Xcel's 2026 rate case is final: the PUC approved a 4.77% increase — about $5 a month on the average residential bill, effective August 29. Small commercial bills are up 4.64%. PUC staff notes Colorado electric rates have climbed roughly 28% over the past three years.
What That Does to Your Solar Math
Here's the part nobody mentions: when the utility charges you more per kilowatt-hour, every kilowatt-hour your panels don't produce costs you more too.
A layer of dust, pollen, and Front Range grime quietly shaves production off a rooftop array. How much depends on the roof, the tilt, and the season — but it's real, and at today's rates it costs you more than it used to.
The Other Side of the Math
Meanwhile, the cost of going solar keeps moving in your favor: turnkey residential system costs fell 1.4% year-over-year to $3.36 per watt (Wood Mackenzie/SEIA, Q2 2026). Cheaper to install, more expensive to waste.
Fall Is the Time
A professional cleaning is a straightforward way to get that production back — and with rates where they are, there's more reason than ever to do it. If your panels haven't been cleaned since spring, fall is the time: winter sun is weaker, days are shorter, and you want every watt working before the low-production months.
— Jeremy & Meral