Texas Solar Rebates and Incentives

Currently if you live in the state of Texas, you will know that solar is getting hotter and hotter and more and more common. One of the major reasons is that the state is slowly but surely coming around with its own incentive programs for people(specifically homeowners) to get on the ball with going solar. For a very long time there were absolutely no solar programs for PV Solar at all in the state. It was a shame as well because the state is has many parts that receive more average sunlight hours per day compared to the rest of the country. So, for example, if you live in many parts of the state that have a sunlight reading of 6-7 hours(which is very high compared to the rest of the US) you have twice the reason to go solar compared to people who have half of the sun, like Washington state for example!!!

Right below, this would be an estimate of how much solar power will be produced in a few different parts of Texas, and what can be expected on the dollar savings each month.

In Dallas/ Ft. Worth, a 4kw solar system is expected to produce about 5614 kwh of electricity per year. If the average cost is about $.097/kwh, that equates to about $544/year in electric bill savings.

In El Paso, a 4kw solar system is expected to produce about 6628 kwh of electricity per year. If the average cost is about $.097/kwh, that equates to about $642/year in electric bill savings.

In Austin, a 4kw solar system is expected to produce about 5450 kwh of electricity per year. If the average cost is about $.097/kwh, that equates to about $528/year in electric bill savings.

In Houston, a 4kw solar system is expected to produce about 4879 kwh of electricity per year. If the average cost is about $.097/kwh, that equates to about $473/year in electric bill savings.

In Midland, a 4kw solar system is expected to produce about 6248 kwh of electricity per year. If the average cost is about $.097/kwh, that equates to about $626/year in electric bill savings.

Here is a summary of the solar electric incentives for homeowners:

Sunset Valley has a program for $.75/watt with a maximum for $2,250  so that would be for a maximum 3kw system

Green Mountain Energy has a program where they buy your first 500 kwh of excess at the retail rate (personally I think this incentive is a joke since most homeowners won’t be over producing since its not cost effective)

AEP Swepco gives $2.50/watt up to $25,000  this is a very nice solar incentive and will definitely impact your finacial return if you are working with this utility you should think about getting started soon

Austin Energy is undergoing some changes to their solar energy program

Oncor Electric has a PV solar rebate of $2.46/watt up to $24,600  again this is a great PV solar incentive.  get started on your project if you live in this area since this incentive won’t be around forever

If solar is something you are thinking about and have on your mind, I would definitely suggest you look into it further if you are living in Texas.  Simply ask a solar installer what they think the best options are for maximizing your return on investment.  You want to ask them to prove on paper before you buy anything what the year will be that the system pays for itself.  If they can put in writing that it will happen within the next 7 years, well, I would suggest you look into purchasing a solar system.