▸ Utility Guide · Kansas

Going solar on Evergy Kansas: net metering, K.S.A. 66-1263, and the new HB 2527 rules.

Evergy Kansas serves about 850,000 customers across two divisions (Kansas Metro and Kansas Central) covering most of the state. In June 2024, Governor Kelly signed HB 2527 into law, raising the residential net metering cap from 25 kilowatts to 150 kilowatts and expanding the statewide capacity cap from 1% to 5% of utility peak demand. Here is what every Kansas homeowner needs to know about going solar on Evergy: the rules, the application process, the bill credit math (including the March 31 annual reset), and the cities Solar Assure serves.

▸ The numbers, at a glance

Residential System Cap (post HB 2527) 150 kW AC

Statewide Cap (2026) 4% of peak demand

Statewide Cap (2027+) 5% of peak demand

Application Review Window 30 days

Application Fee $100 non-refundable

Annual Credit Reset March 31 each year

Excess Buyback Rate ~$0.024/kWh wholesale

Property Tax Exemption 10 years (panels only)

By Joshua Hayeslip · Co-Founder, Solar Assure

Updated April 25, 2026 ~ 11 min read

▸ Service Territories

Two divisions, one statute.

Evergy Kansas operates as two separately tariffed companies regulated by the Kansas Corporation Commission. Both follow the same Kansas Net Metering and Easy Connection Act (K.S.A. 66-1263 through 66-1271), but rate plans, fixed charges, and rate-case timing differ. Confirm which division serves your address before quoting solar.

Evergy Kansas Metro

Eastern Kansas · KCP&L Kansas legacy

Serves the Kansas City Kansas metro area and Johnson County. Cities include Kansas City (Kansas side), Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, Leawood, Mission, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Bonner Springs, and other Wyandotte and Johnson County communities. This is the former Kansas City Power & Light Kansas territory now operating under the Evergy brand.

Evergy Kansas Central

Central & southern KS · Westar legacy

Serves central, southern, and southeastern Kansas. Cities include Topeka, Wichita, Lawrence, Manhattan, Salina, Hutchinson, Pittsburg, Emporia, and most rural Kansas communities outside the eastern metro corridor. This is the former Westar Energy territory now operating under the Evergy brand.

Both divisions interconnect solar under the same Kansas statute, so the application paperwork, the 150 kW residential cap, the 30-day review window, the $100 application fee, and the March 31 annual reset are identical. The differences are in the dollars: Kansas Metro and Kansas Central have separately approved tariffs, separately approved rate structures, and separate rate-case schedules at the Kansas Corporation Commission. Most installers (Solar Assure included) confirm your division during the initial site assessment by checking your Evergy account.

If your home is in Johnson County or Wyandotte County, you are most likely on Kansas Metro. If you are in Topeka, Wichita, Lawrence, Manhattan, or rural Kansas outside the KC suburbs, you are most likely on Kansas Central. Your Evergy bill identifies which company you are billed by in the masthead.

▸ The Law: K.S.A. 66-1263 + HB 2527

Kansas net metering, before and after HB 2527.

Kansas adopted the Net Metering and Easy Connection Act in May 2009 (K.S.A. 66-1263 through 66-1271). The Act was amended in 2014, then significantly expanded in 2024 by HB 2527. Here is what changed.

▸ Kansas HB 2527 · Signed by Gov. Laura Kelly · June 2024

What HB 2527 changed for solar customers

After more than a year of negotiations between Evergy and the Clean Energy Business Council (the Kansas-based solar industry trade group), HB 2527 passed both chambers of the Kansas Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Kelly on June 6, 2024. The bill expanded net metering capacity in three significant ways:

Residential system cap raised from 25 kW to 150 kW AC for customers who began operating their system on or after July 1, 2024. This is a 6× increase that finally aligns Kansas with Missouri's residential cap.
Statewide capacity cap expanded from 1% to 5% of peak demand, ramping over four years: 2% effective July 1, 2024, 3% effective July 1, 2025, 4% effective July 1, 2026, and 5% effective July 1, 2027 and thereafter. This eliminates the prior risk that Evergy could shut off new net metering applications when the 1% cap was reached.
New sizing rule effective July 1, 2026: a customer's generation capacity cannot exceed export capacity by more than 50% (excluding storage devices that cannot themselves add export). This is meant to discourage oversizing for the (low-value) wholesale annual buyback rate.

