No. There is no state or federal program in Texas that puts solar panels on your home for free. When a seller offers “no-cost solar” in Texas, the offer is a lease, a power purchase agreement (PPA) or a loan: nothing upfront, then payments for 20 years or more.
The one program built to pay for solar on lower-income Texas homes, Texas Solar for All, has been paused since August 7, 2025 and still was on October 19, 2026 (Texas Solar for All). The 30% federal tax credit is gone for home systems finished after December 31, 2025 (IRS). What is real: rebates from some utilities, a property tax exemption, and since 2025 a Texas law that lets you cancel a solar contract within five business days. For the wider question of free solar in Texas, see our free solar panels in Texas guide.
Is there a no-cost solar program in Texas?
Not one you can join today. Texas has no state solar rebate and no state program that pays for home panels. The money that does exist comes from the utility that delivers your power, and it covers part of the price, not all of it.
Texas Solar for All was the closest thing to a free program. It was a federally funded plan, led by Harris County, to bring solar to lower-income homes in ten regions of the state. The coalition won nearly $250 million in 2024. On August 7, 2025, the EPA ended the grant, and the program has been “paused until further notice” ever since (program site, checked October 19, 2026).
On September 22, 2026, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. ruled that the EPA ended Solar for All unlawfully. The judge set aside the EPA’s decision but did not order the money paid back out (Houston Public Media). The EPA said it was “considering options for appeal” (Utility Dive). Nothing is open to apply for. Any restart will be announced on the program’s own site, not by a solar salesperson.
The program names you may hear, and their real status
Sellers often borrow the name of a real program, or invent one. Here is what each name you are likely to hear actually is, as of October 19, 2026.
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“Texas no-cost solar program” or “Texas free solar program”
Status: Not a program
No Texas agency runs a program by this name. It is a sales phrase for a lease, PPA or loan. Sites with state-style names, such as texas.statesolar.org, are private sites, not the state: its footer lists a Las Vegas, Nevada address, and it still shows a 30% credit through 2032 and a sign-up for “free solar panel installation.”
Check: ask which company you will sign with, and whether the contract is a lease, PPA or loan.
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“Texas Solar for All”
Status: Paused
Paused since August 7, 2025. A September 22, 2026 court ruling went Harris County’s way, but no money has been restored and there are no applications.
Check: solarforalltexas.org, not the seller.
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“The 30% federal solar tax credit”
Status: Ended for homeowners
No credit for a home system whose installation is finished after December 31, 2025. A lease or PPA company may claim its own business credit, but that is not money on your tax return. Texas has no state income tax, so there is no state credit either.
Check: if a 2026 quote subtracts 30% from your price, the quote is wrong.
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“Oncor’s solar program” or “CenterPoint’s program”
Status: Open, partial rebate
Real, but partial, and paid to the installer, so ask for it as a credit on your invoice. CenterPoint pays $135 per kW, capped at 15 kW, so at most $2,025 (CenterPoint). Oncor calculates each project and never pays more than 50% of its cost; 2026 projects are due by 5 p.m. on November 30, 2026, or until funds run out (Oncor 2026 manual).
Check: the installer is enrolled with your utility and the rebate is a line on the invoice.
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“AEP Texas” or “TNMP” solar rebate
Status: Open, partial rebate
AEP Texas SMART Source pays fixed amounts by size: $1,250, $2,250 or $2,750 for solar, plus $1,000 for a battery installed with it. Projects must be complete by November 30, 2026, and AEP showed “Funds Available to Reserve” on October 19, 2026 (AEP Texas 2026 guidebook). TNMP’s Solar+ program pays $1,250, $2,200 or $2,750 by system size, plus $1,000 for a battery installed with solar, from a $100,000 set-aside shared with batteries and EV chargers (TNMP 2026 manual).
Check: AEP warns that installers who say you can apply for the rebate after installation has started “may be engaging in fraud” (AEP Texas program site).
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“Austin Energy rebate”
Status: Open, partial rebate
$4,000 for a new system of at least 3 kW at an Austin Energy home, through a participating contractor, with Austin Energy’s confirmation letter before work starts (Austin Energy). Austin Energy does not allow third-party PPAs in its territory, so a PPA offer at an Austin Energy address is a warning sign.
Check: the confirmation letter, dated before installation.
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“CPS Energy solar rebate”
Status: No rooftop rebate
CPS Energy says it “does not currently offer rebates for residential solar installations” (CPS Energy). Its Big Sun community solar lets San Antonio customers buy panels on a shared site for bill credits, but you pay for the panels.
