You can reference energy.gov’s Going Solar guide for a wealth of information on this topic.

While many factors go into assessing a property’s solar generation potential, solar is a good fit for your property if you have uninterrupted sunlight on your roof between 9am and 3pm daily. At our latitude this usually happens on a roof facing south with very little tree cover.

A licensed solar installer can help determine whether solar is a good fit for your property, and whether solar will be a good financial investment based on your typical electric consumption.

Google’s Project Sunroof is a free tool that can help quickly assess your roof’s solar potential using satellite imagery. This site takes into account publicly available local cost data, however each customer’s solar project has different requirements that will affect overall installation cost. It is best to get at least 3 estimates to gather financially accurate costs for your property and scenario.

Licensed solar installers design systems that meet a certain percentage of your property’s annual energy consumption. What percentage of consumption your solar PV system can cover depends on how much electricity the system can produce from available roof space and sunlight. Small systems can cover a portion of your monthly electric bills; large systems can cover all of your bill and even sell electricity back to us as a utility.

Selecting the right size for your solar PV system will often look like balancing these priorities:

• Total installation cost, monthly payments and cash flow
• Goals for offsetting your monthly electric bills
• Available sunlight and roof space

When sizing a solar PV system, one of your first steps will involve referring your property’s electric usage data on your utility bill and in your Home Utility Report to help you and your solar installer understand how much electricity your home uses on average.

While it’s useful to trim trees to minimize shade on your solar installation, we don’t advise removing healthy trees in order to install solar or maximize sunlight. Trees around your home add significant value to your property and can play a very important role in reducing your energy and water consumption. Some key benefits of healthy trees:

• Reducing your energy costs by up to 50% due to shading your roof
• Reducing heating costs in the winter as wind barriers
• Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, including gas furnace emissions
• Reducing outdoor water usage
• Increasing your home’s property value

If tree work is required for your solar installation, hire a licensed arborist and feel free to contact our Urban Forestry department for assistance.

At the moment no, we don’t have any available local rebates for solar installations – however there are federal tax credits and exemptions available to Colorado residents. Your licensed solar installer can advise on these credits and exemptions.

If you have rooftop solar, your electricity is generated on your side of the electric meter. Your solar PV system will serve your electricity needs first; any excess electric generation will pass through your meter back to our power grid to serve nearby electric demand. We pay our solar customers for any electricity provided back to us through the meter.

In this way rooftop solar becomes a part of a regional network of “distributed energy resources” (DER), meaning they produce electricity that can be leveraged for regional use separate from our bulk generation and transmission facilities.

If you have rooftop solar, you can purchase battery storage for your system to store excess energy for later use. Battery storage allows you to store the excess solar energy generated during the day and use it at night or during peak demand times. This can significantly reduce your reliance on the grid and help you achieve greater energy independence.

Solar interconnection

Interconnection standards define how a distributed energy system, such as solar photovoltaics (PVs), can connect to our local electric grid.

Section 9 of our Requirements for Electric Service document describes the requirements and standards for interconnection of customer-owned, non-utility generation distributed energy resources (DER) intended to operate while electrically connected to the City’s electric distribution system (EDS). The criteria and requirements in this section are relevant to the installation, operation, and safety considerations of the interconnection and are applicable to all DER technologies interconnected to the EDS.

Solar permitting

If you’re having a solar PV system installed, you can reference permitting requirements on our Rooftop Solar (Contractors) webpage here. Your solar installer should handle all permitting on your behalf. If you’re installing a solar PV system yourself, you’re still required to apply for both interconnection and permitting (see our contractors webpage for more information); reach out to der@cityofloveland.org for guidance and support.

Already applied for interconnection and permitting?

To check your status, reach out to der@cityofloveland.org. 

How net metering works

Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. For example, if a residential customer has a PV system on their roof, it may generate more electricity than the home uses during daylight hours. If the home is net-metered, the electricity meter will run backwards to provide a credit against what electricity is consumed at night or other periods when the home's electricity use exceeds the system's output. Customers are only billed for their "net" energy use. On average, only 20-40% of a solar energy system’s output ever goes into the grid, and this exported solar electricity serves nearby customers’ loads.

Loveland’s Self-Generation (Net-Metering) Rate

The City will net meter all energy consumed by the customer and produced by the customer’s generation system. Net metering shall be, for billing purposes, the net consumption as measured at the service meter on a monthly basis. All excess energy generated, expressed in kilowatt-hours, shall be carried forward from month to month and credited against the customer’s energy consumption, expressed in kilowatt-hours, in subsequent months. In the event that a negative net consumption balance remains at the time of the customer’s December billing, the City will pay the customer for such negative balances at the Self-Generation Buyback Credit for December Billing Only Rate.

See our current Rates, Charges and Fees here.