Independent Solar Advisor • Updated July 2026

Solar Panels in
Texas

Not in Texas?

Solar in Texas is relatively cheap to install. Whether it actually pays back depends on which utility serves your home, which buyback plan your Retail Electric Provider offers, and whether your installer is registered under the TDLR rules taking effect September 1, 2026. Cost is the easy part. The plan you sign and the territory you live in do the rest of the work.

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Advisor Verdict Recommended
Avg. Payback 9 to 13 Years
Incentive Strength
Fair Price Range $2.55/W Typical
About EcoGen America

Texas Has Eight Solar Markets, Not One.

An Oncor customer in Plano and a CPS Energy customer in San Antonio live two hours apart and inhabit different solar economies. Oncor pays up to $9,000 in rebates if you add a battery. CPS Energy pays $0 and credits surplus production at roughly two cents per kWh. Austin Energy bans third-party leases entirely and runs its own Value of Solar tariff at 9.91¢/kWh. El Paso Electric just raised residential rates 13.95% and capped new solar exports at 10% of consumption.

This is the unusual part about going solar in Texas. The technology is the same. The contract economics are not.

EcoGen America helps you navigate the different Texas solar markets based on the territory you live in, the rebates you’re actually eligible for, the REP buyback plans worth taking, and the installers who know how to file Form 50-123 with your specific county. Quote-checking is built in. Sales pressure is not.

Our vetting process

Vetted Network

Active TDLR Master Electrician, current TECL, and SB 1036 retailer registration verified.

Quote Analysis

Built-in checks for REP buyback contract traps, hail-rating gaps, and oversized systems.

Local Policy

We track Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, and TNMP interconnection rules and current REP buyback rates daily.

Privacy First

Your data is only shared with the licensed Texas installers you choose.

Territory First: How to Buy Solar in Texas

1

Map

Get an honest read on what your home can produce based on your roof, your tree shading, and which TDU or municipal utility serves your address (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, TNMP, Austin Energy, CPS Energy, or El Paso Electric).

2

Match

Review top-rated Texas installers based on your location, your TDU territory, and whether they handle TDU interconnection and the REP buyback plan selection in-house.

3

Verify

Already have a quote? Run it through our analyzer to compare it with current Texas pricing and confirm that the REP buyback plan terms and any property tax exemption filing responsibility are clearly written.

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What Texas Systems Cost by Territory

Texas has the lowest installed-cost solar in the country, and quotes vary widely by city, by TDU, and by installer business model. A 2026 Houston quote from a national volume installer can come in at $2.20 per watt; the same system from a tier-one Austin installer with a 25-year power-output guarantee can run $3.10.

There is no Texas state income tax credit and no statewide sales tax exemption on residential solar. The federal Section 25D credit expired December 31, 2025, so cash and loan buyers in 2026 receive zero federal credit. The path to lower net cost runs through your specific utility’s rebate program.

System Size
Gross Cost
Net Cost
5 kW (Small)
$12,750
$12,750
8 kW (Average)
$20,400
$20,400
12 kW (Large)
$30,600
$30,600
Property Tax Exemption (100%) Utility Rebate by Territory HB 431 HOA Solar Rights Protection

Texas Production Factors

Will it work on your roof?

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Texas Contract Checks

Four Clauses Every Texas Contract Must Survive

Texas quotes can look very different depending on whether the installer has factored in your TDU territory's interconnection process, your REP buyback plan terms, hail-rating spec on the equipment, and the property tax exemption filing responsibility. Before you compare prices, check that these four things are clearly written.

Clause to verify: “Which REP and buyback plan is my savings projection based on, and what happens to my projected savings if my buyback rate drops by 50% at contract renewal?”
Clause to verify: “Are my modules rated to IEC 61215 hail impact at 35 mm at 27 m/s, and does my homeowner policy explicitly cover rooftop solar with no hail exclusion?”
Clause to verify: “Who files the TDU interconnection application and pays any meter or engineering fees, and what is the contractually quoted Permission to Operate timeline in weeks?”
Clause to verify: “Is the installer or the homeowner responsible for filing Form 50-123 with the county appraisal district, and by what deadline in my installation year?”
Verify your paperwork

Before you sign, run these checks on any Texas quote. If the contract can't answer them, step back.

