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Generator vs. Solar Panels
Two popular backup power options, but only one tends to hold up when a Colorado winter hits.
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Which backup power option fits your home?
We get this question regularly: which is better for a Denver home, a generator or solar panels? The honest answer is that it depends on what you're trying to solve. Start with two questions, are you trying to save money on your monthly electricity bill, or are you preparing for a power outage? That answer narrows the field considerably.
Both options have real merit, and both have real limitations. As licensed electricians handling residential electrical services and backup generator installation across the Denver metro, we've seen how each option performs in Colorado's climate. Here's what we've learned.
What generators do well
Reliable power on demand, no sun required.
There are a lot of generator manufacturers out there. For dependable performance, start with a reputable brand that stands behind its products. At All Electric, we work with Cummins and Generac, two manufacturers with proven track records in residential and light commercial applications.
Generators run on either gasoline or a direct connection to your home's natural gas line. The natural gas option is worth serious consideration: you never need to stockpile fuel, and the generator keeps running as long as the utility gas supply holds.
On the transfer side, you have two main paths. Automatic transfer switches detect an outage and switch your home over to generator power without any action on your part, the lights flicker, then come back on within seconds. Bypass switches with an interlock are a manual alternative: simpler, lower cost, but require someone to be home to flip the switch. Which one makes sense depends on your household, your budget, and how often you're away from home during storm season.
The last factor most homeowners underestimate is duration. Do you need backup power for a few hours? A day? A week or longer? For Colorado winters, that last scenario is more realistic than it sounds. A natural-gas standby generator can run indefinitely, and that staying power is often what settles the debate.
What solar panels do well
Lower monthly utility bills
On sunny days, solar panels can offset a meaningful share of your electricity consumption. Over years, that adds up, and in Denver's 300-plus sunny days per year, the conditions aren't bad.
Reduced environmental impact
For homeowners who want to lower their household carbon footprint, solar is the cleaner option. No fuel combustion, no exhaust.
Grid tie-in credits
In some utility agreements, excess power generated during the day can be sold back to the grid, a credit against your bill that makes the math even more attractive in peak summer months.
The Trade-Offs
Where solar falls short in Colorado
No sun means no power without batteries
Solar panels produce nothing at night and very little under heavy cloud cover or snow. To use solar as true backup power, you need battery storage, and those batteries are expensive. Since the supply disruptions that followed COVID, battery costs have stayed elevated. Most homes need two or more batteries to maintain power for a single day.
Battery supply and cost are real constraints
The battery situation is often the deal-breaker. A full backup battery system for an average home can cost as much as, or more than, a standby generator, without the same reliability in extended outages.
Roof load is a structural question
Many homeowners don't account for how much solar panels weigh. Before installation, a structural assessment is essential. If the roof framing isn't built for the added load, you're looking at costly repairs that wipe out years of electricity savings. This is a point we raise consistently when customers ask us whether their home is a good solar candidate.
Aesthetic considerations
This one is personal, but it comes up. Large panel arrays are visible from the street, and not every homeowner wants that look on their home.
Our Take
Which option makes sense for most Denver homeowners
In our professional experience, generators are the stronger choice for Colorado homeowners who want dependable, long-term supplemental power. The ability to run on a home's natural gas line, without fuel storage, without waiting for sun, makes a standby generator a more reliable safety net through the outages that matter most.
Solar is worth considering if your primary goal is reducing your electricity bill month over month, and you have the roof capacity and budget for battery storage. But as a backup power strategy for Colorado winters, it has too many gaps to rely on alone.
If you're weighing both options, the starting point is a clear-eyed look at your goals. That question, saving money on electricity vs. preparing for emergencies, typically points the way. You can also read more about electrical panels and how your home's system handles load, which is useful context before adding any major power source.
For homeowners already leaning toward a generator, we're glad to walk through the specifics: transfer switch options, fuel source, sizing for your home's load, and what the permit process looks like in Denver. Call (720) 951-4619 or visit our about us page to learn more about how we work.
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