Energy homes | $3 per watt upfront on systems up to 10 kW. A home in a disproportionately impacted community gets $0.50 per watt. | A $1,000,000 budget for 2026. The check goes to the system owner within 60 days of switch-on. |
| City of Boulder solar grant | Owner-occupied homes in Boulder | $1 per watt, up to half the cost left after other incentives, capped at $8,000 | Income cap of $121,800 for a family of four |
| Income-qualified community solar | Xcel and Black Hills customers | Bill credits from an off-site solar farm, at a discount of at least 25% | No panels on your roof; income at or below 80% of area median or 200% of the poverty line |
One paragraph on Xcel’s page still shows the older $1 per watt rate, and Xcel’s September 2026 notices could change who receives the rebate. Ask the installer, in writing, which rate it reserved. All programs: Colorado solar incentives.
Zero-Down Solar in Colorado: Who Cashes the Rebate Check
Without income-qualified help, Colorado zero-down solar is one of three contracts, and all three are sold here. State law exempts a company-owned home system from property tax, the same as one you own. The big difference is the Xcel income-qualified rebate: it is paid to the system’s owner.
| Contract | Who owns the panels | Who receives an Xcel income-qualified rebate | Your monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0-down solar loan | You | You, mailed after the system is switched on | A loan payment, plus your remaining utility bill |
Pros and cons in Colorado: zero-down loanPros
Cons
Can fit if: the loan has no prepayment penalty, so a rebate check can go straight to the balance. | |||
| Solar lease | The company | The company | A set monthly fee that may rise each year, plus your remaining bill |
Pros and cons in Colorado: leasePros
Cons
Can fit if: the lease names the rebate amount and shows it lowering your fee. | |||
| Power purchase agreement (PPA) | The company | The company | A price for each kWh (kilowatt-hour) the panels make, plus your remaining bill |
Pros and cons in Colorado: PPAPros
Cons
Can fit if: the system is sized to your yearly use, so little surplus is left in December. | |||
5 kW at $3 per watt, if that rate applies. EcoGen calculation from Xcel’s program details. For scale, a typical 7.00 kW Colorado system costs about $21,140 in cash.
| Owned: rebate paid to the homeowner | $15,000 |
|---|---|
| Lease or PPA: rebate paid to the company | $15,000 |
Only income-qualified Xcel homes get this rebate. For other homes, lease or own turns on price and year-end credits.
Lease or PPA in Colorado: where the risk sits
| Question | Lease | PPA |
|---|---|---|
| A short December day | Same fee, less solar power | Smaller PPA bill, more power bought from the utility |
| A hailstorm cracks panels | Fee still due; check the repair deadline | No output, no PPA charge until repaired |
To compare loan terms, APRs and lifetime cost, use our solar financing guide.
Your Utility Decides What Extra Power Is Worth
A savings estimate built on a “Colorado average” is wrong for most homes. State law (C.R.S. 40-2-124) makes Xcel and Black Hills carry extra power forward as credit, one for one, month to month. What happens to credits left at year end differs by utility, and city utilities and co-ops set their own rules above a floor of 10 kW.
| Utility | Credit left at year end | Change to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Xcel EnergyDenver, Boulder and much of the Front Range | Paid out at 1.529 cents per kWh (2023 rate) unless you choose rollover. 1,000 kWh pays $15.29. | Choose rollover by December 1 for it to count this year |
| Black Hills EnergyPueblo and parts of southern Colorado | Rolls forward, or a year-end payment if you choose it in writing | Ask for the payout rate and size limit in writing |
| Colorado Springs UtilitiesCity-owned | about 2 cents per kWh on the January bill, or a one-time rollover choice. 1,000 kWh earns about $20. | New solar rates from April 1, 2027, which the utility puts at about $38 a month more; older agreements move over on April 1, 2032 |
| CORE Electric CooperativeSouth and east of Denver | Settled within 60 days after the April bill at its avoided cost (4.616 cents per kWh) | Net metering only up to 10 kW |
| United Power and Holy CrossCo-ops | United Power pays surplus yearly (April to March) at wholesale | Systems capped at 200% of your use |
For a $0-down offer, size the system to your yearly use: surplus earns pennies, while a lease fee or PPA price is paid in full. In Colorado Springs, a 20-year contract signed now will run under the new rates.
When Free Solar Is a Bad Deal in Colorado
- The seller says you are enrolled in Colorado Solar for All. The program is on hold, and the state, not a sales company, picks its homes.
- Your roof is old or hail-worn. Ask who pays to remove and reinstall the panels.
- The system is bigger than your yearly use. The extra kWh get paid out at year end for a few cents each.
