Is solar worth it in Missouri?
A 7.0 kW rooftop system near Kansas City produces about 10,029 kWh a year. Priced against the 24 residential tariffs currently on file in Missouri, payback runs from 13 years on the best of them to 43 on the worst.
Why the tariff matters more than the panels
Two households in Missouri with identical roofs and identical systems can see paybacks 13 and 43 years apart, purely because they are on different tariffs. Solar produces at midday; households consume in the evening. Only 52% of what these panels make is used as it is made — the rest is exported, and what an exported kWh earns is set by the tariff and by state net metering rules, not by the hardware.
That is why the figures here are computed hour by hour against each real tariff rather than by taking a bill and assuming solar removes a share of it. How this is modeled →
Payback by tariff in Missouri
7.0 kW system at $3.00/W, household using 1000 kWh a month, no incentives. A range means the export credit is not filed with the tariff and the outcome depends on net metering rules — 24 of 24 tariffs here belong to a utility that reports residential net metering.
| Utility | Tariff | Structure | Annual saving | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Power & Light Co (Missouri) | Residential Other Use ROU | Time-of-use | $851–$1,628 | 13–25y |
| KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations | Residential Other Use (GMO) | Time-of-use | $779–$1,529 | 14–27y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co (Missouri) | Residential Peak Adjustment Service (Schedule RPKA) | Time-of-use + tiered | $692–$1,321 | 16–30y |
| Union Electric Co | 1(M) Residential Evening/Morning Saver Service | Time-of-use + tiered | $695–$1,314 | 16–30y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co (Missouri) | Separately Metered Electric Vehicle Time of Use (Schedule RTOU-EV) | Time-of-use | $516–$1,306 | 16–41y |
| Union Electric Co | 1(M) Residential Smart Saver Service | Time-of-use | $603–$1,245 | 17–35y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co (Missouri) | Residential High Differential Time of Use (Schedule RTOU-3) | Time-of-use | $557–$1,245 | 17–38y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co (Missouri) | Residential Time of Use - Two Period (Schedule RTOU-2) | Time-of-use | $609–$1,220 | 17–34y |
| KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations | Residential Time of Use - Three Period | Time-of-use | $549–$1,216 | 17–38y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co (Missouri) | Residential Schedule R General Use and Space Heat - 2 Meters - 1RS2A. 1RS3A. 1RW7A. 1RH1A | Time-of-use + tiered | $558–$1,197 | 18–38y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co (Missouri) | Residential Schedule General Use 1RS1A, 1RSDA, 1RS1B | Time-of-use + tiered | $552–$1,186 | 18–38y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co | Residential Other Use Service (Schedule ROU) | Time-of-use | $617–$1,182 | 18–34y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co (Missouri) | Residential Time of Day Service - Schedule RTOD (FROZEN) | Time-of-use | $617–$1,146 | 18–34y |
| Kansas City Power & Light Co | Residential Time Of Use Two-Period | Time-of-use | $575–$1,142 | 18–37y |
| KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations | Residential Service (GMO) | Time-of-use + tiered | $556–$1,133 | 19–38y |
Price it for your own usage and system size →
What would change this
Your roof. Production is modeled for Kansas City on a south-facing array at 20° tilt. Shading, orientation and pitch all move it, and solar resource varies within Missouri itself.
Your usage pattern. A household at home during the day self-consumes more and exports less, which shortens payback wherever export credit is poor.
Rising rates. These figures hold today's prices flat. Electricity prices have been rising, and every rise shortens payback — so treat these as a conservative bound.
State and local incentives. Not included here, and in some states they are worth more than the federal credit was. Check your state energy office before deciding.