Wyoming Solar: No Rebate, No Tax Break, Only kWh Credits

Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Updated October 19, 2026.

A typical Wyoming home system is 7.04 kW and costs about $22,106 in cash at $3.14 per watt. With Rocky Mountain Power it pays for itself in about 16.0 years if you use every credit, simple payback before incentives. Credits sold back in January earn only 1.418¢, so a system bigger than your use takes much longer.

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What Wyoming utilities pay for credits you never use

Extra power your panels send out becomes a kWh credit on your next bill, 1 for 1. Credits carry from month to month. At the start of each calendar year, state law makes you sell any that are left to your utility at its avoided cost.

1.418¢Rocky Mountain Power

Per leftover kWh in 2026, for fixed panels (Schedule 37). An update is pending.

1.4686¢Powder River Energy

Per leftover kWh since January 1, 2026, down from 2.0437¢.

about 10×A used credit vs. a sold one

A kWh at the 14.01¢ state average is worth about 10 times one sold at 1.418¢.

25 kWSize limit

The largest home system the net metering law covers.

With easy numbers: 100 kWh of credits you use during the year save about $14.01 at the state average price. Leave the same 100 kWh unused, and Rocky Mountain Power pays $1.42 for them in January. So size the system to the kWh your home uses in a year, not above it.

Could the January rule change?

Not by a new law so far. In 2025 two bills to change net metering failed in the Senate (House Bill 183 by 15 to 16, Senate File 111 by 10 to 17), and no net metering bill passed in 2026. The statute, W.S. 37-16-101 to 37-16-104, reads the same in the July 2026 compilation.

The price can change. Rocky Mountain Power applied to update its Schedule 37 prices, and the Public Service Commission gave notice on July 10, 2026 (Docket No. 20000-714-ET-26). So the price for the January 2027 sale is not settled yet.

Rocky Mountain Power payback: 16.0 years when you use every credit

We price the typical system for a home on each utility, with every credit used before January. Rocky Mountain Power, the largest utility, comes first. Wyoming prints no statewide figure.

Every credit used 12.27¢ per kWh

  1. Power your home uses as it is made saves your full price.
  2. Extra power becomes a kWh credit on later bills.
  3. You use every credit before January, so none is sold.

Credits left in January 1.418¢ per kWh

  1. Credits you have not used by the new year are sold to the utility.
  2. Rocky Mountain Power pays its avoided cost, 1.418¢ per kWh for 2026.
  3. A system sized to your use sells few of them.
Typical 7.04 kW system, $22,106 cash, every credit used
Utility and price per kWhYear-one valueCash priceSimple payback before incentives
Rocky Mountain Power (Schedule 135 net metering): 12.27¢$1,383$22,10616.0 years
Powder River Energy: 9.94¢$1,120$22,10619.7 years
Black Hills Power: 12.00¢$1,353$22,10616.3 years
Montana-Dakota Utilities: 9.59¢$1,081$22,10620.5 years
Lower Valley Energy: 7.49¢$844$22,10626.2 years

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

How we calculated this
  • Output: 7.04 kW × about 1,601 kWh per kW (PVWatts) = 11,271 kWh a year.
  • Every credit used: every kWh counts at the utility’s price. Rocky Mountain Power’s EIA 12-month average, September 2025 to August 2026, is 15.60¢; with the fixed monthly charge taken out, because kWh credits never pay it, that is 12.27¢. 11,271 kWh × 12.27¢ = $1,383 a year.
  • Payback: $22,106 ÷ $1,383 = 16.0 years. No upkeep, price rises, financing or panel aging are counted.
  • We use the EIA price, what homes actually paid, rather than adding up tariff lines such as Schedule 2’s 11.515¢, which leave out riders and adjustments.
  • A system bigger than your yearly use sells its leftover credits in January at 1.418¢, so it takes much longer to pay back. Our per-utility figures do not model that case, and Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power has no payback in them yet.
  • Rocky Mountain Power has applied for 8.8% more in overall rates, with a first step of 8.5% proposed from March 15, 2027 (PSC notice of May 18, 2026). The commission decides. Our cases count no rate growth.

