With one of the fastest growing solar industries in the entire country, Texas home and business owners have taken to solar power like ducks to water, and there is currently enough solar installations to power as many as two million homes. However, it may come as a surprise to learn that Texas doesn’t have any statewide rules regarding the policy known as net metering; a policy that enables homeowners to save money on their electricity bills by crediting them for any excess energy generated by their solar panels.

So what is the state doing to incentivize homeowners to make the switch to solar?

Texas has a number of solar buyback programs its residents can take advantage of, which can be thought of as forms of net metering. However, without official rules surrounding net metering, coupled with the way in which the electricity market works in Texas, it can be tricky for Texans to make sense of their solar options.

With this in mind, here is a brief guide to solar buyback schemes that might be available to you, and for further details, you can always reach out to a local solar provider:

The basics of solar buyback schemes in Texas

  • Despite the lack of a statewide policy regarding net metering, there are seven retail electric providers, along with a number of municipal utilities and electric cooperatives, who all offer Texans some form of solar buyback program they can take advantage of.
  • If you live in a deregulated area of Texas, you can choose a solar buyback plan from any one of the following Retail Electricity Providers (REPs), as long as they function in your particular municipality:

Green mountain energy

MP2 Energy

Octopus

Pulse Power

Rhythm

Reliant

TXU Energy

  • Without a cap placed on how much electricity it will buy back from customers, Pulse Power may well provide Texans with the biggest solar savings.
  • For those living in regulated areas of Texas, you are only permitted to use the solar buyback schemes that your utility company is offering you, and it’s important to keep in mind that not every utility offers such schemes.
  • With access to a reasonable buyback scheme, the decision to switch to solar power is a worthwhile one for many Texan homeowners.

It’s possible to calculate the cost of buying solar panels and having them installed at your Texas home – along with getting an estimate of the savings you stand to make – by simply entering a few details about your home into an online solar calculator. So, if you live in Texas and would like to join the many thousands of other solar converts, why not schedule a free, non-obligatory consultation with a local solar provider today?