In short: Evergy Metro customers in Kansas City lost about 402 minutes of power each in 2024, nearly twice Missouri’s average, almost all of it on major-event days (EIA). FEMA rates hail and tornadoes “very high” in Jackson County. Evergy offers up to $500 toward a home EV charger circuit and limits solar to roughly your past year’s use.
This page covers the Missouri side of the Kansas City area: Kansas City, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and Independence. Statewide rules on net metering, licensing and incentives are in our Missouri energy guide.
Kansas City at a glance
- Evergy Missouri Metro: about 13.7¢ per kWh for homes, averaged over 2024; 402 outage minutes per customer with major events and 104 without; 1.9 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024).
- Evergy Missouri West: about 12.6¢ per kWh; 306 outage minutes with major events and 119 without; 1.8 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024).
- Independence Power & Light: the city’s own utility; about 15.7¢ per kWh; 331 outage minutes with major events and 35 without, reported under a different method than Evergy’s (EIA-861, 2024).
- Co-ops on the edges: Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative (about 12.5¢; 103 outage minutes) and West Central Electric Cooperative serve rural parts of the four counties.
- Sun: about 4.2 kWh per square meter a day (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020), or roughly 1,240 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate.
- Top hazards: Jackson County is “very high” for hail and tornadoes and “relatively high” for cold waves, heat waves, ice storms, lightning, flooding, strong wind and winter weather. Clay County is “very high” for cold waves (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Public charging: 914 ports in Kansas City, 69 in Lee’s Summit, 46 in Independence and 42 in Blue Springs (AFDC data, October 3, 2026). Kansas City alone has more than a quarter of Missouri’s public ports.
Prices above are 2024 averages across all months; Missouri’s summer prices run higher (see the state guide).
Your utility and what it means
- Evergy (Missouri Metro or Missouri West): Evergy runs two Missouri companies, and your bill shows which one you are on. Net metering is open to systems up to 100 kW DC, but Evergy caps each system at what your last 12 months of use would need: yearly kWh ÷ 8,760 ÷ 0.144. A home using 10,000 kWh a year could install about 7.9 kW. Future loads, such as an EV you have not bought yet, do not count. Your account must be in good standing, you install within 12 months of approval, and Evergy swaps your meter only after a passed city or county inspection. Missouri systems also need a separate production meter.
- Evergy EV rebate: up to $500 toward a 240-volt EV outlet or hardwired charger, for customers who own or lease an EV and are on a residential time-of-use rate for at least a year. A certified electrician must do the work. Applications run until funds run out or March 31, 2027 (Evergy Missouri terms). Check the program page before you buy.
- Evergy home battery pilot: Evergy has described a pilot that installs a 16 kWh battery for a $10 monthly fee, for owners on a time-based rate. Its page does not say whether it is still enrolling, so ask Evergy.
- Independence Power & Light: net metering for systems up to 100 kW, with monthly surplus credited at the city’s average avoided cost. The posted tariff also asks solar owners to carry $100,000 of liability insurance. IPL runs a community solar farm customers can subscribe to, and says it has no contracts with any solar company.
Backup power in Kansas City
Kansas City’s numbers tell a clear story. On ordinary days, Evergy Metro’s grid lost about 104 minutes per customer in 2024, close to the state average. Major-event days added nearly five more hours. FEMA’s “very high” ratings for hail and tornadoes in Jackson County, plus spring storms and winter ice, explain why a few bad days decide your year. That points to backup that can run for many hours or a few days, not just a short gap.
A standby generator on natural gas covers long outages and can run central air if sized for it. A home battery starts by itself, is quiet and, with solar, recharges between storms. A portable power station handles phones, Wi-Fi, lights and a CPAP machine. Compare them in backup power options and size yours with the generator sizing tool or the battery backup calculator.
Safety: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to run a generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, with exhaust away from windows, doors and vents, and never in a garage. Install battery-backed carbon monoxide alarms. After a tornado or hail storm, stay away from downed lines. A licensed electrician should install the transfer switch; see generator installation.
Solar in Kansas City
At about 1,240 kWh a year per kW, each kW of panels would offset roughly $170 a year at Evergy Metro’s 2024 average price, about $155 on Missouri West and about $195 on Independence’s higher rate (estimates, assuming all of it replaces power you would buy). Evergy’s size cap and Missouri’s monthly netting both push toward a system sized to your own use. In hail country, ask installers about panel hail ratings and check your homeowner’s insurance before you sign.
Evergy warns it is not affiliated with door-to-door solar sellers, and recommends getting several quotes. Use the solar potential tool and the solar savings calculator, and read solar installation and how net metering works.
Batteries in Kansas City
Batteries are still rare here: in 2024, only 29 of Evergy’s nearly 8,900 net-metered solar homes in Missouri had one (EIA). Their value is backup through storm outages, and on a time-of-use rate a battery can also shift power away from the 4 to 8 pm peak. Read home battery installation and home battery cost.
EV charging in Kansas City
With 914 public ports, Kansas City has more public charging than any other Missouri city we track (AFDC data, October 3, 2026). At home, about 30 kWh per 100 miles at Evergy Metro’s 2024 average of 13.7¢ is about $4.10 per 100 miles (estimate), and less if you charge off-peak on a time-of-use plan. Evergy also offers an EV Only plan with a separate meter, which needs electrician work you pay for and a city or county inspection. Try the EV charging cost calculator and read EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Kansas City: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Kansas City: City Planning and Development reviews solar panel permits online through CompassKC; read Information Bulletin IB162 first. The zoning code limits street-facing roofs to flush-mounted or building-integrated panels.
- Lee’s Summit: permits are required for all solar installations; Development Services posts a solar permit application and checklist.
- Independence: the Building Inspections Division has a solar permit checklist: sealed plans, fire-code roof pathways, and the utility’s net metering application filed at the same time.
- Blue Springs and unincorporated areas: ask the city or county building department which permits a generator, battery or EV circuit needs; gas generators usually involve gas work too. Subdivisions with an HOA usually need written approval.
Cities we cover
- Kansas City
- Lee’s Summit
- Blue Springs
- Independence
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Kansas City energy FAQ
How big a solar system will Evergy allow?
The smaller of 100 kW DC or what your past 12 months of use supports: annual kWh divided by 8,760 and then by 0.144. Using 8,500 kWh a year gives about 6.7 kW. New homes without a year of bills are estimated from conditioned square footage. Planned loads like a future EV are not counted.
Does Evergy give a rebate for a home EV charger in Missouri?
Yes, up to $500 toward installing a 240-volt EV outlet or hardwired charger, for Evergy Missouri Metro and Missouri West customers who own or lease an EV, enroll in a time-of-use rate for a year and use a certified electrician. Funds are limited and the offer ends by March 31, 2027.
Why were Kansas City outages so long in 2024?
EIA’s data shows Evergy Metro customers averaged about 402 minutes without power with major events, but only 104 without them. So a handful of severe-weather days caused most of the lost time. FEMA rates hail and tornadoes “very high” in Jackson County, which is why backup for several hours or days makes sense.
I live in Independence. Who approves my solar?
Two offices. The city’s Building Inspections Division issues the permit and inspects the work, and Independence Power & Light approves the connection, exchanges the meter and gives permission to operate. The city’s checklist says to file the permit and the utility’s net metering application at the same time.
Sources
Utilities, prices, outages and net-metered homes: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 data for 2024. Evergy net metering guide, 2026 installer guide, Missouri EV charging rebate terms and plan pages, read October 3, 2026. City of Independence net metering tariff, community solar and permit pages; Lee’s Summit Development Services; Kansas City Planning and Development, checked October 3, 2026. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC.