Colorado solar in numbers, 2024
Every figure below is computed by us from the Form EIA-861 annual files. Ranks are out of 51 jurisdictions, highest first.
| Measure | Colorado | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Households with a metered rooftop system179,751 systems across 2,557,732 residential accounts | 7.03% | 5th of 51 |
| Average system sizeNational average 6.74 kW | 5.16 kW | 51st of 51 |
| Residential priceDerived average across the state, not a tariff | 14.92¢/kWh | 25th of 51 |
| Consumption per accountWhat a system here is typically sized against | 8,091 kWh/yr | 37th of 51 |
| Systems with a battery1,298 paired systems | 0.72% | 31st of 51 |
| Third-party ownedLeased or under a power purchase agreement | 17.7% | 18th of 51 |
| Five-year growth19,057 systems added in 2024 | 27.9%/yr | 22nd of 51 |
| Installed capacityResidential net-metered capacity | 927.5 MW | — |
What the adoption figure means
One of the most established rooftop markets in the country: a deep installer bench, and permitting offices that process these applications routinely.
Residential electricity in Colorado averaged 14.92¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, 25th of 51 and below the national average of 16.48¢. Prices are close to the national middle, so the export rate your particular utility offers usually decides the outcome rather than the retail rate. Prices and adoption across all 51.
System size and consumption
The average Colorado system was 5.16 kW in 2024, ranking 51st of 51. Households consumed an average of 8,091 kilowatt-hours a year (37th of 51) — the figure a system here is sized against.
Size your own system from your own kilowatt-hours, not from this average — how to do that.
Who owns the systems
17.7% of Colorado systems were third-party owned in 2024 — leased or under a power purchase agreement rather than owned by the householder. That is 18th of 51.
Third-party ownership is common, so leases and PPAs will be presented alongside purchase. Who claims the federal credit · ownership across all 51.
Battery attachment
0.72% of Colorado solar systems were paired with a battery in 2024, 31st of 51 — 1,298 paired systems.
Attachment is around the middle — storage is a live option here rather than a default. Attachment across all 51 · does a battery belong in your project.
Where the market is going
Colorado added 19,057 systems in 2024 and has grown at 27.9% a year over five years, 22nd of 51. Where growth has turned.
Solar companies and licensing in Colorado
We checked 59 Colorado solar companies against the state licence register. 5.1% did not hold a current licence at the time of checking — 3 expired.
How to verify a licence before you sign.
Method
Figures are computed by HyreSolar from the Form EIA-861 2024 annual files — net-metered residential systems only, penetration counted against residential accounts, sizes as means. EIA publishes the inputs, not these ratios. Full methodology and the underlying CSV.
None of these figures is an estimate for your property. What to work through before you talk to anyone.
Common questions
How many homes in Colorado have solar?
179,751 residential net-metered systems were recorded in Colorado in 2024, against 2,557,732 residential electricity accounts — 7.03% of households, 5th of 51 jurisdictions. That is a HyreSolar calculation from Form EIA-861.
What size solar system is typical in Colorado?
The average net-metered residential system in Colorado was 5.16 kW in 2024, against a national average of 6.74 kW. Your own system should be sized from twelve months of your kilowatt-hours and your usable roof, not from a state average.
Do people in Colorado add batteries to solar?
0.72% of Colorado systems were paired with storage in 2024, 31st of 51. Battery attachment tracks outage frequency and export rules more than it tracks sunshine.
Is Colorado a good state for solar?
On the measures we can compute: residential electricity averages 14.92¢/kWh (25th of 51), households use 8,091 kWh a year (37th of 51), and 7.03% have installed a system (5th of 51). Retail price and export rules move the answer far more than sunshine does, and both are set by your specific utility rather than by the state.
Source: US EIA, Form EIA-861, 2024 final release, retrieved 2 September 2026. Figures marked as a HyreSolar calculation are derived by us and are not official EIA statistics.