Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Kansas statutes read September 30, 2026. Updated October 14, 2026.
A typical Kansas system is 7.22 kW and costs about $20,721 cash at $2.87 per watt. It pays back in 13.9 to 30.3 years in our two cases. State law caps its size from your last 12 months of use, and your utility type sets what exports earn.
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Kansas does not leave system size to you and the installer. State law turns your own use into the most power your system may send to the grid, and the divisor depends on who sends your bill.
| Your last 12 months | Evergy or Liberty | Co-op or city utility |
|---|---|---|
| 9,000 kWh | 8 kW | 4 kW |
| 10,510 kWh (average home) | 10 kW | 5 kW |
| 12,000 kWh | 10 kW | 5 kW |
| 15,000 kWh | 12 kW | 6 kW |
The limit is not the only reason to size to your use. The typical 7.22 kW system makes about 11,314 kWh a year, about 800 kWh more than the average Kansas home uses, and power left over at the end of a month earns far less than power you use.
Each kWh your panels make is worth one of two amounts, depending on when it is used and which law covers you. Both cases assume 40% is used at home as it is made and 60% is sent out.
| Utility and export rule | Year-one savings | After upkeep | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy or Liberty net metering, every export netted within the month at 15.09¢ | $1,707 | $1,491 | 13.9 years |
| Parallel generation, every export paid 3.205¢ (Midwest Energy’s 2025 average) | $900 | $684 | 30.3 years |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The name at the top of your electric bill decides whether the net metering law or the parallel generation law applies, and how big a system you may connect.
Kansas Central and Kansas Metro. Power you send out is netted against power you take in each billing period. A month-end surplus is credited at no less than Evergy’s monthly system average cost of energy, which leaves out delivery.
Next: ask Evergy for last month’s credit figure in writing.
The same Kansas law as Evergy, with the same monthly netting and size formula. Liberty’s posted Kansas net metering sheet still showed older, smaller limits when the rules were checked.
Next: ask Liberty to confirm the current limits in writing.
Parallel generation: the utility buys every kWh you send out at no less than 100% of its monthly avoided cost. Kansas City BPU’s 2026 rate manual lists no net metering rate.
Next: ask for the utility’s current buy-back price in writing.
In a rate case Westar Energy and Kansas Gas and Electric filed in 2018, the Kansas Corporation Commission approved a separate rate for solar homes. Westar is now Evergy Kansas Central. It added a demand charge that other homes did not pay: $3 in winter and $9 in summer.
On April 3, 2020 the Kansas Supreme Court reversed that approval (No. 120,436). It called the charge “simply price discrimination” and held that under K.S.A. 66-117d a utility cannot charge customers who make part of their own power more than other customers because of that.
What the ruling did not change: the credit for power left over at the end of a month. It still follows the net metering law, at the utility’s energy cost.
At the September 2026 benchmark of $2.87 per watt. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
| System size | Yearly output | Cash price |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | 7,835 kWh | $14,350 |
| 7.22 kW (typical) | 11,314 kWh | $20,721 |
| 8 kW | 12,536 kWh | $22,960 |
| 10 kW | 15,670 kWh | $28,700 |
Kansas pays no cash for panels. Its one tax break keeps the system off your property tax, and it is not automatic.
For the 10 taxable years after the year your installation is finished (K.S.A. 79-201 Eleventh).
$100 for a personal property exemption, $400 per parcel for real property. Ask your county appraiser which applies.
After approval, claim the exemption with your county by March 1 each year.
K.S.A. 79-3606 has no exemption for home solar equipment.
Three Kansas companies, A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites, read October 13 and 14, 2026.
Kansas has no state contractor or electrical license for solar installers; cities and counties license that work. Ask each company for the local license that covers your address. A listed town does not mean every address is served. How we make money.
Ask each installer to show the Kansas size formula with your own numbers.
Size solar for your Kansas homeEcoGen 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. Privacy policy
CEO of EcoGen America. Since 2021 he has connected homeowners with residential solar installers in all 50 states.
About Dean
Founder of EcoGen America. He has worked in residential solar since 2016 and maintains the EcoGen Solar Cost Index.
About Trevor