- The savings still count the 30% federal credit. It ended for home systems installed after December 31, 2025.
- You plan to move soon. A buyer must take over your lease, or you pay it off.
Seven Colorado Questions Before You Sign
- Is this a loan, a lease or a PPA?
Get the word in writing.
- Which program does the seller claim, and can you confirm it yourself?
Colorado law bars sellers from implying ties to a utility or state program. Check the program’s own page.
- Who receives every rebate and grant?
Ask how each one changes your price.
- What is the cash price?
Compare it with what solar costs in Colorado, about $21,140 for a typical 7.00 kW system.
- Which utility rate and year-end rule did the estimate use?
In Colorado Springs, ask about the rates that start April 1, 2027.
- Does the payment rise, and what happens when you sell?
Find the escalator, transfer rules and buyout price. See solar lease exit options.
- When is the welcome call?
Under Colorado law, your cancellation window on a purchase opens only after it (see the FAQ below).
Walk away if a seller says the state chose your home, skips the cash price, or asks you to sign before the welcome call.
Learn the solar scam warning signs and get several written offers. Check bidders in our Colorado solar companies guide.
Compare Colorado Offers, Owned and Zero-Down
Ask each installer for the cash price, the zero-down price, the size against your last 12 months of use, and who gets any rebate.
Your ZIP code, to line up written offers
This is a commercial quote request, not an application for Colorado Solar for All, an Xcel rebate or a Boulder grant. Installers and financing depend on your ZIP code. For the state program, use the Colorado Energy Office page.
How EcoGen is paid
EcoGen America does not sell or install solar. When you request quotes, we pass your request to solar providers serving your area, and they pay us for the introduction. Providers can include installers, solar marketplaces and lead exchanges, and more than one may contact you. You never pay us.
Read how we make money and our privacy policy.
More Colorado Solar Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you really get free solar panels in Colorado?
Not for most homes. Colorado Solar for All is on hold. Income-qualified Xcel customers can get a large rebate, and Boulder adds a grant, but neither is a free install. Other “free solar” offers are loans, leases or PPAs.
Is Colorado Solar for All accepting applications?
No. On October 5, 2026, the Colorado Energy Office still listed it as temporarily on hold, despite the September 2026 court rulings. Watch the office’s own page, not a seller’s link.
Can I get zero-down solar in Colorado?
Yes. Installers sell zero-down loans, leases and PPAs statewide. With a loan you own the system and keep any rebate; with a lease or PPA the company does. Compare the cash price with the total of all payments.
Who gets the Xcel rebate on a leased system?
The company, because Xcel pays the system owner. Ask how the rebate lowers your fee, in the contract.
Can I cancel a Colorado solar contract?
Colorado’s 2025 solar sales law (SB25-299) covers agreements signed on or after July 1, 2026. The seller must make a welcome call with set disclosures. For a system you buy, you then have three business days to cancel without penalty, apart from an allowed nonrefundable deposit, and that clock starts only after the welcome call. Read the contract for the rules on a lease or PPA.
Will solar raise my property taxes in Colorado?
No. Under C.R.S. 39-3-102, home solar you own is exempt from property tax, and so is a third-party-owned home system up to 100 kW.
Sources and review
Colorado program, utility and tax figures were checked between September 30 and October 5, 2026, against these sources. Program rules change; the administrator’s current page always wins.
- 2026 Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 40 (40-2-124, 40-2-127.2, 40-9.5-118)
- 2026 Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 39 (39-1-102, 39-3-102, 39-22-546, 39-26-106, 39-26-724, 39-26-733)
- Colorado Division of Property Taxation, Renewable and Clean Energy Assessment
- Xcel Energy, Solar*Rewards program page (Colorado)
- Xcel Energy, Colorado Solar Bank Election Form
- Colorado Springs Utilities, Solar Energy Program
- Colorado Springs Utilities, Approved solar rate changes
- CORE Electric Cooperative, Rooftop solar
- CORE, Rates and Regulations, September 2026
- United Power, Connect your solar
- Holy Cross Energy, Solar + Battery Energy Storage
- City of Boulder, Solar grants
- IRS, Residential Clean Energy Credit
- EcoGen Solar Cost Index, Colorado
- Colorado Energy Office, Colorado Solar for All (program status, checked October 5, 2026)
- Colorado General Assembly, SB25-299 Consumer Protection for Residential Energy Systems
- Lawyers for Good Government, Federal court rules EPA's termination of Solar for All unlawful (D.R.I., September 18, 2026)
- Utility Dive, Second federal judge overturns Solar for All cancellation (D.D.C., September 2026; EPA considering appeal)
Read our editorial standards.
