The peak-shift math, honestly
A charged battery can run the house through the 5–9 pm window on solar you made at noon, avoiding on-peak prices. The savings per day are the on-peak minus off-peak price times the kWh you shift. On a typical home that adds up to real money over a year, but not enough to repay a whole-home battery in a few years on its own.
Our peak-shift calculator uses the kWh on your bill; we’d rather show you a modest number you can trust than a big one you can’t.
Renewable Battery Connect: real, but check the number
Xcel reopened its 2026 Renewable Battery Connect round on May 21, 2026. The program pays an upfront incentive for a solar-paired battery, and in return Xcel can call on part of your stored energy a limited number of times a year for five years. Published incentive figures conflict, so we confirm the live amount before quoting.
One more thing to weigh: during an event, Xcel discharges part of your battery. If backup is your top priority, ask how much reserve you keep during events and whether you can opt out when a shutoff is forecast.
Shutoffs are the strongest reason in the foothills
Xcel’s December 2025 shutoff hit about 50,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties; the March 2026 event cut about 18,000. When the grid is down for a day or three, a single Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh) can keep a fridge, furnace fan, internet and lights going, especially with solar recharging it during the day. Well pumps and medical equipment change the sizing, so we build the load list with you.
Deadlines worth knowing
Colorado’s residential battery income-tax credit is 10% of the purchase price (equipment, sales tax and freight — not labor or permits) and covers tax years 2023 through 2026; it repeals January 1, 2027. Batteries are also exempt from state sales and use tax through 2032. Federal §25D no longer covers homeowner-owned batteries finished after 2025, while a leased battery’s owner may still use §48E. As of September 2026; verify current terms.
Utility type
Investor-owned utility
How exports are credited
Exports banked 1:1 as kWh credits
System size limit
State statute allows up to 200% of expected annual use; Xcel’s installer FAQ cites 120% of prior 12-month use — confirm against the current tariff.
Net metering, in plain English
Xcel is an investor-owned utility, so Colorado’s full net-metering statute (C.R.S. 40-2-124) applies. Excess solar becomes a credit that carries forward month to month with no expiration, and once a year you can ask Xcel to cash out accumulated credits at its average hourly incremental cost — a rate well below what you pay — or leave them banked. Because the cash-out rate is low, a system sized close to your annual use earns more than an oversized one.
Time-of-use: Since November 1, 2025, time-of-use is the default for Xcel residential customers with smart meters (you can opt out to a flat rate). On-peak runs 5–9 pm on non-holiday weekdays all year, with a June–September summer season, and on-peak energy costs about 2.7 times off-peak. Check your bill for the exact cents per kWh.
Sources & dated facts
- C.R.S. 40-2-124 applies to investor-owned utilities: credits carry forward indefinitely; an optional year-end cash-out is paid at the utility’s average hourly incremental cost.As of Sep 23, 2026
- Wildfire public safety power shutoffs: about 50,000 customers in December 2025 (Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer, Weld counties); about 18,000 on 2026-03-14 (mostly Boulder County).As of Sep 23, 2026 · source
FAQ
Questions we hear
Do home batteries pay off in Xcel territory?
On bill savings alone, rarely quickly. The 5–9 pm price spread saves something every weekday, but a whole-home battery costs $15,500–$19,000 or more. Add backup value during shutoffs, the 10% state credit through 2026, and a Battery Connect incentive, and it can make sense — especially where outages happen.
Can I get the Xcel battery incentive without solar?
Renewable Battery Connect is built around batteries paired with solar. If you don’t have panels, ask us about adding a modest array with the battery, or plan on backup-only value.
Will Xcel drain my battery right before a shutoff?
Program events are limited in number and in how far they discharge the battery, and the terms are set by Xcel. Before you enroll, we’ll walk through the current event rules and your backup reserve setting so you know what you’re trading.
How long will one battery run my house in a shutoff?
It depends on what you back up. A 13.5 kWh Powerwall 3 running essentials — fridge, furnace blower, lights, Wi-Fi — can often stretch through a night and into the next day, and solar can refill it. Electric heat, a well pump or an EV charger shorten that fast. Our blackout-runtime calculator shows it load by load.