Kansas City Board of Public Utilities · Kansas

How Kansas City Board of Public Utilities credits home solar

What your reps need to know about Kansas City Board of Public Utilities before the appointment: how exports are credited, the size limits, and the steps to connect, checked against its own tariffs and the state rules.

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The rules

What happens to the solar power a home sends to the grid

BPU says it is a not for profit, community owned public utility serving more than 67,000 electric customers and 53,000 water customers throughout Wyandotte County and parts of Johnson County, and it describes its electric service territory as 127.5 square miles within the Kansas City, Kansas, area.

Net Metering for Distributed Generation (DG) Facilities

How Kansas City Board of Public Utilities credits exports

  • The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is a municipal utility, and the Kansas Net Metering and Easy Connection Act does not govern it, because that act defines a utility as an investor owned electric utility.
  • BPU's policy does say that certain provisions of K.S.A. 66-1,184, the state's parallel generation law, apply to municipal utilities such as BPU.
  • BPU credits home solar under its own net metering policy, Section 15.00 of its Electric Service Policies, which measures net energy with a single digital two way meter and totals it over each billing period.
  • If BPU supplies more energy than the home exports in a billing period, the customer is billed for the net energy under the applicable rate schedule, and if the home exports more than BPU supplies, the net kilowatt hours are credited at 100% of BPU's current Energy Rate Component, which BPU defines as its cost of purchased and generated electricity and reviews each calendar quarter.
  • The customer still pays charges such as the customer charge and facilities charge every billing period, and neither BPU nor the customer may create, register or sell renewable energy credits from a customer's system.

Recent changes

Kansas amended its parallel generation law, K.S.A. 66-1,184, effective May 1, 2025, and the amended law, which defines a utility to include a municipally owned electric utility, requires parallel generation service on a first come, first served basis until a utility's export capacity from customer systems reaches 6% of historic peak demand from July 1, 2025, 7% from July 1, 2026 and 8% from July 1, 2027.

Before a home connects

Limits, and the steps to get connected

Limits and eligibility

  • BPU's net metering policy applies to small systems rated to generate less than 20 kVA single phase or 170 kVA three phase at the point where they connect to BPU's system.
  • The system must be sized to match the customer's anticipated electric load rather than oversized to constantly export energy, and BPU will work with the customer to calculate an appropriate size from historical load profiles if needed.
  • BPU forbids lease or consignment arrangements in which a third party owns or operates the system, and its interconnection agreements cannot be assigned.
  • Under BPU's interconnection policy, solar and wind are currently the only renewable resources accepted for small and medium systems.

How a home gets connected

  1. The homeowner submits BPU's written Interconnection Application for Distributed Generation (DG) Facility, which BPU provides on request, with supporting documents such as design drawings, equipment data sheets and a one line electrical diagram, and BPU says it makes all reasonable efforts to review a properly submitted application within 30 calendar days.
  2. Where new construction or modification of existing facilities is required, the homeowner then applies to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas for the needed building permits and inspections, and the Unified Government's Building Inspection division takes residential building and electrical permit applications by email.
  3. The homeowner provides a disconnect switch that BPU personnel can access and lock, labeled as a DG disconnect switch, and may need to supply a meter base or other metering equipment, while BPU furnishes a single digital two way meter.
  4. After the Unified Government inspects and releases the permit back to BPU, the homeowner signs a written Interconnection Agreement with BPU before operating the system, and BPU requires site commissioning tests on every interconnection, with its written Certificate of Acceptance for Interconnection and Parallel Operation marking its official approval.

Federal tax credit

The residential solar credit (section 25D) ended for systems completed after 2025. What that means in 2026.

Where we work

Markets we cover in Kansas City Board of Public Utilities's area

Availability depends on territory. Each market page adds who issues permits there, with links to the official sources.

State rules

Questions

Common questions about Kansas City Board of Public Utilities and solar

How does BPU credit extra solar power from my home in Kansas City, Kansas?

BPU nets the energy it supplies against the energy your system exports over each billing period on a single two way meter. If your system exports more than BPU supplies in a billing period, the net kilowatt hours are credited at 100% of BPU's current Energy Rate Component, its cost of purchased and generated electricity, and you still pay charges such as the customer charge and facilities charge.

Can I lease solar panels or use a third party owner with BPU?

Not under BPU's net metering policy, which forbids lease or consignment arrangements in which a third party owns or operates the system. BPU's policies describe a distributed generation facility as customer owned, and its interconnection agreements cannot be assigned.

What happens to my BPU solar agreement if I sell my house?

BPU's Interconnection Agreement ends automatically if the system changes ownership, is removed or disabled, or if the owner is no longer a BPU customer. A new owner who wants service under BPU's net metering policy must submit a new Application for Interconnection, get BPU's approval and sign a new written Interconnection Agreement before operating the system.

Is there still a federal tax credit for home solar?

The federal residential clean energy credit, section 25D, ended for home solar expenditures made after December 31, 2025, under the law signed July 4, 2025. The IRS treats the expenditure as made when installation is completed, so a system completed in 2026 does not qualify even if it was paid for earlier.

Questions from solar companies and reps

What am I buying?

Preset appointments with homeowners in your territory who agreed to a solar consultation. We confirm they own the home and that every decision maker on the title will be there, book a time that fits your calendar, and send you the details.

What counts as a sit?

A sit means the owner of the home is there, every decision maker on the title is there, and the visit happens at the booked time or a new time the homeowner and your team agree on. If one does not sit, your team has 48 hours after the visit time to dispute it with a reason. An approved dispute earns a replacement appointment, never a cash refund.

Are the appointments exclusive?

Yes. Each appointment goes to one company only and is never sold twice.

Sources (checked September 26, 2026)

Tariffs and programs change, so confirm current terms with Kansas City Board of Public Utilities.

What your reps will get asked

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