There can be solar tax credits and incentives available at the federal, state and local levels. The calculator above will show you the value of all incentives your home is eligible for.
The past few years have taught Texans a valuable lesson about their electricity system: it's not prepared to handle weather emergencies like record snow and cold, meaning you and your neighbors might get left without power, or with a huge electric bill for the month.
More renewable energy could help the state as a whole, but to help yourself if something like this happens again, you'll need some solar panels on your roof along with batteries to store the energy they make for use when the grid goes down.
Fortunately, for those who live in Oncor service territory and Austin, there are some rebates available to help reduce the cost of going solar for you. Furthermore, most of the state's residents will be able to sign up for something like net metering, either from your local power company or one of the statewide retail electric providers (REPs) out there.
On this page, we cover all of the solar incentives, rebates, and tax credits available for your Texas home solar installation. We suggest you use the Texas solar incentives calculator above as well. It allows you to drill down and show only the solar incentives that are applicable where you live.
Learn what solar incentives are available to Texas homeowners
See what Texas solar incentives you qualify for based on your utility company and city
Find out how much these incentives and/or Texas solar tax credits will reduce your cost to go solar and add batteries
The federal solar investment tax credit will have the biggest impact on the cost you will face to go solar in Texas
If you install your photovoltaic system before the end of 2032, the federal tax credit is 30% of the cost of your solar panel system. This is 30% off the entire cost of the system including equipment, labor, and permitting.
Example: If your solar energy system costs $20,000, your federal solar tax credit would be $20,000 x 30% = $6,000.
The federal tax credit falls to 26% starting in 2033.
With net metering in some states, you get full retail rate credit for the amount of electricity you send back into the grid with your solar panels.
Net metering requires your utility to monitor how much energy your solar power system produces and how much energy you actually consume, and make sure you get credit for the surplus.
Net metering in Texas is spotty. While there is no statewide net metering law here, in most populated places in the state, you can find either a municipal electric company that offers net metering or a Retail Electric Provider (REP) like Reliant Energy, that will buy your extra solar output for a price lower than the retail rate of electricity.
But, not all REPs offer solar buyback programs. In fact, most don't, and the ones that do usually don't pay you full price for excess solar energy. This means you have to shop around and see if there are any REPs that service your area that also have some form of a solar buyback program. Luckily, we have a complete guide that lists all of the REPs in Texas that have solar plans, and what kind of solar savings those plans provide.
Places with regulated utilities, like Austin, Brenham, or San Antonio, all offer some form of net metering for their residential customers. In some cases, they even offer solar rebates.
Texas lacks any statewide rebate program. Most folks in the state get to choose an electric company through the state's open energy marketplace, and not one of those companies wants to help finance your solar installation. However, those that live in Oncor's service area can receive a rebate of $2,500 when they install solar panels with a solar battery, no matter what retail electric provider they choose.
Those of you lucky enough to live in a place with a municipal electric company may have good options. For example, Austin Energy offers a $2,500 rebate for people who want to install solar panels, and all you have to do is take an online class and pass a quiz to get the money sent to your installer. Pretty sweet deal!
Texas lawmakers have come through with a solid solar property tax exemption. When you install that shiny new solar power system, the resulting increase in home value is exempt from 100% of the resulting property tax increase.
Solar panels will increase the value of your Texas home by roughly 70% of system costs. So while the value of your home will go up, your property taxes won’t.
Example: If your solar system costs $20,000, your estimated property value increase of $14,000 will be tax-exempt.
Showing data for:
Prices based on a 9.6kW system, after 30% federal tax credit
198 solar companies in Texas provide pricing on SolarReviews. Here are the best rated companies near you.
4.97 606 Reviews
Willie Johnson , 1 week ago
Timely process, great group of people that worked with us both in the office and on the job site. Tesla app makes it super easy to keep an eye on the system. Lakeland electric slowed us down a few weeks bur with the hurricane can't be too upset- ready to save now
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Willie Johnson , 1 week ago
Timely process, great group of people that worked with us both in the office and on the job site. Tesla app makes it super easy to keep an eye on the system. Lakeland electric slowed us down a few weeks bur with the hurricane can't be too upset- ready to save now
4.86 382 Reviews
Phil Duran, 1 week ago
GPE has now installed three arrays on my little farm in the last 7 years, and all are working well. They are very professional and friendly and do good work. Highly recommended.
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Phil Duran, 1 week ago
GPE has now installed three arrays on my little farm in the last 7 years, and all are working well. They are very professional and friendly and do good work. Highly recommended.
4.78 73 Reviews
Michael and Edith H, over 1 month
Wright-Way was recommended by a friend. Wright-Way is in Tyler, we are in Houston. Contacted them and they responded quickly--willing to work with us, even at the distance. To say the least, Rudy and his staff are knowledgeable and wonderful to work with. Communication was great--in pre-plans, installation, and after installations. I would recommend them whole heartedly!
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Average cost (5kW system)
$11,000 ($2.20 per watt)
Michael and Edith H, over 1 month
Wright-Way was recommended by a friend. Wright-Way is in Tyler, we are in Houston. Contacted them and they responded quickly--willing to work with us, even at the distance. To say the least, Rudy and his staff are knowledgeable and wonderful to work with. Communication was great--in pre-plans, installation, and after installations. I would recommend them whole heartedly!
4.74 551 Reviews
Sonja Donlin, 4 weeks ago
Brian was a great sales person and sold me solar panels and I was supposed to be getting a 500.00 check from EHS after the install. I was told it was mailed however never received. I spoke to Brian and the Hurricane flooded the office but the check would be coming. Well that is several weeks ago now and still no check and Brian does not respond to text messages or emails. I am sure he got his commission , at least that is what it feels like. Communication is very lacking. Very disappointed. This is the second time I have purchased solar panels for a home, and no longer giving EHS the referral. Please honor your end of the sale.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$17,000 ($3.40 per watt)
Sonja Donlin, 4 weeks ago
Brian was a great sales person and sold me solar panels and I was supposed to be getting a 500.00 check from EHS after the install. I was told it was mailed however never received. I spoke to Brian and the Hurricane flooded the office but the check would be coming. Well that is several weeks ago now and still no check and Brian does not respond to text messages or emails. I am sure he got his commission , at least that is what it feels like. Communication is very lacking. Very disappointed. This is the second time I have purchased solar panels for a home, and no longer giving EHS the referral. Please honor your end of the sale.
4.74 141 Reviews
Kristina, over 1 month
We do not recommend Solar CenTex. This is our experience with Solar CenTex. We first came across Solar CenTex at a home and garden show in Bell County. We signed a contract with them in 2018 to have ground mount solar panel array installed behind our home. This project went well, and our system was inspected and commissioned in October. It was not fully operational per the contract until 14 November 2018 because there was a portion of the project that failed to function as specified in the contract. After a month of back and forth, a relatively minor issue was resolved. That system worked well for us after the initial problems were resolved but, we later sold that house, moved and wanted to do solar at our new home. This time, we wanted a grid tied, battery backup so we reached out to sales at Solar CenTex. Sales and the installation crew have saved this from being a 1-star review. The paperwork, contracts and first check for $7k were complete by early July, 2021. The install crew started designing our ground mount carport solar panel array with SolarEdge inverters and LG batteries. All the contracts and electric co-op forms were signed by mid July, 2021 and the install work began in late August/early September of 2021. By the end of September, we believed our system was fully operational and all the necessary paperwork had been handed off to the appropriate agencies. Checks for more than $70k had been cashed by Solar CenTex, the project was complete, per the contract. Not actually the case. We did not find out until 28 April 2022 (contacted by our electric co-op because our meter read very low usage) that we did not have the correct meter installed, the electric co-op did not have a record of our solar and they had not inspected the grid tied install. I spoke with Solar CenTex and they did not share with me why the process was left incomplete. I sent the signed short forms to our electric co-op via e-mail and got on their schedule for an inspection. Our solar install was properly documented and commissioned through the electric co-op on 28 May 2022. Another issue has been with the SolarEdge monitoring app. We were having regular conversations with Solar CenTex about the lack of access to change the battery charging/discharge levels through the SolarEdge app software. We were not able to adjust charging/discharge levels and had to call Solar CenTex prior to weather events and rely on them to adjust the discharge capacity of our batteries. We were disappointed to have installed a system that could only be controlled by the installer. At the time (June 2022) Solar CenTex suggested we had a communication intermittency issue. I asked if that was an issue with cell service and Solar CenTex (owner) replied, “yes the cell service from the inverter.” I contacted SolarEdge directly that evening and the app issue was resolved on 4 June 2022. Solar CenTex (warranty rep) suggested I contact SolarEdge directly and I later let Solar CenTex know when the manufacturer was able to resolve our problem. The install was physically complete in September 2021. We did not have control of this system and its charging capabilities until 4 June of 2022 and on 28 May 2022, we were inspected and properly metered/sanctioned to operate, as a grid tied system, by the electric co-op. Solar CenTex was notified, and no explanation was offered regarding either issue. Where we are now: In December (8 December2022) we noticed half of our system was not producing power or charging the batteries. After working with Solar CenTex, it was determined that the comm card failed. On 20 December Solar CenTex (install crew) came out and installed a comm card Solar CenTex thought might work but turned out to be incompatible with our inverter. Solar CenTex was trying to help get us up and running at full capacity before a cold snap over the Christmas week. Presently (27 January 2023) our system is still working at half of its purchased capability. Before Christmas, we were led to believe the part was on order but hadn’t been shipped from the manufacturer. We have been informed we have an “RMA number” and the part has been approved but no part is available. We have asked to be kept informed regarding when our $70K grid tied, solar equipment will be fully functional. In conclusion of my review of Solar CenTex we have seen a downward trend in their customer service since we first interacted with them in 2018. After the physical install is complete, their attitude toward customers is poor. We hope this is an isolated performance issue on this install and that others have not experienced this many failures in their relationship with Solar CenTex.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$13,000 ($2.60 per watt)
Kristina, over 1 month
We do not recommend Solar CenTex. This is our experience with Solar CenTex. We first came across Solar CenTex at a home and garden show in Bell County. We signed a contract with them in 2018 to have ground mount solar panel array installed behind our home. This project went well, and our system was inspected and commissioned in October. It was not fully operational per the contract until 14 November 2018 because there was a portion of the project that failed to function as specified in the contract. After a month of back and forth, a relatively minor issue was resolved. That system worked well for us after the initial problems were resolved but, we later sold that house, moved and wanted to do solar at our new home. This time, we wanted a grid tied, battery backup so we reached out to sales at Solar CenTex. Sales and the installation crew have saved this from being a 1-star review. The paperwork, contracts and first check for $7k were complete by early July, 2021. The install crew started designing our ground mount carport solar panel array with SolarEdge inverters and LG batteries. All the contracts and electric co-op forms were signed by mid July, 2021 and the install work began in late August/early September of 2021. By the end of September, we believed our system was fully operational and all the necessary paperwork had been handed off to the appropriate agencies. Checks for more than $70k had been cashed by Solar CenTex, the project was complete, per the contract. Not actually the case. We did not find out until 28 April 2022 (contacted by our electric co-op because our meter read very low usage) that we did not have the correct meter installed, the electric co-op did not have a record of our solar and they had not inspected the grid tied install. I spoke with Solar CenTex and they did not share with me why the process was left incomplete. I sent the signed short forms to our electric co-op via e-mail and got on their schedule for an inspection. Our solar install was properly documented and commissioned through the electric co-op on 28 May 2022. Another issue has been with the SolarEdge monitoring app. We were having regular conversations with Solar CenTex about the lack of access to change the battery charging/discharge levels through the SolarEdge app software. We were not able to adjust charging/discharge levels and had to call Solar CenTex prior to weather events and rely on them to adjust the discharge capacity of our batteries. We were disappointed to have installed a system that could only be controlled by the installer. At the time (June 2022) Solar CenTex suggested we had a communication intermittency issue. I asked if that was an issue with cell service and Solar CenTex (owner) replied, “yes the cell service from the inverter.” I contacted SolarEdge directly that evening and the app issue was resolved on 4 June 2022. Solar CenTex (warranty rep) suggested I contact SolarEdge directly and I later let Solar CenTex know when the manufacturer was able to resolve our problem. The install was physically complete in September 2021. We did not have control of this system and its charging capabilities until 4 June of 2022 and on 28 May 2022, we were inspected and properly metered/sanctioned to operate, as a grid tied system, by the electric co-op. Solar CenTex was notified, and no explanation was offered regarding either issue. Where we are now: In December (8 December2022) we noticed half of our system was not producing power or charging the batteries. After working with Solar CenTex, it was determined that the comm card failed. On 20 December Solar CenTex (install crew) came out and installed a comm card Solar CenTex thought might work but turned out to be incompatible with our inverter. Solar CenTex was trying to help get us up and running at full capacity before a cold snap over the Christmas week. Presently (27 January 2023) our system is still working at half of its purchased capability. Before Christmas, we were led to believe the part was on order but hadn’t been shipped from the manufacturer. We have been informed we have an “RMA number” and the part has been approved but no part is available. We have asked to be kept informed regarding when our $70K grid tied, solar equipment will be fully functional. In conclusion of my review of Solar CenTex we have seen a downward trend in their customer service since we first interacted with them in 2018. After the physical install is complete, their attitude toward customers is poor. We hope this is an isolated performance issue on this install and that others have not experienced this many failures in their relationship with Solar CenTex.
4.73 662 Reviews
Joshua Bentley, over 1 month
They worked with me so professionally. The only slowdowns were on consumer end and they were so patient and polite. Tulsa shine solar office. Hmm. ;) Excellent work lads and lassies.
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Joshua Bentley, over 1 month
They worked with me so professionally. The only slowdowns were on consumer end and they were so patient and polite. Tulsa shine solar office. Hmm. ;) Excellent work lads and lassies.
4.69 358 Reviews
George and Nancy Hoites, over 1 month
Shane was sent to us by Sunlux to look at our solar because we had higher than usual electric bills. He looked at the system and discovered our air conditioning was malfunctioning. Shane was extremely professional and knowledgeable. He was also courteous and patient with our numerous questions. We are very grateful for his help.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$15,150 ($3.03 per watt)
George and Nancy Hoites, over 1 month
Shane was sent to us by Sunlux to look at our solar because we had higher than usual electric bills. He looked at the system and discovered our air conditioning was malfunctioning. Shane was extremely professional and knowledgeable. He was also courteous and patient with our numerous questions. We are very grateful for his help.
4.67 60 Reviews
Ron Hardy, over 1 month
Good company and people to work together and provide great service. Very professional and knowledgeable.
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Ron Hardy, over 1 month
Good company and people to work together and provide great service. Very professional and knowledgeable.
4.66 121 Reviews
Dennis Hampton, over 1 month
Circle L Solar is the best! From Taylor R. to the install team, they did an amazing job! Finished in one day as promised, and I am producing above the KWh I was hoping for! Thank you team!
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Dennis Hampton, over 1 month
Circle L Solar is the best! From Taylor R. to the install team, they did an amazing job! Finished in one day as promised, and I am producing above the KWh I was hoping for! Thank you team!
4.64 360 Reviews
Cecil, 1 week ago
We were looking for a reputable company to install 15KW solar system along with 2 Powerwall 3's, and decided to go with Longhorn Solar after weeks of comparing options. Right off the bat, Jameson went above and beyond to explain the process, the design, and financing while being fully transparent unlike some other installers that we spoke with. Jameson was extremely professional and easy to work with and gave us full confidence that we were making the right choice. Once we made the deal, Fhilecya kept us fully informed on the permitting process and efficiently got everything ready to start the install within a month. The install crew was professional and respectful. However, there were some design changes they made I wasn't informed of due to roof air vent location, but Fhilecya and David quickly resolved the issue and addressed any concerns I had. David came back few days later for final inspection to bring the entire system online, and he was very helpful while explaining all the details of Powerwalls and solar system. Lastly, when I noticed few uneven panels and notified David, they sent the install crew back out the next day to fix the issue which was greatly appreciated. The system is working perfectly and producing much more than estimated on the proposal so far. I couldn't be happier how easy the entire process was and how Longhorn Solar handled everything, will definitely be recommending them to neighbors and coming back to them for any future services
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Average cost (5kW system)
$17,200 ($3.44 per watt)
Cecil, 1 week ago
We were looking for a reputable company to install 15KW solar system along with 2 Powerwall 3's, and decided to go with Longhorn Solar after weeks of comparing options. Right off the bat, Jameson went above and beyond to explain the process, the design, and financing while being fully transparent unlike some other installers that we spoke with. Jameson was extremely professional and easy to work with and gave us full confidence that we were making the right choice. Once we made the deal, Fhilecya kept us fully informed on the permitting process and efficiently got everything ready to start the install within a month. The install crew was professional and respectful. However, there were some design changes they made I wasn't informed of due to roof air vent location, but Fhilecya and David quickly resolved the issue and addressed any concerns I had. David came back few days later for final inspection to bring the entire system online, and he was very helpful while explaining all the details of Powerwalls and solar system. Lastly, when I noticed few uneven panels and notified David, they sent the install crew back out the next day to fix the issue which was greatly appreciated. The system is working perfectly and producing much more than estimated on the proposal so far. I couldn't be happier how easy the entire process was and how Longhorn Solar handled everything, will definitely be recommending them to neighbors and coming back to them for any future services
For more information about going solar near where you live, check out the following resources: