Texas · Net metering · Deep-stack program
TX Retail Net Metering (Deregulated Areas)
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Texas -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Varies by retail provider
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 11.8 yr
- Texas baseline payback
- 4
- other Texas programs
Deep-stack program · late directory
Texas runs a 5-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 11.8-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack5 programs
- In-state #4/4
- Type #39/46
- Baseline11.8 yr
In-state directory place #4 of 4 (late alphabet). National net metering directory #39 of 46. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
In deregulated Texas markets, some retail electricity providers offer buy-back programs for solar.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Varies by retail provider
- State electricity rate
- 14¢/kWh
- Texas solar score
- 49/100
Solar's trajectory in Texas
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Texas reported to the EIA.
Texas's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Texas's 4 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Performance
Performance
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
What this shows Texas tracks 4 incentive types; net metering (1 program) governs the billing side, while the state's other tracked types handle upfront cost or ongoing payments.
How this net metering layers inside Texas's deep stack
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.
Texas bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. 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.
Other Texas incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the TX Retail Net Metering (Deregulated Areas) sit in Texas's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Texas's other programs?
Who qualifies, and what does a late in-state directory place mean?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Texas?
Which other Texas programs stack with this one?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Texas solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.