Run your own Wyoming numbers

Rocky Mountain Power, Cheyenne Light or a city utility: who sends your Wyoming bill?

The net metering law covers power companies, electric co-ops and irrigation districts. It leaves out utilities owned by a city or town. Each covered utility sets its own January price.

Rocky Mountain Power

1.418¢ January price

About 41% of Wyoming homes. Schedule 135 nets your use and output over each billing period.

Next: ask for the Schedule 37 price that applies in the January you first sell.

Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power

Ask for it

About 14% of Wyoming homes. Part of Black Hills Energy and covered by the state law. We could not read its January price sheet.

Next: get its avoided cost price in writing.

A city or town utility

Its own rules

Gillette, Cody, Powell, Torrington and Wheatland run their own utilities. The state law does not cover them.

Next: get the city’s solar policy in writing before you ask for quotes.

Who serves Wyoming homes, and the January price for leftover credits
UtilityShare of Wyoming homesJanuary price per leftover kWh
Rocky Mountain Power41.2%1.418¢ in 2026 (update pending)
Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power13.9%Its avoided cost; ask
Lower Valley Energy8.0%Its avoided cost; ask
Powder River Energy5.4%1.4686¢ since January 1, 2026
Montana-Dakota Utilities5.1%Its avoided cost (Rate 57); ask
City of Gillette4.9%Not under the state law; ask the city
High Plains Power4.5%Its avoided cost; ask

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

How we got the shares, and what credits do not cover

Shares are our calculation from federal data for 2024 (EIA Form 861, 286,475 Wyoming homes). The rest are served by other co-ops and city utilities.

Credits are kWh, so they cannot pay a fixed monthly charge. The law also bars any fee that would push a solar home’s minimum monthly bill above that of other customers in the same rate class. Montana-Dakota applied in March 2026 to update its net metering rate (PSC notice of March 25, 2026).

Wyoming’s $3.14 per watt, $0.25 above the US average

$0.25 above the $2.89 US average, or 8.7% higher. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.

Cash price and yearly output at $3.14 per watt
SizeCash pricekWh made a year
5 kW$15,7008,005 kWh
7.04 kW (typical)$22,10611,271 kWh
8 kW$25,12012,808 kWh
10 kW$31,40016,010 kWh
How we got these numbers
  • 7.04 kW is the median size Wyoming homeowners installed in 2025 (Berkeley Lab, 129 systems). Size yours to a year of your bills, because kWh beyond that sell for about 1.4¢.
  • Output uses about 1,601 kWh per kW a year (PVWatts). Shade and snow cover lower it.
  • A system you own gets no federal tax credit after December 31, 2025.

Full Wyoming price guide

No rebate, credit or tax exemption: paying for solar in Wyoming

The full price has to come back through your power bill. The net metering law is the one state policy that helps.

$0State rebate

Wyoming has no rebate program for home solar.

$0State tax credit

Wyoming has no personal income tax, so there is no credit to claim.

4%Sales tax still applies

The old exemption for renewable energy equipment ended in 2012. Some guides still list it.

$0Federal tax credit

Not for a system you own placed in service after December 31, 2025.

Ways to pay for solar in a no-incentive state
Payment route
Who owns the panels
The Wyoming question to ask
Cash
You
Does the price include sales tax, and is the size matched to your yearly use?
Loan
You
Cash and financed totals side by side; a dealer fee stretches a long payback further
Lease or PPA
The company
Who keeps the kWh credits, how the payment rises, and what happens if you sell

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Property tax, community solar and solar rights
  • Property tax: Wyoming’s list of property tax exemptions does not name solar. How a system changes your assessed value is up to your county assessor, so ask before you buy.
  • Community solar: we found no open program. Lower Valley Energy withdrew its site permit for a planned project on May 6, 2026, and no shares are on sale.
  • Solar rights: the Solar Rights Act stops cities, towns and counties from banning solar panels, except for public health and safety. It does not mention homeowners associations, so read your covenants.

