Solar Buyback Plans in Texas: What You Need to Know (2026)

If you have solar panels on your Texas home, you're generating electricity during the day and exporting the excess back to the grid. The question is: how much is your provider paying you for that exported power?

The answer depends entirely on which solar buyback plan you're on - and the difference between a good one and a bad one can be hundreds of dollars a year.

How Solar Buyback Works in Texas

Texas doesn't have traditional "net metering" like some states. Instead, retail electric providers (REPs) offer solar buyback plans that credit you for exported electricity at a rate they set.

Here's the basic flow:

1. Your panels generate electricity during the day
2. Your home uses what it needs first
3. Excess power flows back to the grid - this is your export
4. Your provider credits you for that export at the buyback rate
5. At night or on cloudy days, you import power from the grid at your normal rate

Your total bill = (Import kWh × Import Rate) − (Export kWh × Buyback Rate) + Base Fees + TDU Delivery

Types of Buyback Plans

1:1 Buyback (True Net Metering)

The best deal for solar homeowners. You get credited at the same rate you pay for imports. If your import rate is 12 cents/kWh, your exports are worth 12 cents too.

These plans are becoming rarer as providers adjust to the growth of rooftop solar in Texas, but a few still exist.

Reduced Buyback

More common today. You pay, say, 12 cents/kWh for imports but only get 7 or 8 cents for exports. Still valuable, but the gap between import and export rates matters - especially if you export a lot.

Bill Credit Plans

Some plans give you a flat dollar credit per month or per kWh exported, rather than a direct rate offset. Read the fine print to understand exactly how the credit applies.

What to Look For

Import Rate vs. Export Rate

The most important comparison. A plan with a 10-cent import rate and 10-cent buyback is better than a plan with an 8-cent import rate and 4-cent buyback - if you export a meaningful amount.

The exact math depends on your import/export ratio, which varies by system size, home usage, and season.

Monthly Base Fee

Some solar buyback plans charge a monthly "grid access" or "solar rider" fee - typically $10–$25/month. This eats into your savings. A plan with a slightly higher rate but no base fee might come out ahead.

Contract Length

Solar buyback plans follow the same terms as regular plans - 6 months, 12 months, 24 months. Longer contracts lock in your buyback rate, which can be valuable if rates are dropping.

TDU Delivery Charges

Just like non-solar plans, delivery charges apply to your imported electricity. These are the same regardless of provider - see our TDU delivery charges guide for details.

The Battery Factor

If you have a home battery (Tesla Powerwall, Enphase, etc.), the equation changes:

• You can store excess solar production instead of exporting it
• Use stored power at night instead of paying import rates
• This reduces your dependence on a high buyback rate

Some homeowners with batteries are enrolled in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs that pay monthly credits for allowing the utility to use your battery during peak demand. If you're in a VPP, that credit is essentially part of your current plan's value.

How to Find the Best Buyback Plan

The challenge is that "best" depends entirely on your specific numbers:

• How much do you import vs. export each month?
• What's the seasonal pattern? (Exports peak in spring/fall; imports peak in summer)
• Do you have a battery?
• Are you in Centerpoint or Oncor territory?

The WattTrim Approach

WattTrim's audit is built specifically for this problem. Upload your Smart Meter Texas CSV and we:

1. Separate your import and export data by month
2. Fetch current solar buyback plans for your service area
3. Calculate the actual annual cost on each plan using your real usage pattern
4. Rank them by total savings vs. your current plan

Solar plans use flat import/export rates (no confusing tiered pricing), so the comparison is straightforward once you have the data. Already have solar? Run a full audit to find the best buyback plan for your system. Thinking about going solar? Try our Solar Feasibility Study to see if the investment makes financial sense based on your actual electricity usage.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming 1:1 buyback: Don't assume your provider is giving you full value for exports. Check your contract and recent bills.
• Ignoring base fees: A zero-base-fee plan at 11 cents often beats a $15/month plan at 10 cents.
• Not checking annually: Solar buyback rates change. Your export ratio might shift as your household changes. Review your plan at least once a year.
• Overlooking TOU options: Some solar customers do better on time-of-use plans where peak export times align with high-value rate periods.

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Your panels are generating value every day. Make sure your plan is capturing all of it.

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Ready to Find Your Best Plan?

Browsing plans is a great start - but every home uses electricity differently. WattTrim analyzes your actual Smart Meter usage data to find the cheapest plan for how you use power, not just a generic benchmark.

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