Best Solar Companies in Texas (2026)
The cheapest installed solar in America, no net-metering law, and a deregulated grid where you shop for your buyback plan like you shop for electricity. Texas solar is a buyer's market — if you know what to compare.
Free savings estimate for your ZIP — no name, email, or phone required.
Know your market before the first quote
Average residential rate, ¢/kWh. Source: EIA, April 2026.
Cheap grid power cuts both ways. Texas rates sit below the national average, so solar payback runs longer here than in California — typically 9 to 12 years. What keeps the math attractive is the other side of the ledger: install prices 25–30% below the national average, huge summer air-conditioning loads that soak up your own production, and a property tax exemption that lets the system add home value tax-free.
The variable most Texas homeowners under-shop is the buyback plan. Two identical systems in Houston can produce identical power and land hundreds of dollars apart per year purely on plan choice.
Pick your buyback plan
In ERCOT's deregulated territory (about 85% of the state), your Retail Electric Provider — not a state rule — sets what exported solar is worth. Plans fall into three families. Read the fine print for annual credit expiry and usage caps before signing either the plan or the solar contract.
Real-time wholesale
Export credits float with the ERCOT wholesale market — usually a few cents, occasionally spiking far higher during scarcity events.
- +Upside when the grid is stressed
- +Pairs well with a battery you can discharge at peaks
- −Unpredictable month to month
- −Low credits during mild weather
Fixed-rate credit
The REP credits every exported kWh at a set rate — commonly in the 3–7¢ range — for the length of the contract.
- +Predictable bill math
- +Easy to compare across providers
- −Credit is below your retail rate
- −Some plans cap or expire credits annually
Utility value-of-solar
Municipal utilities set their own tariff — Austin Energy credits solar at 9.91¢/kWh; El Paso Electric follows its own net-metering rules outside ERCOT.
- +Often richer than REP fixed credits
- +Stable, published tariff
- −Only where you already are
- −No shopping between providers
Top Texas installers, compared
Every company below is active in Texas. In a market this cheap and this crowded, insist that each proposal names its assumed buyback plan — that's where Texas savings estimates go wrong.
Advertiser Disclosure: SolarRatings.org earns referral fees from featured installers. Compensation may influence rankings and placement.
| Installer | Rating & Reviews | Equipment & Tech | Warranty | Key Pros & Cons | Get Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 RatedSunrunEditor's Pick | Tier-1 Monocrystalline (Q-Cells, Costco partnerships) Efficiency: 20.6% – 21.4% | 10-year roof penetration, 25-year panel warranty |
| Check Rates | |
#2 RatedTesla SolarBest Value | Tesla proprietary low-profile panels & Powerwall 3 Efficiency: 20.0% – 21.0% | 25-year panel warranty, 10-year Powerwall warranty |
| Check Rates | |
#3 RatedBlue Raven Solar | Tier-1 High-Efficiency panels Efficiency: 20.2% – 21.2% | 25-year manufacturer, 10-year workmanship |
| Check Rates | |
#4 RatedADT Solar | Tier-1 Enphase microinverters & premium panels Efficiency: 19.8% – 20.8% | 25-year Enphase warranty, 25-year roof guarantee |
| Check Rates |
What your wires company or muni offers
Texas has no statewide rebate and no state tax credit — there's no state income tax to credit against. What it has instead: utility-level programs that depend entirely on where you live.
Oncor
Dallas–Fort Worth region
Residential battery incentive — roughly $300 per kWh of installed storage in 2026, worth $3,000+ on a typical battery.
Austin Energy
Austin
$2,500 solar rebate (with required education course) plus the 9.91¢/kWh Value-of-Solar export credit.
CPS Energy
San Antonio
Municipal solar and demand-response programs; rebate offerings vary by budget year — check current availability.
AEP Texas
South & West Texas
Has run residential solar incentive programs in recent years; confirm current status before counting it in a quote.
* Utility program budgets open and close mid-year, and the federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) expired December 31, 2025. Confirm every incentive on a quote directly with the utility and a tax professional before signing.
Texas solar, straight answers
No — there is no statewide net-metering mandate. About 85% of Texas sits in the deregulated ERCOT market, where each Retail Electric Provider decides whether to offer a solar buyback plan and at what rate. Credits range from roughly 3¢/kWh on fixed plans to floating wholesale rates on real-time plans. Municipal utilities are the exception: Austin Energy pays a published 9.91¢/kWh value-of-solar rate, and El Paso Electric (outside ERCOT) has its own rules. Choosing the right buyback plan matters nearly as much as choosing the installer.