Check: any San Antonio “rebate” in a pitch should name its source in writing.
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“Your property taxes won’t go up”
Status: True, if you file
Texas exempts 100% of the value a solar system adds to your home from property tax (Tax Code 11.27). It is not automatic: file Form 50-123 with your county appraisal district between January 1 and April 30 of the first tax year you want it, so for a system installed in late 2026, in early 2027 (Texas Comptroller Form 50-123).
Check: a lower bill, not a tax break, is what pays for the system.
Rebate amounts for every Texas utility and co-op, with export credits, are on our Texas solar incentives page.
What “no-cost solar” really means in Texas
Each of these offers costs nothing on day one. None is free over time.
Lease
A solar company owns the panels on your roof. You pay a monthly rent, usually for about 20 years. The rent may rise each year through an “escalator” clause.
Power purchase agreement (PPA)
The company owns the panels and sells you the power they make, priced per kilowatt-hour (kWh, the unit on your bill), often with a yearly increase. Not allowed in Austin Energy territory.
$0-down loan
You own the panels and repay a loan over many years. Many solar loans carry a hidden dealer fee, often 10% to 30% of the cash price, added to what you borrow (CFPB).
What a system costs in cash
A typical 9.29 kW Texas system costs about $23,875 before incentives, or $2.57 per watt (Texas cost of solar, September 2026). Every “no-cost” offer is paid from that price, plus interest or profit.
One more Texas twist: Texas has no statewide net metering law. Where you can choose your electricity company (the Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas and TNMP areas), your extra solar power earns whatever your plan with that retail electricity provider pays, and that plan can change when it renews (Utilities Code 39.916). A 20-year payment can rest on a one-year buyback plan. Compare lease, PPA and loan offers on our solar financing page.
Texas law on solar sales: what a seller must do
In 2025, Texas passed the Residential Solar Retailer Regulatory Act (Senate Bill 1036), now Chapter 1806 of the Occupations Code. It is run by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and applies to home solar contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025 (Occupations Code 1806; TDLR).
- Since September 1, 2025: you can cancel a home solar sale or lease without penalty by written notice on or before the fifth business day after you sign. Business days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. The contract must print the last day to cancel and where to send the notice. If a lender tied to the seller made you a loan, canceling the contract cancels the loan too.
- Since September 1, 2025: the contract must say a licensed electrical contractor will do the installation, give that contractor’s name and license number, and say the seller or contractor will get the permits and the utility’s approval to connect.
- Since September 1, 2026: solar retailers and solar salespeople must be registered with TDLR to sell or lease home solar, and must give you their registration numbers when you ask. The contract must list both numbers. A salesperson employed by a licensed electrical contractor does not register, but must give you that contractor’s name and license number instead.
- Enforceable by TDLR since September 1, 2026: the law bars a seller from making false or misleading statements, from ignoring a posted “No soliciting” sign, and from falsely stating or implying a tie to a public utility or government agency. TDLR can penalize sellers and, after a hearing, order a contract canceled and payments refunded. Civil penalties in court can reach $2,500 per violation, or $10,000 when someone over 65 was harmed.
TDLR’s own rules on contract disclosures and consumer education materials will be enforced starting November 1, 2026.
Older laws still apply. Business and Commerce Code Chapter 115 requires a written list of the equipment and contact details for the salesperson and installer; for a purchase or lease, the equipment cost and a detailed accounting of fees; and for a lease or PPA, the term, rate, payment escalators and whether the contract transfers when you sell the house (Business and Commerce Code 115). The federal three-day cooling-off rule for many sales made at home usually applies too (16 CFR 429). Texas’s five-business-day window is the longer one.
Example: you sign on a Thursday with no holiday that week or the next. Friday is day one, the next Monday through Thursday are days two to five. Your written notice must be given by that second Thursday.
How to check a door-to-door “no-cost” pitch
- Ask for the seller’s TDLR registration number, and the company’s. Look both up in the TDLR license search, which lists solar residential retailers and salespersons. The law says they must give it to you. If they work for a licensed electrical contractor, ask for that contractor’s license number.
- Ask what you are signing: a lease, a PPA or a loan. Get it in writing. A seller who can’t name it is not offering a program.
- Ask for the total of all payments over the full term, with the yearly increase, next to the cash price for the same system.
- Ask which rebate is on the invoice, from which utility, and who keeps it. If the company owns the panels, the rebate usually goes to the company.
