Oncor: how it credits the solar power you send to the grid
Oncor delivers power and reads the meter in Dallas–Fort Worth, but your retail electric provider decides what exported power earns: nothing on most plans, a fixed buyback rate on some, the full retail rate on a few.
Checked November 12, 2026. Utilities change these rules; check the current tariff before you sign.
How it works
Oncor doesn't set the export price; your retail electric provider does. We assume a plan that pays about half the retail price.
Texas has no statewide net metering. In Oncor's area you choose a retail electric provider, and only some offer solar buyback plans.
Buyback plans in 2026 range from a few cents per kWh to retail-match plans that credit exports at the price you pay, usually with a contract of one to three years.
Oncor installs the two-way meter and handles the interconnection; the bill credits come from the provider.
Tip: Switch to a buyback plan before the system is turned on, and compare plans on the state's Power to Choose site.
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 Oncor'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 Oncor'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; Oncor'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: CenterPoint Energy (Houston) (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.