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For Texas solar owners · Updated October 18, 2026
Solar buyback plans in Texas, explained
In most of Texas, what you earn for the extra solar you send to the grid depends on your electricity plan, not on a state rule. Here's who sets that rate, the three kinds of buyback plans you'll see, the catches in the fine print, and why many solar owners still end up paying two bills.
- Your electricity provider sets your buyback. In competitive areas you can only sell your extra solar to the company you buy power from, and it isn't required to buy it.
- There are three kinds of plans: credit at your energy rate (usually capped), a lower fixed rate, or the wholesale market price.
- A better buyback helps, but you still buy power at night. A battery lets you use your own solar after sunset instead of selling it cheap.
Who sets your solar buyback rate?
Two companies are involved, and they do different jobs:
| Company | Who it is | What it does for solar |
|---|---|---|
| Your utility (TDU) | Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas or TNMP. You can't choose it; it's set by your address. | Approves your solar connection (interconnection agreement), sets up the meter to measure what you export, and sends those numbers to your provider. It doesn't set buyback rates. |
| Your electricity provider (REP) | The company on your bill (TXU, Reliant, Green Mountain and others). You choose it. | Decides whether to buy your extra solar, at what rate, and on which plans. |
The Texas PUC's official shopping site, PowerToChoose, puts it plainly: you can sell excess solar only to your own provider, and that provider "is not required to purchase this power." Some providers only offer buyback on specific plans.
The three kinds of buyback plans
| Plan type | How the credit works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Credit at your energy rate | Exports are credited at the same energy rate you pay, but usually only up to the amount you use from the grid. No negative bill. | Green Mountain Renewable Rewards Essentials: "credits are limited to the amount of energy you consume from the grid." |
| Lower fixed rate | A set credit per kWh that's lower than what you pay for power. Often no cap. | Green Mountain Solar Credit; TXU Solar Buyback plans (rates are in each plan's EFL). |
| Wholesale / real-time | You're paid the ERCOT market price for each 15-minute interval. High on hot summer evenings, low or $0 on sunny mild afternoons. | Reliant Solar Payback Match: pays the real-time price; intervals with negative prices earn $0. |
Plan names and terms from each provider's website, retrieved October 18, 2026. Rates change; the plan's Electricity Facts Label (EFL) has the current numbers.
What about TXU solar buyback?
TXU Energy offers three buyback plans: Solar Buyback System Flex (variable rate, no contract), Solar Buyback Plus (higher buyback rate) and Solar Buyback Saver (lower energy rate). According to TXU's own plan pages:
- Credits can offset up to 100% of your monthly energy charges, but not the base charge, delivery (TDU) charges, taxes or fees.
- Unused credits roll over and don't expire, up to a cap set in the EFL. They have no cash value, and you keep them only while you stay on an eligible TXU buyback plan.
- The actual buyback rate is in each plan's EFL, not on the main page.
The fine print to check on any buyback plan
- Caps. Is the credit limited to what you use from the grid each month, or to a bank limit?
- What the credit pays down. Many credits only cover energy charges, so delivery charges, the base charge and taxes still show up on your bill.
- Cash value. Banked credits usually aren't paid out. One exception: Reliant says it mails a refund check if you leave.
- Timing. The first credit can take up to 3 billing cycles to appear (TXU, Reliant and Green Mountain all say this).
- When your plan ends. Your provider must send an expiration notice 30–60 days before a fixed-term plan ends. If you do nothing, you're moved to a month-to-month variable rate plan, so check what that does to your buyback.
- The energy rate itself. A high buyback rate doesn't help if the price you pay for power at night is high too. Compare both numbers on the EFL.
Why a better buyback still leaves you with a bill
Your panels make the most power in the afternoon, when your home uses the least. Even a good buyback plan pays you for that extra solar at or below what you pay, and many cap it. Then the sun sets and you buy power from the grid again. That's how solar owners end up paying a solar loan and an electric bill.
A battery changes the math. Instead of selling afternoon solar for a few cents, you store it and use it that evening. Through the Solrite program, Watt Hero installs up to 60 kWh of Duracell batteries for $0 upfront, $0 installation fee and $20 a month, with service covered for the full 20-year agreement. You enroll with a Solrite-approved electricity provider (about 14¢/kWh including delivery, $9.95/mo base charge). How the program works →
Common questions
Does Texas have net metering?
Not statewide. In competitive areas, each electricity provider decides whether and how to credit the solar you export. Your utility (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas or TNMP) only measures it.
Can I switch to a better buyback plan?
Usually, yes, but check your current plan's early-termination fee and whether you'd lose banked credits. Compare the buyback rate and the energy rate on each plan's EFL.
Where do I see how much solar I export?
Your utility sends your meter's export data to Smart Meter Texas and to your provider. Your bill may show it as "surplus" or "excess" generation.
Is the Solrite program a buyback plan?
No. It's a battery program. The battery keeps your solar for your own use at night. When Solrite sends battery energy to the grid, you get a 1:1 credit at your per-kWh rate (including per-kWh delivery). That applies to Solrite-directed battery exports, not to solar sent straight to the grid.
Sources
- PowerToChoose (Texas PUC), "Selling renewable power": powertochoose.org; plan expiration FAQ: powertochoose.org/FAQ (retrieved Oct 18, 2026)
- ERCOT REP solar questions, TDSP matrix (Aug 2, 2022): ercot.com PDF
- TXU Energy solar buyback plans and FAQs: txu.com (retrieved Oct 18, 2026)
- Reliant Solar Payback Match: reliant.com (retrieved Oct 18, 2026)
- Green Mountain Energy buyback programs: greenmountainenergy.com (retrieved Oct 18, 2026)
See your numbers
Upload a photo of your electric bill and see what a battery could change, in about a minute. Or call or text 310-359-3809.
General information, not advice on a specific plan. Plan names, credits and terms are each provider's and change often; the current EFL and plan documents control. Watt Hero is an Authorized Solrite Dealer and is not affiliated with TXU Energy, Reliant or Green Mountain Energy; their names are used only to identify their plans.