Why Kansas's net metering is weaker than the name suggests
No state credit, and net metering isn't full retail
Kansas does not offer a state income tax credit for solar. More importantly, despite being called net metering, the program credits excess exported power at the utility's system average cost, roughly 2.4 cents per kWh as of 2026, rather than the full retail rate you're charged, which runs closer to 11 to 12 cents per kWh. That's a meaningfully worse deal than true net metering in states that credit exports at full retail, and it's a common source of confusion since the name implies a better arrangement than what's actually delivered. Compare against the Colorado incentive estimator, a state with genuine full retail net metering.
Evergy and Empire District both must participate
Kansas's two major investor-owned utilities, Evergy and Empire District Electric, are both required by state law to offer net metering, though the below-retail export rate applies regardless of which one serves you. Municipal and cooperative utilities aren't required to offer net metering, though many do on similar terms voluntarily. Evergy previously added extra monthly fees specifically for solar customers starting in 2018, and the Kansas Supreme Court struck that particular fee down in April 2020 as unlawful price discrimination under state law. That wasn't the end of it: Evergy kept collecting a version of the fee for months afterward while regulatory proceedings continued, and the utility has since proposed other fee structures aimed at recovering costs from solar customers specifically. The legal principle the court established, that utilities can't charge solar customers more just for generating their own power, remains a real protection against future one-sided changes, but it hasn't stopped the underlying tension from continuing to play out. Check your federal ITC status separately for the full 2026 picture.
The property tax exemption is straightforward
Kansas excludes the added home value from a solar installation from property tax assessment. A typical Kansas home with solar is estimated to be worth around $12,500 more than a comparable home without it, which at a 1.33% effective property tax rate translates to roughly $166 a year in avoided taxes. This benefit generally applies automatically, without requiring the kind of application process some other incentives need. Your rebate total changes what a loan costs each month, and the combined loan and rebate timing tool shows that payment once you enter both figures. Use the property tax exemption savings calculator to project this further out.
A new sizing rule took effect for 2026 enrollees
For customers starting net metering on or after January 1, 2026, Kansas Statute 66-1267(d), summarized on the Kansas Corporation Commission's own net metering page, limits the generating capacity of your system to no more than 50% above your export capacity. This affects how large a system you can install relative to your historical electricity usage, so bring your utility bills to your initial conversation with an installer rather than assuming unlimited system sizing is still an option.