- Ask which buyback plan the savings estimate assumes, and what happens when it renews.
- Find the cancel date printed in the contract, the registration numbers, and the electrical contractor’s name and license number.
- Call your utility at the number on your bill if the seller says they work with it. Oncor, CenterPoint and AEP Texas pay their solar rebates through enrolled installers, not to you directly, and Texas law bars a seller from falsely implying a utility tie.
If you already signed, put your cancellation in writing within the five business days and keep proof you sent it. You can file a complaint with TDLR about contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025, and with the Texas Attorney General for earlier ones. More warning signs are in our solar scams and red flags guide.
Help for lower-income Texas homes
With Solar for All paused, no Texas program now installs free panels for lower-income homes. Help with energy costs still exists:
- Weatherization. The federal Weatherization Assistance Program, run in Texas by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs through local agencies, lowers bills by “increasing the energy efficiency” of homes, with work such as insulation and air sealing, not solar panels (DOE).
- Bill help. The federal LIHEAP program helps pay energy bills and can fund weatherization and minor repairs (HHS).
- Community solar. CPS Energy’s Big Sun program sells panels on a shared site for bill credits. Austin Energy’s community solar program was at capacity, with a waiting list, on October 19, 2026, and lowers bills only for customers on its Customer Assistance Program; other customers pay more.
None of these is sold door to door. Apply through the agency or utility directly.
Compare a “no-cost” offer with a real quote
The best test of any $0-down offer is a cash quote for the same system from another installer. Gather 12 months of electric bills, note your delivery utility (it is on your bill), and ask each installer to show the cash price, the rebate on the invoice and the buyback plan they assumed. Our quote guide shows what to compare line by line.
Get Texas solar quotes with the cash price, rebate and buyback plan spelled out
Questions about no-cost solar in Texas
Is there a no-cost solar program in Texas?
No. No state or federal program installs free panels on Texas homes today. Texas Solar for All, the federally funded program for lower-income homes, has been paused since August 7, 2025. “No-cost” offers are leases, PPAs or loans.
Can you get free solar panels in Texas?
Not truly free. You can get panels with nothing down through a lease, PPA or loan, then pay for 20 years or more. See our free solar panels in Texas guide for how those deals compare.
Will there be a solar tax credit in Texas in 2026?
No. The 30% federal homeowner credit ended for systems finished after December 31, 2025, and Texas has no state income tax, so it has no state credit. Utility rebates and the property tax exemption still apply.
Is the Texas Solar for All program coming back?
Unknown. A federal judge ruled on September 22, 2026 that the EPA ended it unlawfully, but did not order the money restored, and the EPA said it was considering an appeal. The program site still said “paused until further notice” on October 19, 2026.
How many days do I have to cancel a solar contract in Texas?
Five business days after you sign, not counting Saturdays, Sundays or legal holidays, for contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025. Send the notice in writing to the address in the contract.
Is a solar salesperson in Texas required to be licensed?
Since September 1, 2026, solar retailers and salespeople must be registered with TDLR, and must give you their registration number on request. The installation itself must be done by a licensed electrical contractor.
Do solar panels raise property taxes in Texas?
No, if you file. The value solar adds is 100% exempt under Tax Code 11.27. File Form 50-123 with your county appraisal district between January 1 and April 30 of the first tax year you want the exemption.
Sources
- Texas Solar for All, program status page (checked October 19, 2026); Houston Public Media, September 23, 2026; Utility Dive, September 25, 2026.
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1806 (Residential Solar Retailer Regulatory Act, S.B. 1036, 2025) and TDLR, “What’s in Effect When.”
- Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 115; Texas Tax Code Section 11.27; Texas Utilities Code Section 39.916; Texas Comptroller, property tax exemptions and Form 50-123.
- IRS, FAQs on Public Law 119-21, Residential Clean Energy Credit.
- Utility program pages: Austin Energy, CPS Energy, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, Oncor 2026 Solar Photovoltaic Program Manual, AEP Texas 2026 SMART Source Guidebook and program status page, TNMP 2026 Residential and Hard-to-Reach Standard Offer Program manual (Solar+ set-aside).
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Issue Spotlight: Solar Financing (2024); FTC Cooling-Off Rule; U.S. DOE Weatherization Assistance Program; HHS LIHEAP.
- EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026 edition (Texas) and the EcoGen Residential Solar Incentives Database v1.
- Read how we work in our editorial standards and how we make money.