Wyoming incentives guideWhat $0-down solar means in Wyoming

Wyoming roofs that clear the math, and the ones that should wait

  • Yearly useA system that makes more than you use sells the extra for about 1.4¢. Size it to 12 months of bills.
  • Your utilityA city or town utility is outside the state law. Get its terms before you pay for a design.
  • Low billsCredits never pay the fixed monthly charge, so a home with low use has little for solar to replace.
  • Time in the homeWith 16.0 to 26.2 years in our utility cases, compare your planned stay with your quote’s payback.

Is solar worth it for your Wyoming home?

Three regional companies that list Wyoming work, A to Z

A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites, read October 13 and 14, 2026, and the state license registry, read October 16, 2026. None prints a Wyoming license number, so ask for it.

Big Dog Solar

Office
None in Wyoming; hubs in Idaho, Montana and Colorado (headquarters Chubbuck, ID)
Wyoming license
Not published. The state registry shows Big Dog Renewable Energy, electrical contractor C-42454, active to July 1, 2027 (October 16, 2026)
Warranty
10-year workmanship and 10-year roof penetrations, on a purchase
More facts
Wyoming work
Its partner page says it services “bits of Wyoming”; its homeowner pages do not name the state. Solar Power World’s 2026 list (company-reported) shows 31.38 kW of home solar it installed in Wyoming in 2025
Solar since
2008 (company says)
Ways to pay
Purchase; lease to own and PPA in some states
Big Dog Solar profile

Creative Energies

Office
Lander and Laramie, WY (also Salt Lake City, UT)
Wyoming license
Not published. The state registry shows Creative Energies LLC, electrical contractor C-16384, active to July 1, 2027 (October 16, 2026)
Warranty
No company terms published; battery maker terms only
More facts
Founded
2001 (company says)
Ways to pay
Purchase or solar loan
Also builds
Battery and off-grid systems
Creative Energies profile

The Solar Guys

Office
Gillette, WY (no street address published)
Wyoming license
Not published; ask for it in the proposal
Warranty
No company warranty published; its homepage says its panels carry 30-year manufacturer performance warranties
More facts
Serves
Wyoming statewide and nearby states, with a focus on Northeastern Wyoming (company says)
Ways to pay
Purchase, or a loan of 10.5, 20.5 or 30.5 years at 7.47% to 8.25% APR with no dealer fees (lender not named)
Equipment
EG4 inverters and batteries, APsystems microinverters and LESSO panels (company says)
The Solar Guys profile

None of these companies buys homeowner leads from EcoGen America. How we make money.

Compare Wyoming solar companies in detail

Five lines a Wyoming solar quote should show

  • Output against your useYear-one kWh next to 12 months of your bills, so few credits are left for the January sale.
  • Your utility and its January priceRocky Mountain Power, Cheyenne Light, a co-op or a city utility, with its price for leftover credits in writing.
  • No phantom incentivesNo state rebate, state tax credit, sales tax exemption or federal credit taken off the price.
  • Sales tax and the shut-off switchWhether the 4% state tax and any county tax are included, and the cost of the utility’s lockable switch.
  • A license numberThe Wyoming license the company works under, since none of the three above prints one.

Have Wyoming quotes to compare?

Ask each installer how many kWh it expects you to sell back each January.

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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. You never pay us. Privacy policy

Wyoming Solar FAQs

Is net metering the law in Wyoming?

Yes, under W.S. 37-16-101 to 37-16-104, for systems of up to 25 kW at power companies, electric co-ops and irrigation districts. Extra kWh become credits on your next bill, 1 for 1. City-owned utilities are not covered.

What happens to unused solar credits in Wyoming?

At the start of each calendar year your utility buys them at its avoided cost. Rocky Mountain Power pays 1.418¢ per kWh for 2026 and has applied to update its prices. Powder River Energy pays 1.4686¢.

Is solar equipment exempt from sales tax in Wyoming?

No. Wyoming taxes every retail sale unless the law lists an exemption, and that list does not name solar. The old exemption for renewable energy equipment ended in 2012. The state rate is 4%, and counties can add their own.

Can I get the 30% federal tax credit in Wyoming?

Not for a system you own that is installed after December 31, 2025. With a lease or PPA, the company owns the panels, and any benefit it gets shows up only in its price.

Can an HOA in Wyoming block solar panels?

The Solar Rights Act stops cities, towns and counties from banning solar panels, except for public health and safety. It does not mention homeowners associations. Read your covenants before you sign.

Wyoming statutes, Rocky Mountain Power tariffs and our other sources

Sources (19 documents, each with the date we read it)
  1. EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026: Wyoming$3.14 per watt, 7.04 kW median size (Berkeley Lab 2025, 129 systems), about 1,601 kWh per kW, 14.01¢ statewide average (EIA), rank tied 46th lowest of 51.
  2. Wyoming Statutes Title 37: net metering, W.S. 37-16-101 to 37-16-10425 kW limit, monthly kWh credits, January sale at avoided cost, city utilities left out, minimum bill rule, shut-off switch. Read September 30, 2026.
  3. Rocky Mountain Power: Wyoming Schedule 37, avoided cost prices1.418¢ for unused net metering credits, fixed solar, 2026; effective April 30, 2026. Read October 14, 2026.
  4. Rocky Mountain Power: Wyoming Schedule 135, Net Metering ServiceNetting over the billing period and the January sale. Read October 14, 2026.
  5. Rocky Mountain Power: Wyoming Price SummarySchedule 2 residential: 11.515¢ per kWh and a $24.24 minimum monthly bill (the $23.00 basic charge plus riders), effective January 1, 2026. Read October 21, 2026.
  6. Wyoming PSC: order on Powder River Energy’s Small Power Production rate1.4686¢ from January 1, 2026, down from 2.0437¢. Read September 30, 2026.
  7. Wyoming PSC: public noticesSchedule 37 update (July 10, 2026), Rocky Mountain Power rate application (May 18, 2026), Montana-Dakota net metering update (March 25, 2026). Read October 1 and 6, 2026.
  8. Wyoming Legislature: 2025 House Bill 183, net metering amendmentsFailed on Senate third reading, 15 to 16. Read September 30, 2026.
  9. Wyoming Legislature: 2025 Senate File 111, net metering revisionsFailed on Senate third reading, 10 to 17. Read September 30, 2026.
  10. Wyoming Legislature: 2026 billsNo net metering bill passed. Read September 30, 2026.
  11. Wyoming Statutes Title 39: taxation4% state sales tax, no solar exemption, no solar property tax exemption, no personal income tax. Read October 1, 2026.
  12. Wyoming Legislature: 2007 House Bill 319The former sales tax exemption for renewable energy equipment, which ended in 2012. Read September 30, 2026.
  13. Wyoming Statutes Title 34: Solar Rights Act, W.S. 34-22-101 to 34-22-106Local governments may not ban solar collectors. Read September 30, 2026.
  14. Lower Valley Energy: community solarSite permit withdrawn May 6, 2026; no shares on sale. Read September 29, 2026.
  15. U.S. EIA: Form EIA-861, 2024 dataUtility shares of 286,475 Wyoming homes. Read September 30, 2026.
  16. U.S. EIA: average residential price by state14.01¢, 12 months September 2025 to August 2026.
  17. IRS: Residential Clean Energy CreditNo credit for property installed after December 31, 2025. Read September 30, 2026.
  18. 2025 Annual Technology Baseline: residential PVFixed upkeep (operation and maintenance) cost of $29.83 per kW a year, its 2024 figure. Not counted in our paybacks.
  19. Berkeley Lab: solar self-consumption research (2022)Informs the 40% home-use planning default. It is not a measured Wyoming average.
Dean Mahmoud
Written by

Dean Mahmoud

CEO of EcoGen America. Since 2021 he has connected homeowners with residential solar installers in all 50 states.

About Dean
Trevor Guilday
Checked by

Trevor Guilday

Founder of EcoGen America. He has worked in residential solar since 2016 and maintains the EcoGen Solar Cost Index.

About Trevor

Editorial standardsCost Index methodologyVerified Installer methodology