Balcony solar in Thornton
800 W of panels on a south-facing balcony railing in Thornton produce about 880 kWh a year and save about $71.
Output by orientation and mounting
Yearly output with 800 W of panels and the inverter limited to 800 W.
| Panels face | On the railing (vertical) | Tilted at 30° |
|---|---|---|
| East | 630 kWh | 1,040 kWh |
| South-east | 830 kWh | 1,220 kWh |
| South | 880 kWh | 1,290 kWh |
| South-west | 810 kWh | 1,200 kWh |
| West | 590 kWh | 1,000 kWh |
Output by month
Show as a table
| Month | Railing (vertical) | Tilted at 30° |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 91 kWh | 84 kWh |
| Feb | 83 kWh | 89 kWh |
| Mar | 89 kWh | 120 kWh |
| Apr | 65 kWh | 120 kWh |
| May | 51 kWh | 120 kWh |
| Jun | 42 kWh | 130 kWh |
| Jul | 45 kWh | 120 kWh |
| Aug | 59 kWh | 120 kWh |
| Sep | 70 kWh | 110 kWh |
| Oct | 94 kWh | 110 kWh |
| Nov | 93 kWh | 89 kWh |
| Dec | 94 kWh | 83 kWh |
Savings and payback
At $0.1656 per kWh you save about $71 in the first year. A kit costing $1,300 pays back in about 18.3 years.
- Electricity price: $0.1656 per kWh (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2025-09..2026-08). Source
- Assumes a constant base load of 150 W, so 49% of the output is used at home.
- Power sent to the grid is not paid for.
Rules
Colorado
In effect since August 12, 2026
Up to 1,920 W of inverter output per home.
- Labeled and listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and cannot energize the grid during a power outage. From January 1, 2027, kits over 391 W may only be sold if UL labeled and listed.
- Your utility may ask you to register the kit.
Last verified: October 31, 2026
Nearby cities
- Westminster 860 kWh a year · 4 mi
- Arvada 840 kWh a year · 8 mi
- Denver 900 kWh a year · 9 mi
- Aurora 900 kWh a year · 12 mi
- Lakewood 840 kWh a year · 13 mi
Data sources
- Solar data: PVGIS-NSRDB, PVGIS 5.2, 2011–2015.
- Electricity price: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2025-09..2026-08.
- Last verified: October 31, 2026
- How we calculate