For homeowners considering solar in 2026 and beyond, HB 2527 is unambiguously good news: bigger systems are now eligible for net metering, and the statewide cap is unlikely to limit availability for years.

What did NOT change with HB 2527

The two parts of Kansas net metering that homeowners most often complain about were not addressed by HB 2527. First, the March 31 annual reset still applies: any banked credits left at the end of the annual cycle are paid out at the wholesale system average cost rate. Second, the excess buyback rate is still wholesale, not retail. As of early 2026, Evergy Kansas pays approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour for excess generation versus an average retail rate around 13.6 cents. The structural advantage of Missouri net metering (no annual reset, retail credits roll forward longer) remains a meaningful difference between the two states.

For full statutory text and the Kansas Corporation Commission's regulations implementing the Act (K.A.R. 82-17-1 through 82-17-5), see our companion explainer: Kansas Net Metering Law: K.S.A. 66-1263 + HB 2527 explained.

▸ How Net Metering Works

The monthly bank and the March 31 reset.

Net metering is a billing arrangement, not a separate program. Once your system is approved, your existing electric meter is replaced with a bi-directional meter that measures both directions of energy flow. Here is how the credits actually work in Kansas.

The bi-directional meter

Your existing single-direction meter is replaced by a bi-directional meter that records two separate registers: kilowatt-hours delivered to your home from the grid (kWh delivered) and kilowatt-hours received from your home back to the grid (kWh received). Evergy installs and programs the new meter after completing the post-installation inspection process.

Monthly bill calculation

Each billing cycle, Evergy subtracts your kWh received from your kWh delivered. If you delivered more than you received, the difference rolls forward as a credit on your next month's bill at the full retail rate. If you received more than you delivered, you pay the retail rate for the net difference plus your fixed monthly customer charge. This is identical to Missouri's monthly netting.

Annual reset on March 31 (the Kansas-specific catch)

Here is where Kansas differs from Missouri. Kansas Statutes Annotated 66-1265 establishes a March 31 annual reset for all customer-generators on net metering. Any banked kilowatt-hour credits accumulated through winter months will be combined with credits earned through summer months, and the running balance resets each March 31. Any net excess credits remaining on March 31 are paid out by Evergy at the wholesale system average cost rate (approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour as of 2026) rather than rolling forward at retail.

This March 31 expiration is the most important sizing consideration in Kansas solar design. Properly sized systems (covering ~100% of annual usage) typically come close to neutral on March 31, with a modest buyback. Oversized systems (covering 110%+ of annual usage) lose the excess production at wholesale, not retail, on the annual true-up date. Solar Assure typically sizes Kansas systems to roughly match annual consumption rather than oversize.

Worked example: Overland Park home, full year

Annual cycle · April through March · 9 kW system on Evergy Kansas Metro

Total annual production: 12,600 kWh

Total annual home consumption: 12,000 kWh

Net excess at March 31 reset: +600 kWh banked

March 31 buyback (wholesale rate): 600 × $0.024 = $14.40

Effective annual offset: ~99% of bill plus $14.40 cash buyback

This Overland Park homeowner sized their system slightly above annual consumption, which is acceptable in Kansas because the 600 kWh of excess (the amount that does NOT offset their own usage during the year) only buys back at $14.40 wholesale. If they had instead sized for 14,000 kWh annual production (~17% over usage), the extra 1,400 kWh would also buy back at wholesale, generating roughly $33.60 in cash for $4,000 to $5,000 of additional system cost. That math does not pencil. This is why proper sizing matters more on Evergy Kansas than on Evergy Missouri.