Check Texas Price Fairness Review My Buyback Terms

Texas Installers, TDLR-Checked

Vetted for warranties, complaint history, and Texas licensing.

Momentum Solar

Verified Multi-State Installer
Why Recommended
  • Headquartered in South Plainfield, NJ with in-house sales, installation and service crews
  • Operates across 10 states spanning the Northeast, Southeast and Southwest
  • Established multi-state operations since 2009
Warranty
25 Year (Workmanship)
Timeline
6-8 Weeks
Experience
15 Years
Service Area
10 States Nationwide

ESD Solar

Verified Multi-State Installer
Why Recommended
  • Tampa, FL headquartered and installing residential solar since 2015
  • Serves Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Ohio and Texas
  • Works through state-licensed electrical contractor partners in each market
Warranty
25 Year (Workmanship)
Timeline
8-16 Weeks
Experience
1 Years
Service Area
FL, GA, NC, SC, OH, TX

Freedom Power

Verified Texas Local
Why Recommended
  • Austin, TX headquartered with 18+ years and approximately 28,000 customers; offices in Austin, Houston, DFW, San Antonio
  • 25-year power-output guarantee that pays the difference if the system underperforms quoted output
  • Direct experience with all four TDUs plus Austin Energy and CPS Energy interconnection
Warranty
25 Year (Workmanship + Power Output)
Timeline
6-12 Weeks
Experience
18 Years
Service Area
Statewide Texas

Longhorn Solar

Verified Texas Local
Why Recommended
  • Pflugerville/Round Rock, TX headquartered since 2009; over 2,300 systems installed and 91+ GWh produced
  • 25-year performance guarantee with semi-annual system checks; pays the difference if underperforming
  • Coverage of Austin, San Antonio, DFW, and Houston metros across Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, Austin Energy, and CPS Energy
Warranty
25 Year (Workmanship + Performance)
Timeline
6-10 Weeks
Experience
17 Years
Service Area
Major Texas Metros

The Texas Fine Print That Bites

Your REP Buyback Rate Can Vanish at Renewal

PURA increased the non-bypassable charge on Netting tariff production from $0.005 to $0.0402/kWh effective Jan. 1, 2026, an 8x jump in one program year. PURA can re-set this charge annually via the RRES program review docket, so 2027 enrollment economics are not yet known.

Estimate export impact

TDLR Solar Retailer Registration Goes Live September 1, 2026

Under SB 1036 (89R, 2025) and Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1806, every residential solar retailer and every salesperson must hold an active TDLR registration starting September 1, 2026. Contracts signed with unregistered retailers after that date may be subject to enforcement, including potential cancellation and refund. Civil penalties run up to $10,000 per violation if the homeowner is 65 or older. Buyers transitioning into solar in mid- to late-2026 should verify registration of both the company and the individual sales rep at tdlr.texas.gov.

Check production factors

Texas Attorney General Solar Fraud Investigation

On April 6, 2026, the Texas Attorney General announced a formal initiative under the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, issuing Civil Investigative Demands to Freedom Forever, Sunrun, Lone Star Solar Services, and CAM Solar. The OAG cited over 100 formal complaints plus thousands more online. The investigation focuses on misrepresentations regarding savings, system efficacy, equipment specifications, and contract terms. This is an active enforcement action; verify your installer is not subject to a CID before signing.

See roof checklist

Hail Damage Is the Biggest Insurance Risk

Texas leads the U.S. in solar hail damage claims by both frequency and severity (kWh Analytics 2024 Solar Risk Assessment). Some homeowner insurers add surcharges or exclusions on solar after the first claim, and not all panel modules carry the same hail rating. Specifying panels rated to IEC 61215 hail impact at 35 mm at 27 m/s and confirming your homeowner policy explicitly covers rooftop solar with no hail exclusion is essential.

Analyze dealer fees

Where Texas Solar Math Breaks Down

Texas has the cheapest installs in the country and the widest spread of outcomes. The same panels that pay back in 8 years in Austin can take 15-plus a few miles away. These are the situations where we tell Texans to hold off.

