Kansas Solar Panels
Solar in Kansas
Considering solar energy for your Kansas home? You’ve come to the right place. With electricity prices climbing 11% since 2020, more homeowners across the Sunflower State are exploring solar panels for home use as a way to reduce their energy costs.
This guide walks you through everything you need to know about solar installation in Kansas—from understanding costs and savings to navigating local incentives and choosing the right system for your home.
Kansas Solar Panel Cost
Our calculator uses real installation data from Kansas homeowners in Wichita, Overland Park, Kansas City, Topeka, and beyond. See accurate costs based on actual solar projects completed in your area—not national estimates or guesswork.
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Cost
Savings
Key Takeaways
- Kansas homeowners save an average of $55,000 over 25 years by switching to solar energy with predictable monthly costs.
- Property tax exemptions protect you from increased assessments for 10 years after installing solar panels on your home.
- Kansas receives 5.4 daily peak sun hours making it an excellent location for reliable year-round solar energy production.
Looking for More Detailed Kansas City Guides?
Explore our comprehensive solar guides for major cities across Kansas to find location-specific information on incentives, installers, and solar potential.
Kansas Electricity Prices
Understanding electricity costs helps Kansas homeowners make informed energy decisions. Let’s look at how rates have changed and what it means for your household budget.
Kansas electricity rates have risen from 13.0 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2021 to 14.2 cents in 2024—a 9% increase. While Kansas rates remain slightly below the national average, this upward trend impacts household budgets across the state.
Solar panels generate electricity at a fixed cost over their 25-year lifespan, protecting homeowners from future rate increases. As utility prices continue climbing, solar energy becomes increasingly valuable by locking in predictable energy expenses for decades.
The long-term financial benefit grows over time. While utility customers face ongoing rate increases, solar homeowners enjoy stable energy costs and potential savings that compound year after year, providing greater budget certainty and household financial control.
Price of Energy: Kansas vs National Average
Kansas Area Utility Providers
Understanding your electricity costs is the first step in evaluating solar. In Kansas, Evergy serves as the primary utility provider, with residential rates averaging around 13.0¢ per kWh in 2023—below both the state average of 13.4¢ and the national average of 16.0¢ per kWh.
Kansas benefits from a diverse energy mix that includes wind, natural gas, and coal generation. The state’s significant wind energy infrastructure helps keep electricity costs relatively stable and competitive compared to other regions that rely more heavily on expensive fossil fuel imports.
While Kansas rates remain reasonable today, electricity prices have steadily increased over time. Solar panels allow homeowners to lock in predictable energy costs for decades, providing protection against future rate increases while reducing reliance on the grid during peak pricing periods.
Kansas Utilities Electricity Rates
Kansas Solar Incentives
Kansas homeowners can access valuable solar incentives in Kansas that help offset installation costs, including state property tax benefits and utility programs.
The state offers a 10-year property tax exemption, protecting homeowners from increased assessments due to solar panel value. Additionally, Evergy provides net metering for eligible customers, crediting excess solar energy at full retail rates during billing periods.
These incentives change periodically, so research current programs thoroughly. Acting sooner rather than later ensures you can take advantage of available benefits before policies shift.
| Incentive | Type | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Tax Exemption | State tax exemption | For 10-years after purchasing your solar panels, your property tax appraisal will not go up from the added value of solar panels. | Learn More |
Kansas offers a property tax exemption for homeowners who install solar energy systems on their property. Under K.S.A. 79-201 Eleventh, renewable energy resource or technology property—including solar and photovoltaic systems—is exempt from property taxation. This means that when you add a solar energy system to your home, the added value it brings to your property won’t increase your property tax bill.
For solar systems installed after December 31, 2016, this exemption lasts for 10 years from the date of installation. This can result in significant savings, as solar installations typically add substantial value to a home. For example, if your solar system adds $20,000 to your home’s assessed value and your local property tax rate is 1.5%, you could save approximately $300 per year in property taxes, totaling $3,000 over the 10-year exemption period.
To qualify, your solar system must be classified as renewable energy property under Kansas law. There are no income requirements or application deadlines to worry about—the exemption applies automatically once your system is installed and assessed. Keep in mind that this exemption is separate from the assessed value of your home itself and only applies to the added value from the solar installation. After the 10-year period ends, the solar system’s value may be subject to standard property taxation.
Evergy’s Net Metering program allows Kansas homeowners with solar panels to receive credit for the excess electricity they generate and send back to the grid. When your solar system produces more energy than your home uses during a billing period, the surplus electricity flows back to Evergy’s grid, and you receive a credit on your account. This arrangement helps offset the cost of electricity you draw from the grid when your solar panels aren’t producing enough power, such as at night or on cloudy days.
The financial benefit works on a monthly basis. Any excess electricity you generate beyond your consumption is credited at Evergy’s monthly system average cost of energy, which typically ranges from 2-4 cents per kilowatt-hour. This rate is lower than the retail rate you pay for electricity from the grid. If you’re on a time-of-use (TOU) rate plan, the netting of your consumption and exports happens within each specific time period, and any net excess energy is credited at the same average cost rate. Credits are settled monthly with no annual true-up period, meaning unused credits don’t carry forward to future months.