▸ Application Process

From signed contract to permission to operate: the timeline.

Solar Assure handles all Evergy Kansas paperwork on behalf of customers we install for. This is what happens behind the scenes between contract signature and the day your meter starts spinning backwards.

Day 1 to 7

Contract signed, design finalized

Solar Assure completes the in-person site assessment, finalizes the system design in Aurora Solar (a professional solar design tool), and prepares the application package: project-specific one-line electrical diagram, site plan, equipment specification sheets for inverter and modules with current UL certifications, storage device specifications (if batteries are included), and the licensed-electrician or licensed-engineer code certification. Generic line drawings from manufacturer specification manuals will not be accepted.

Day 7 to 10

Application submitted with $100 fee

The complete application is uploaded through Evergy's online portal along with the $100 non-refundable processing fee. Solar Assure includes the application fee in our pricing for Kansas customers. The fee is refundable only if the application is denied for reasons specified in K.S.A. 66-1265(a).

Day 10 to 40

Evergy Kansas review and conditional approval

Evergy reviews applications within 30 days. Approval is conditional on the system being installed exactly as designed. If the design needs revision, Evergy returns the application with comments. Solar Assure handles any back-and-forth with Evergy's solar team.

Day 40 to 65

Local permits and physical installation

With Evergy approval in hand, Solar Assure pulls local building and electrical permits with your city's authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). The physical install is usually completed in a single day. Local AHJ inspection follows within a week or two.

Day 65 to 85

Post-installation documentation

Once installed, the installer submits documentation to Evergy including the address of installation, photos of the meter, disconnect, and solar installation. Installations that deviate from the approved plans are subject to additional engineering review at the customer's expense ($90 per occurrence) and may delay the operational date. Solar Assure builds exactly to the approved plan to avoid this.

Day 85 to 100

Bi-directional meter installed and PTO granted

Evergy schedules the meter exchange. A technician swaps your existing meter for a bi-directional net meter. Your account is updated to a net metering rate the same day. The customer receives a Permission to Operate (PTO) email, and the system is officially generating credits. The first March 31 annual reset begins counting from this date forward.

▸ KS vs MO

Evergy Kansas vs. Evergy Missouri.

Same parent company, two state laws, two different solar economics. Here is how they compare for residential customers as of April 2026.

Topic	Evergy Kansas (Metro & Central)	Evergy Missouri (Metro & West)
Governing law	K.S.A. 66-1263 (amended by HB 2527, 2024)	RSMo 386.890 (Easy Connection Act)
Residential system cap	150 kW AC (post HB 2527)	100 kW DC
Default residential rate	Flat-rate (with optional TOU)	Time-of-use (mandated since Oct 2023)
Approximate residential rate	~$0.115 to $0.136 flat	~$0.115 average (varies by TOU period)
Application review window	30 days	30 business days (≤10 kW)
Application fee	$100 non-refundable	$0 for residential
Bi-directional meter cost	Included in tariff	Free for residential ≤10 kW
Monthly credit roll-forward	Yes, at retail rate	Yes, at retail rate (or TOU period rate)
Annual credit expiration	March 31 each year	Customer billing anniversary
Excess buyback rate	~$0.024/kWh (wholesale)	Avoided cost (similar wholesale)
Property tax exemption	10 years (panels only)	None statewide
Solar contact	netmeteringapp@evergy.com · 816-242-5971

The headline differences: Kansas has the larger system cap (150 kW vs 100 kW) and the 10-year property tax exemption on the solar PV value, but Missouri has no application fee, no March 31 reset, and the unique time-of-use rate dynamics that can dramatically benefit solar exports during summer afternoon peaks. For most residential homes (which install far below either cap), Missouri's economics are slightly more favorable because of the TOU peak rate during 4 to 8 PM when solar production is also peak.

For an Evergy Missouri customer comparison, see our companion guide: Evergy Missouri Solar Guide. For the underlying Kansas net metering statute, see Kansas Net Metering Explained: K.S.A. 66-1263 and HB 2527.

▸ Service Area

Cities Solar Assure serves on Evergy Kansas.

Solar Assure handles residential solar installs throughout Kansas, primarily for Evergy Kansas Metro customers in Johnson and Wyandotte counties and Evergy Kansas Central customers in Topeka, Manhattan, Lawrence, and Wichita. Below are the cities with dedicated guides.

We also serve Lenexa, Leawood, Mission, Salina, Hutchinson, and other Evergy Kansas communities. If your home is in Kansas and Evergy is on your utility bill, we can quote you. The fastest way to find out is the solar cost calculator with your address; it pulls your roof and runs the numbers in about 60 seconds.

▸ FAQ

Common questions about Evergy Kansas solar.

What is the difference between Evergy Kansas Metro and Evergy Kansas Central?

Evergy Kansas operates two separately tariffed service territories. Evergy Kansas Metro (formerly Kansas City Power and Light Kansas) serves the eastern part of the state including Kansas City Kansas, Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, and other Johnson County and Wyandotte County communities. Evergy Kansas Central (formerly Westar Energy) serves central, southern, and southeastern Kansas including Topeka, Wichita, Lawrence, Manhattan, and most of rural Kansas. Both divisions follow the same Kansas Net Metering and Easy Connection Act (K.S.A. 66-1263 through 66-1271) but operate under separately approved tariffs filed with the Kansas Corporation Commission.

What is the residential solar system size cap on Evergy Kansas?

150 kilowatts AC for residential customers who began operating their system on or after July 1, 2024, under the expansion enacted by HB 2527. This is a major increase from the prior 25 kW residential cap that applied before HB 2527. The 150 kW figure is far above what a typical Kansas home installs (most residential systems are 7 to 12 kW), so the cap rarely binds in practice. Customers who began operating systems before July 1, 2014 are limited to 25 kW. There is also a sizing rule: systems must be appropriately sized to historic energy consumption per K.S.A. 66-1267, and starting July 1, 2026, generation capacity cannot exceed export capacity by more than 50%.

What did HB 2527 change for Kansas solar customers in 2024?

Kansas HB 2527, signed by Governor Laura Kelly in June 2024, made three significant changes to the Net Metering and Easy Connection Act. First, it raised the statewide cap on net-metered solar from 1% to 5% of utility peak demand over a multi-year ramp: 2% in July 2024, 3% in July 2025, 4% in July 2026, and 5% in July 2027 and thereafter. Second, it increased the residential export capacity from 25 kilowatts to 150 kilowatts for customers who began operating on or after July 1, 2024. Third, it introduced new sizing methodology rules and, effective July 1, 2026, capped generation capacity at 50% above export capacity for new participants. The bill resulted from over a year of negotiations between Evergy and the Clean Energy Business Council, the Kansas-based solar industry trade group.

How does Evergy Kansas credit excess solar generation?

Within a single billing month, the bi-directional meter measures the net difference between energy delivered by Evergy and energy received from your solar system. If you delivered more than you received, the excess is carried forward as a kilowatt-hour credit on the next month's bill at the full retail rate. However, if accumulated credits remain at the end of the annual true-up cycle (which resets every March 31 in Kansas), Evergy purchases the leftover credits at the wholesale system average cost rate, which is approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour as of 2026, compared to retail rates around 13 cents per kilowatt-hour. This is why Kansas solar systems should be sized to roughly match annual consumption rather than oversized to maximize export.

When do Kansas net metering credits expire?

Annually on March 31. Kansas Statutes Annotated 66-1265 establishes a March 31 annual reset for all customer-generators on net metering. Any banked kilowatt-hour credits accumulated through winter months when production is low will be combined with credits earned through summer months when production is high, and the running balance resets each March 31. Any net excess credits remaining on March 31 are paid out at the utility's wholesale system average cost rate. Credits do not roll over from one annual cycle to the next at full retail value. This March 31 expiration is the most important sizing consideration in Kansas solar design.

Does Evergy Kansas charge a fee to apply for net metering?

Yes. Evergy Kansas charges a one-time, non-refundable processing fee of $100.00 with each net metering application. The fee is refunded only if the application is denied for reasons specified under K.S.A. 66-1265(a). This is different from Evergy Missouri, which does not charge an application fee for residential net metering. Solar Assure includes the application fee in our pricing for Kansas customers, so the homeowner does not pay it separately. There is also a $90 per occurrence service charge if the company needs to perform additional inspection visits because the installation deviated from the approved plans.

How long does Evergy Kansas's solar application process take?

Evergy reviews residential net metering applications within 30 days of receipt. After conditional approval, the customer has 12 months to complete installation. Post-installation review by Evergy then takes additional time to verify that the installed system matches the approved plans before permission to operate is granted. From signed contract to permission to operate, the typical end-to-end timeline for a Solar Assure install on Evergy Kansas runs 8 to 14 weeks, slightly longer than the Missouri equivalent because of stricter post-installation verification.

Can I size my Kansas solar system larger than my annual usage?

Technically yes, up to 150 kW AC for residential. Practically no, and we do not recommend it. Kansas net metering's wholesale annual buyback rate of approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour means that any excess production beyond what you consume in a calendar year is paid back at less than 20% of retail value. Most installers (Solar Assure included) size Kansas systems to offset roughly 100% of annual consumption rather than oversize. There is also a regulatory sizing rule: K.S.A. 66-1267 requires that systems be appropriately sized to expected load. Effective July 1, 2026, new systems are capped at 150% of export capacity (excluding storage devices that cannot add export). Properly sizing the system to actual usage usually produces a much better payback than oversizing.

Does Kansas have a property tax exemption for solar?

Yes. Kansas state law provides a 10-year property tax exemption on residential solar PV systems. The added value that solar panels contribute to your home assessment is exempt from property tax for 10 years from the date of installation. This is separate from net metering and applies regardless of which utility serves your home. Note: a Kansas Supreme Court ruling clarified that the property tax exemption applies to solar panels but not to standalone batteries used in residential systems. Battery storage is taxable under current Kansas property tax interpretation.

What rates does Evergy Kansas charge for residential service?

Evergy Kansas residential rates are typically flat (single rate per kilowatt-hour) rather than time-of-use, which is a key difference from Evergy Missouri where the Missouri Public Service Commission required all customers onto time-of-use rates starting October 2023. As of early 2026, Kansas residential rates average approximately 11.5 to 13.6 cents per kilowatt-hour depending on division (Kansas Metro vs Kansas Central) and rate schedule. Evergy Kansas customers can voluntarily opt into time-of-use rate plans, but flat rates remain the default. For solar customers, this means that net metering credits each kilowatt-hour at the same retail rate regardless of when it was exported, which simplifies the math compared to Missouri's TOU netting.

Who do I contact at Evergy Kansas with net metering questions?

Evergy operates a unified solar and net metering team for both Kansas and Missouri customers. Email netmeteringapp@evergy.com or call 816-242-5971. The team handles application questions, status checks, technical specification questions, and post-installation issues for Kansas Metro and Kansas Central as well as the Missouri divisions. For solar quote questions specifically, your installer (Solar Assure handles all Evergy Kansas paperwork on behalf of customers we install for) is typically the faster route.

Ready to run the numbers for your Kansas home?

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josh@solarassure.net

Written by Joshua Hayeslip Co-Founder, Solar Assure · Lake Saint Louis, Missouri

Joshua co-founded Solar Assure with his wife Tori in 2022 after a decade in solar sales and installation. He handles all Evergy Kansas, Evergy Missouri, and Ameren paperwork personally for residential customers. Reach him at josh@solarassure.net or (636) 679-0998. Read more →