  • You are a CPS Energy heavy exporter. San Antonio’s utility pays surplus at avoided cost, around 2¢/kWh, and its rebate ended in 2022. Solar can still work there, but only sized tight to daytime self-consumption; an export-heavy design stretches payback past 15 years.
  • You need a lease, and you live in Austin Energy or New Braunfels territory. Both prohibit third-party PPAs. With the federal credit gone for buyers, the lease pass-through is the only credit path left, and in those territories it is closed. Own it or wait.
  • Your savings model assumes today’s buyback rate for 25 years. REP buyback contracts run 12 to 36 months and rates have compressed since 2023. If the math only works at today’s rate, it does not work.
  • You expect the panels to power your home in an outage. Grid-tied systems shut down when the grid does. Backup requires a battery with islanding, a $10,000-to-$18,000 add, though Oncor territory offsets up to $9,000 of it with the battery rebate.
  • Your insurer excludes hail on solar. Texas leads the nation in solar hail claims. If your carrier surcharges or excludes rooftop solar, price that in before signing, not after the first storm.

What cannot stop you: your HOA, which Texas law bars from blocking rooftop solar, and your county appraiser, because the §11.27 property tax exemption is permanent and statewide once Form 50-123 is filed. Weigh your own territory in our Texas worth-it breakdown.

Dig Into the Texas Details

The Cost of Solar Panels in Texas (2025 Guide)
Cost

The Cost of Solar Panels in Texas (2025 Guide)
Texas Solar Incentives 2026: Complete Guide by Utility Territory
Incentives

Texas Solar Incentives 2026: Complete Guide by Utility Territory
Are Solar Panels Worth It in Texas? (2025 Guide)
Investment

Are Solar Panels Worth It in Texas? (2025 Guide)
How To Get Free Solar Panels in Texas (The Truth in 2025)
Programs

How To Get Free Solar Panels in Texas (The Truth in 2025)
Best Solar Companies in Texas (2026 Guide)
Companies

Best Solar Companies in Texas (2026 Guide)

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Texas Solar FAQs

What is an REP buyback plan, and how is it different from net metering?

Texas has no statewide net metering. In the deregulated ERCOT market, about 90% of the state, your Retail Electric Provider sets the export rate by contract: some match retail 1 to 1, some pay a fixed 7 to 8.5¢, some float with wholesale.

Outside ERCOT the utility decides: Austin Energy pays its Value of Solar rate of 9.91¢ for 2026, CPS Energy pays surplus at roughly 2¢, El Paso Electric runs traditional net metering. Heavy daytime users should chase self-consumption; heavy exporters should chase the buyback rate.

What happens if my REP plan ends and the new buyback rate is lower?

This is the biggest single risk in Texas solar economics. Buyback contracts run 12 to 36 months, and rates have compressed materially since 2023.

Ask your installer to model a downside case at a flat 4¢. If the deal still works there, it is defensible; if it only works at today’s rate, you are betting on stability no REP guarantees.

How do I claim the Texas property tax exemption?

Texas Tax Code §11.27 exempts 100% of the appraised-value increase from your system, permanently, in every county, batteries included.

It is not automatic: file Comptroller Form 50-123 with your county appraisal district by April 30 of the year after installation. One-time filing. Get in writing whether the installer files it or you do.

Will my homeowners insurance cover hail damage to the panels?

Not automatically. Texas leads the country in solar hail claims, and carriers vary: some cover panels under the dwelling, some require an endorsement, some exclude hail or surcharge after a claim.

Before signing, ask your insurer three questions in writing: covered without endorsement? any hail exclusion? premium change? And spec modules rated to IEC 61215 hail impact.

Will my system power the house during an outage?

Not without a battery. Grid-tied inverters are required to shut down when the grid fails, to protect line workers.

Backup means a battery with islanding capability, typically $10,000 to $18,000 more. In Oncor territory, the Take A Load Off Texas program offsets up to $9,000 of that with a qualifying battery.

With no tax credit for buyers, is a lease actually smarter in 2026?

Sometimes. Lease and PPA providers can still claim the 30% commercial credit and pass value through in lower payments; buyers get nothing federal.

Two caveats: nothing forces the full pass-through, so compare the lease against an equivalent cash purchase line by line. And Austin Energy and New Braunfels territories prohibit third-party PPAs outright, so ownership is the only path there.