CenterPoint Energy (Houston): how it credits the solar power you send to the grid
CenterPoint owns the wires in the Houston area; your retail electric provider sets the buyback rate, if any. Without a buyback plan, exported power earns nothing.
Checked November 12, 2026. Utilities change these rules; check the current tariff before you sign.
How it works
CenterPoint doesn't set the export price; your retail electric provider does. We assume a plan that pays about half the retail price.
As in the rest of the Texas competitive market, the delivery utility and the company that bills you are different: CenterPoint handles the meter and outages, and your provider sets prices and solar credits.
The delivery charges CenterPoint passes through are the same on every plan, so they can't be offset by a better buyback rate.
Tip: Look at both the buyback rate and the price you pay per kWh: a high buyback rate on an expensive plan can lose.
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, of which we assume about 7,247 kWh goes out to the grid because no one is home to use it.
| First-year savings | Payback | 25-year savings, after the price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| With CenterPoint Energy (Houston)'s credit | $1,302 | 17 years | $17,170 |
| If every exported kWh earned the full price | $1,860 | 11 years | $35,015 |
The difference, about $17,845 over 25 years, is what CenterPoint Energy (Houston)'s rules cost a typical system compared with full net metering. Using more of the power at home, while the sun is up, closes some of that gap. Uses Texas's average electricity price; CenterPoint Energy (Houston)'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), Austin Energy (9.91¢), CPS Energy (San Antonio) (about 85% of retail (est.)).
All 55 utilities · Solar in Texas · Lease and PPA terms by company
Sources: EnergySage: Texas solar incentives and buyback plans, 2026; Public Utility Commission of Texas: Power to Choose; 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.