TX Retail Net Metering (Deregulated Areas)

The TX Retail Net Metering (Deregulated Areas) governs how Texas credits excess solar generation sent back to the grid, one of the state's DSIRE-tracked solar policies. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Varies by retail provider. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.

That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. Texas averages 5.7 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 14¢/kWh, producing an estimated 9,986 kWh/year and $1,398 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $16,500. That baseline already implies a 11.8-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $18,450 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.

A handful of other levers are worth checking alongside this one. Texas has 5 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like TX Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption, Austin Energy Solar PBI, CPS Energy Solar Rebate (San Antonio). The state's net-metering policy is classified as partial, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.