Austin Energy: how it credits the solar power you send to the grid
Value of Solar: 9.91 cents per kWh for everything the panels make, not just what you export, while you pay normal rates for all the power you use.
Checked November 12, 2026. Utilities change these rules; check the current tariff before you sign.
How it works
Austin Energy credits all the power your panels make at 9.91 cents per kWh, about 64% of Texas's average electricity price.
Austin Energy meters your solar production separately and credits all of it at its Value of Solar rate, so it doesn't matter whether you use the power or send it out.
The rate is recalculated every three years as the average of the previous five years' assessments.
The utility also offers a $2,500 residential solar rebate for customers who take its solar education course and use a qualifying installer.
Tip: Since every kWh earns the same credit, panel direction matters only for total output, not timing.
What it means for a typical Texas home
An average Texas home uses about 13,320 kWh a year. An 8.5 kW system costs about $21,845 at the 2026 median price and makes about 12,079 kWh in its first year, all of it credited at the Value of Solar rate.
| First-year savings | Payback | 25-year savings, after the price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Austin Energy's credit | $1,197 | 18 years | $13,809 |
| If every kWh the panels make were worth the full price | $1,860 | 11 years | $35,015 |
The difference, about $21,206 over 25 years, is what Austin Energy's rules cost a typical system compared with full net metering. Uses Texas's average electricity price; Austin Energy's own prices may be higher or lower. Paid in cash, no federal credit, prices rising 2.5% a year, one inverter replacement.
Also in Texas: Oncor (set by your retail plan), CenterPoint Energy (Houston) (set by your retail plan), CPS Energy (San Antonio) (about 85% of retail (est.)).
All 55 utilities · Solar in Texas · Lease and PPA terms by company
Sources: Austin Energy: Value of Solar rate; Austin Energy: Value of Solar questions; Austin Energy: solar for your home; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), final 2025 data: Annual State Historical Spreadsheets (Form EIA-861, released October 7, 2026) and Electric Power Annual (October 21, 2026); EnergySage: median quoted price, first half of 2026.