PlugPayback

Plug-in solar in Colorado: is it worth it for you?

Payback, savings and what is allowed in Colorado. With your own power price, no email and no sign-up.

What applies in Colorado

Allowed with limits
  • Up to 1,920 W inverter output
  • In force since August 12, 2026
  • Plug type: NEMA 5-15 (standard 120 V outlet)

Registration steps

  1. Buy a device labeled and listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory with a grid-outage shutoff feature. ↗
  2. Up to 391 W output to the outlet: plug into a standard wall outlet, no wiring changes. Above 391 W: follow the product listing's installation rules (may need a dedicated circuit / electrician). ↗
  3. If your utility asks, notify it of the presence and size (kW) of the device. No approval or fee may be required. ↗
  • HB26-1007: one system per address, max 1,920 W; one device per wall outlet. Highest cap in the US.
  • Sales, use-restriction and HOA sections apply on and after 2027-01-01; act effective 2026-08-12.
  • Install per fire code and local building codes. Also mandates meter-collar adapters (UL 414) via PUC rules by end-2026.

Rules checked November 5, 2026. Sources

Find the right size for your home

1. Where is the kit going?
2. How many people live in your home?

Typical for this household in Colorado: 9,000 kWh a year.

kWh
3. Is someone home during the day?

A balcony railing is near-vertical; a flat roof or garden can be tilted.

$ / kWh

From your bill. Leave blank to use the Colorado average of $0.17 per kWh.

How much power?

Suggested for your home 1,150 W (2 panels)

Going bigger pays off up to this size, where you would use about 83% of the power yourself. The next size up (1,200 W) costs $1,799 more and would need more than 25 years to earn that back, because most of its extra power would go to the grid unpaid. Based on a typical 9,000 kWh a year.

Used at homeSent to the grid

1,150 W · from $899

Cheapest kit we found with at least 1,150 W: US Solar Supplier 1180 W Plug-In Solar Kit, 2 panels, 1,180 W. Mount and delivery are extra.

Saves about $181 a year and pays for itself in 4–5 years.

Nothing you enter is stored. Results are estimates, shown as a range.

Typical payback by mounting spot

Standard kit (2 panels), about $2,160 at the average Colorado power price of $0.17 per kWh, with someone home part of the day.

Mounting spotGenerated per yearSaved per yearPayback
Balcony railing, facing south 1,002 kWh $149 12–16 years
Balcony railing, facing east 830 kWh $127 14–19 years
Balcony railing, facing west 830 kWh $127 14–19 years
Tilted, facing south 1,431 kWh $200 9–12 years
Tilted, facing east 1,216 kWh $175 11–14 years
Tilted, facing west 1,216 kWh $175 11–14 years
Flat (roof or garden) 1,288 kWh $184 10–13 years

Kits allowed in Colorado

Filtered by the local limit, not by commission. We earn a fee on affiliate links; your price does not change.

EcoFlow STREAM Ultra

1,600 W / 1,200 W · 1.92 kWh battery · 10 y

$1,399

View offer

Bright Saver Balcony Solar Kit 180 W

180 W / 360 W · 12 y

$328

View offer

Bright Saver Balcony Solar Kit 360 W

360 W / 360 W · 12 y

$461

View offer

Craftstrom 800 Watt Plug&Play Solar

800 W / 800 W · 10 y

$2,158

View offer

US Solar Supplier 1180 W Plug-In Solar Kit

1,180 W / 900 W · 10 y

$899

View offer

Mango Power S Plug-In Solar Kit

1,200 W / 1,120 W

$2,698

View offer

Common questions

Tenants and flat owners

HOA covenants that unreasonably prohibit devices are void; owners may use limited common elements. The statute has no explicit landlord/tenant clause.

Grid operator

Utility may require post-install notification of presence and size in kW; it may not require approval, fees or extra equipment.

Still being confirmed

Still being confirmed

We could not yet confirm the following from an official source. Treat them as provisional.

  • effectiveDate: Fiscal note states 2026-08-12 assuming no referendum petition; text read was the introduced/engrossed version, not the signed act.
  • tenantRights: CPR reports renters may install after notifying landlord; not found in the bill text version read.
  • plugType: Law says 'wall outlet'; NEMA 5-15 assumed.

Sources