This program is available to Evergy customers in both the Kansas Central and Metro service territories who install qualifying solar energy systems. Homeowners should be aware that the credit rate for excess generation is significantly lower than retail electricity rates, so maximizing self-consumption of your solar energy during the day will provide the greatest financial benefit. Working with your solar installer to properly size your system based on your actual energy usage can help optimize your savings under this net metering structure.
Ready to start saving with solar?
Speak with a Palmetto solar expert to find out exactly how much you can save with Kansas incentives.
Get a Free QuoteKansas Solar Irradiance
Solar panel production varies throughout the year based on daylight hours, weather patterns, and sun intensity. Kansas enjoys abundant sunshine year-round, with seasonal variations in daylight hours and occasional cloud cover. Despite winter’s shorter days, Kansas receives excellent solar radiation, making it ideal for solar energy production.
What Can the Average Kansas Solar System Power?
Summer Production (July)
In July, your 10 kW system could power:
- 3.6 average Kansas homes (15 kWh/day per home)
- or Run central AC for 18 hours AND power all other appliances
- or Fully charge 5.4 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles
Winter Production (December)
In December, your 10 kW system could power:
- 2 average Kansas homes (15 kWh/day per home)
- or Keep your home heating system running for 15 hours
- or Fully charge 3 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles
Annual Production
Over a year, your 10 kW system could:
- Offset 10 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
- or Equal the environmental benefit of planting 175 trees
- or Save approximately $4,234 in electricity costs
Want to know exactly how much solar can power your home?
Get a personalized solar analysis based on your actual home, energy usage, and roof characteristics.
Get My Custom EstimateSolar Installations in Kansas
We’ve mapped every solar installation across Kansas to help you explore which neighborhoods are embracing clean energy. Click any hexagon to see how many homes in that area have made the switch to solar—you might be surprised by how many of your neighbors have already joined the movement!
Leasing Solar Panels
For Kansas homeowners in Evergy Kansas Central and Evergy Metro service areas, Palmetto offers solar leasing through our LightReach program. With a solar lease, you pay a fixed monthly amount rather than purchasing the system outright—providing predictable energy costs without the upfront investment.
The key advantage of leasing versus buying is simplicity. Palmetto handles all system design, installation, maintenance, and repairs at no cost to you. If your panels don’t meet our 90% Production Guarantee, we credit you the difference. You enjoy immediate solar savings without worrying about system ownership, loan payments, or unexpected maintenance expenses.
LightReach includes premium solid black panels, high-efficiency inverters, comprehensive project management, and ongoing monitoring—all centralized under one inclusive monthly price managed by Palmetto Finance. It’s a worry-free path to clean energy with low risk and high rewards from day one.
Go solar without the investment
With LightReach, there are no investment costs to recoup, loan payments to manage, or maintenance needs to take on. As soon as your panels are active, your solar savings are too!
Learn MoreFrequently Asked Questions
Yes, solar makes sense for many Kansas homeowners. With 5.4 daily peak sun hours and electricity rates that have risen 9% since 2021, solar panels can generate significant savings. The average Kansas system saves homeowners around $55,000 over 25 years while protecting against future rate increases.
Kansas also offers a 10-year property tax exemption on solar installations, and Evergy provides net metering credits for excess energy. These factors combine to make solar a practical investment for long-term energy cost stability.
Yes, Kansas has net metering through Evergy. When your solar panels generate more electricity than you use, the excess flows back to the grid and you receive a credit on your account. However, these credits are valued at Evergy’s monthly system average cost of energy (typically 2-4 cents per kWh), which is significantly lower than the retail electricity rate.
Credits are settled monthly with no annual carryover, meaning unused credits don’t roll forward to future billing periods. To maximize savings, Kansas homeowners should focus on consuming their solar energy during the day when panels are producing, rather than relying heavily on excess generation credits.
Yes, solar panels typically increase home value in Kansas. Research from Zillow shows that homes with solar panels sell for approximately 4.1% more than comparable homes without solar systems.
For a Kansas home valued at $200,000, this could mean an additional $8,200 in resale value. Additionally, Kansas offers a 10-year property tax exemption on solar installations, so your property taxes won’t increase despite the added home value from your solar panels.
The average cost for a 7.70 kW solar system in Kansas is $23,280, or approximately $3.02 per watt. This price reflects actual installations completed across Kansas, from Wichita to Overland Park.
Your final cost depends on your home’s energy needs, roof characteristics, and system size. Most Kansas homeowners see a payback period of around 12.9 years, with total savings of approximately $55,000 over 25 years.
For most Kansas homeowners, solar is financially worth it. With average savings of $55,000 over 25 years and a payback period of around 13 years, solar panels provide long-term value while protecting against rising electricity costs.
The financial benefit depends on your energy usage, roof characteristics, and available sunlight. Kansas receives 5.4 daily peak sun hours and offers a 10-year property tax exemption, making solar a solid investment for those planning to stay in their homes long-term.
At Palmetto, we’re a national solar company with deep local expertise across Kansas. We combine competitive financing options with a trusted network of professional installers to deliver quality solar solutions throughout the state.
Our approach focuses on transparency and long-term value. We handle everything from system design to installation and ongoing support, making the solar transition straightforward for Kansas homeowners in Wichita, Overland Park, Topeka, and beyond.