Where the new kilowatt-hours land
A whole-home heat pump does most of its work from November through March, exactly when solar production is lowest. In a cold snap, backup resistance heat may kick in and draw far more. That mismatch is the core design problem.
Net metering is what solves it. In Xcel territory and under Colorado’s net-metering statute, excess credits carry forward month to month, so a summer surplus can be banked against winter heating. Co-ops and some municipal utilities handle carryover differently; we check yours.
Sizing for the house you’re becoming
If you size solar from last year’s bills and then install a heat pump, you’ll be undersized from day one. We estimate the heat pump’s added load from its size and your home’s heating needs, add it to your current usage, and size the array for the total. Colorado law allows net-metered systems sized to expected consumption, not just past bills.
Our electrification calculator shows how many extra panels offset a heat pump, an EV, or both.
Order of operations
If you can, do the envelope first — air sealing and insulation shrink the heat pump you need and the solar you’d buy to run it. Then size solar for the electrified load. Doing the panel upgrade once, for the heat pump, charger and solar together, usually costs less than three separate trips.
Colorado’s HOA solar-access law, C.R.S. 38-30-168, covers heat pumps as well as solar, so an HOA can’t simply ban the outdoor unit — restrictions have limits.
Rebates are thinner than they were
The federal §25C heat-pump credit and the §25D solar credit both ended after 2025. Colorado’s federally funded HEAR home-electrification rebates were reported closed to new single-family applications in 2026. Some utilities and cities still run heat-pump programs, but check before you plan around one; many were paused or changed in 2025–2026.
FAQ
Questions we hear
How much will a heat pump raise my electric bill in Colorado?
It depends on house size, insulation, the heat pump’s efficiency and how cold your winter is. Replacing gas heat typically adds thousands of kilowatt-hours a year, concentrated in winter. Your gas bill drops at the same time, so look at the combined energy cost.
Can solar cover a heat pump in winter?
Not in real time on most roofs, but over a year, yes, if you have 1:1 net metering with carryover. Summer surplus credits are used against winter heating.
Should I install solar or the heat pump first?
Decide on both together so the solar is sized correctly. If budget forces a sequence, installing the heat pump first gives you real usage data; installing solar first means sizing from an estimate.
Can my HOA stop me from installing a heat pump?
Colorado’s C.R.S. 38-30-168 limits HOA restrictions on heat pumps as well as solar. HOAs can set reasonable placement rules within the statute’s cost and performance limits, but can’t prohibit them outright.