Xcel Colorado's time-of-use default
Xcel Energy (Colorado)'s average residential electricity price has risen from 11.6 cents per kWh in 2015 to 15.05 cents in 2024, an increase of about 30 percent, or roughly 2.9 percent per year. The chart shows Xcel CO's average residential price by year. Hover any point for the exact figure.
Current residential rates
Xcel CO residential rates are shown below, from the utility's published tariffs and the public Utility Rate Database. Rates vary by plan, season, and usage and change over time.
| Plan | Energy charge | Fixed / basic |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Energy Time-of-Use (RE-TOU, default) | Base energy: summer on-peak about 20.9c, shoulder about 14.3c, off-peak about 7.7c; winter on-peak about 13.2c, off-peak about 7.7c per kWh | $7.10 per month service and facility charge |
| Residential flat rate (R-OO, opt-out) | Base energy about 10.4c summer, about 8.6c winter per kWh | $7.10 per month |
Time-of-use is now the default residential plan at Xcel Colorado, with a flat opt-out available. The figures are base energy charges; per-kWh riders bring the all-in average to about 15.1 cents per kWh in 2024 per EIA. Xcel filed a large electric rate case in November 2025 (Proceeding 25AL-0494E); a proposed settlement would raise the typical residential bill by about $6 per month, with a Colorado Public Utilities Commission decision expected in 2026. Confirm current figures on Xcel's Colorado rate pages.
What rising Xcel CO rates could cost you
Xcel CO rates have risen about 2.9% per year. Enter your bill to see what that pace of increase could compound to over time, and what you have likely already absorbed. This is an estimate, not a guarantee.
Estimate only. Projects your current bill forward at Xcel CO's historical average rate increase (2.9% per year, from EIA data); it assumes your usage stays the same except for any add-ons you select. Actual rates depend on your usage, rate plan, and the utility's future filings, and are not guaranteed. This is general information, not financial advice.
Retail netting, low year-end cash-out
Colorado law (C.R.S. 40-2-124) keeps full retail-rate net metering for new residential rooftop solar. Xcel credits exports on a 1:1 basis and net excess rolls forward month to month. You choose how year-end excess is handled: a continuous rollover credit that keeps carrying forward at the retail energy rate but is never paid out and is lost if you move, or the default annual cash-out, which pays remaining excess at Xcel's average hourly incremental cost, historically only about 1.5 to 2.6 cents per kWh, far below retail. A residential system can be sized up to 200 percent of your expected average annual consumption. Xcel's separate Solar Rewards program can also pay a per-kWh renewable energy credit for production on top of net metering. Because year-end excess pays so little, sizing to your own annual usage is what protects the value. Whether solar makes sense depends on your usage, roof, and rate plan, so get a site-specific quote.
Xcel's two Solar Bank choices for year-end excess
Continuous rollover credit
Leftover kWh credits keep carrying forward at the retail energy rate, offsetting future bills indefinitely. The catch: you can never cash them out, and any balance is lost if you move or close the account. Best if your usage roughly matches your production over the year.
Annual cash-out (the default)
If you make no election, Xcel cashes out your leftover excess once a year at its average hourly incremental cost, historically only about 1.5 to 2.6 cents per kWh, far below retail. Fine for small surpluses, poor value for large ones. Either way, oversizing is penalized.
Size to your usage, not the roof
Colorado protects full retail net metering by statute, and Xcel credits exports 1:1 with generous headroom: you can size a system up to 200 percent of your expected annual usage. On the surface that invites building big.
The year-end treatment is why you should not. Whichever Solar Bank option you pick, leftover annual excess is worth little: the default cash-out pays only about 1.5 to 2.6 cents per kWh, and the rollover credit is forfeited if you move. So the real design target is matching production to your own annual consumption, capturing full retail value on what you use and minimizing what spills to a low year-end rate. Xcel's separate Solar Rewards program can add a per-kWh renewable credit on top. Get a site-specific quote.
Xcel CO service area
Xcel CO serves the Denver metro area, Boulder, and much of Colorado's Front Range.
To confirm whether a specific address is served by Xcel CO, check your electricity bill. A ZIP lookup tool is coming to this site.
Full data and sources
Per-utility prices are computed from EIA Form 861 (bundled residential revenue divided by sales), which reconciles to the EIA's published figures. These are public-domain U.S. government data.
| Year | Xcel CO (c/kWh) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 11.6 |
| 2016 | 11.9 |
| 2017 | 12.05 |
| 2018 | 12.28 |
| 2019 | 12.72 |
| 2020 | 12.7 |
| 2021 | 13.09 |
| 2022 | 14.13 |
| 2023 | 14.6 |
| 2024 | 15.05 |
Sources: EIA Form 861 annual data (Sales_Ult_Cust files, 2015-2024) · EIA Electric Sales, Revenue, and Average Price (Table 6) · Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 40 (net metering, 40-2-124) · Xcel Colorado solar net metering and billing FAQ · Colorado Public Utilities Commission, time-of-use rates
FAQ
Does Xcel Colorado have net metering?
Yes. Colorado law keeps full retail-rate net metering, so Xcel credits exported solar 1:1, and monthly net excess rolls forward. You can size a residential system up to 200 percent of your expected average annual consumption, more headroom than most states allow.
What does Xcel pay for leftover solar at year end?
It depends on your Solar Bank choice. The default annual cash-out pays your remaining excess at Xcel's average hourly incremental cost, historically only about 1.5 to 2.6 cents per kWh, far below retail. The alternative, continuous rollover, keeps credits at retail but never pays them out and forfeits them if you move.
Should I oversize a solar system on Xcel Colorado?
Generally no. Even though Colorado allows sizing up to 200 percent of usage, production beyond your own consumption ends up paid at the very low year-end cash-out rate or locked in a rollover bank you cannot cash out. Sizing to your annual usage captures the most value.
Are Xcel Colorado rates changing?
Time-of-use is now the default residential plan, and Xcel filed a large electric rate case in November 2025. A proposed settlement would raise the typical residential bill by about $6 per month, with a Colorado Public Utilities Commission decision expected in 2026. Those figures are proposed, not final.